Topic: Energy — General
Subject: Energy
Date: 2009-09-17 00:00:00

Energy and Water Research Integration Act - (Sec. 2) Directs the Secretary of Energy to identify each of the Department of Energy's (DOE's) energy research, development, and demonstration programs and projects into which it is appropriate to integrate water considerations. Requires the Secretary to: (1) seek to advance energy and energy efficiency technologies and practices that would minimize freshwater withdrawal and consumption, increase water use efficiency, and utilize nontraditional water sources with efforts to improve water quality; and (2) consider the effects climate variability and change may have on water supplies and quality for energy generation and fuel production; and (3) improve understanding of the energy required to provide water supplies and the water required to provide reliable energy supplies throughout the United States. Requires the Secretary to develop, submit to Congress within nine months, and update every three years a Strategic Plan outlining the research, development, and demonstration needs of such programs and projects. Requires the Secretary to evaluate and establish technical milestones for: (1) new advanced cooling technologies for energy generation and fuel production technologies; (2) performance improvement and cost reductions of cooling technologies; (3) innovative water reuse, recovery, and treatment in energy generation and fuel production; (4) technology development for carbon capture and storage systems that utilize efficient water use design strategies; (5) technologies that are life-cycle cost effective; (6) systems analysis and modeling of issues relating to the energy required to provide water supplies and the water required to provide reliable energy supplies; (7) technologies to treat and utilize produced waters discharged from oil, natural gas, coal-bed methane, and mining activities; (8) advanced materials for the use of nontraditional water sources for energy generation and fuel production; (9) biomass production and utilization and the impact on hydrologic systems; (10) technologies that reduce impacts on water from energy resource development; (11) increases in energy efficiency of water distribution and collection systems; and (12) technologies for energy generation from such systems. Requires the Secretary to: (1) implement the Strategic Plan in carrying out DOE energy research, development, and demonstration programs; and (2) report to Congress every two years on findings and activities under this Act. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 3) Directs the Secretary to establish an Energy-Water Architecture Council to promote and enable improved energy and water resource data collection, reporting, and technological innovation. Requires the Council to: (1) make recommendations on the development of data collection and communication standards and protocols to entities engaged in collecting data for the energy required to provide water supplies and the water required to provide reliable energy supplies throughout the United States; (2) recommend ways to make improvements to federal water use data to increase understanding of trends in energy generation and fuel production; (3) recommend best practices for utilizing information from monitoring networks to provide nationally uniform water and energy use and infrastructure data; and (4) conduct annual technical workshops to facilitate information exchange among federal, state, and private sector experts on technologies that encourage the conservation and efficient use of water and energy. (Sec. 4) Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to: (1) allow the establishment of regulations by the federal government that would infringe or impair the use of water by state, tribal, or local governments; and (2) require state, tribal, or local governments to take any action that may result in an increased financial burden by restricting their water use. (Sec. 6) Directs the Secretary to coordinate activities under this Act with other DOE programs and other federal research programs.