Energy and Water Research Integration Act of 2019

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to cosponsor H.R. 34, the Energy and Water Research Integration Act. This legislation is a product of bipartisan Science, Space, and Technology Committee efforts to improve our understanding of the critical relationship between the U.S. energy and water sectors.

The production of energy is dependent on reliable sources of water, and the distribution of clean water is dependent on the availability of energy. No matter what the future U.S. energy market looks like, integrating these two systems is essential. But this is no simple task.

Both water and energy management are often impacted by many regional challenges and resources and require careful consideration of local factors. For example, back home in Oklahoma, agriculture is the single largest driver of water consumption in the State. But that same agricultural industry also creates a source of energy through biofuels.

Additionally, natural gas production, which is key to the development of a cleaner U.S. energy market, relies on horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, processes which require large volumes of water. But these processes can also produce water, enabling reuse of this resource through fluid lifecycle management.

The Energy and Water Research Integration Act will help prioritize research and development on this critical relationship between energy and water systems and will help American researchers develop tools and technologies to improve our Nation's energy efficiency, environmental stability, and economic growth.

I am pleased to see the work that many Federal agencies, including the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, are already doing to improve the efficiency of our energy water systems, and to see the administration's clear prioritization of this work, including the multiagency Water Security Grand Challenge and the recently announced DOE Energy-Water Desalination Hub. But we, in Congress, must also do our part.

Because of the complex relationship between energy and water systems, this will require a multidisciplinary approach. At every step of the R&D process there is a need to facilitate interactions between chemists, engineers, geologists, and legislators, and to encourage collaboration between the Federal Government, industry, universities, and local stakeholders.

I believe this legislation, introduced by Chairwoman Johnson and myself, can help to streamline and prioritize this work. The programs authorized in this legislation will leverage the world-leading, early- stage research programs and unparalleled facilities at our national labs and enable the development of next-generation technologies that will improve the efficiency and production in both the energy and water sectors.

I thank my colleagues on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, particularly Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, for continuing to prioritize important research and development programs that will make America stronger, cleaner, and keep us globally competitive. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to work with my fellow Science, Space, and Technology Committee colleagues to guide this important and bipartisan work.

H.R. 34 prioritizes critical research to help improve the way we use energy and water.

I again want to thank Chairwoman Johnson for her leadership on this bill. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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