Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Agriculture, Rural Development, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act, 2022

Floor Speech

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Mr. McNERNEY. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairwoman for her hard work on this excellent piece of legislation, the staff and Democratic members of the committee, and all Members across the aisle for their hard work on these very important issues.

I rise today in support of my two amendments to division B of H.R. 4502.

These two amendments draw much-needed attention to the energy-water nexus. Energy and water development systems have become more vulnerable as water scarcity and uncertainty have become more pronounced in the West.

It is time for a more integrated approach to addressing challenges and opportunities, and my amendments encourage our government agencies to improve underlying data collection and analysis.

My first amendment encourages the Energy Information Administration to conduct a more robust analysis and data collection of water consumption in the commercial and residential surveys and to make the information publicly available.

My second amendment encourages the Bureau of Reclamation to address the energy consumption from their pumping stations to better understand the opportunities for energy efficiencies and to reduce energy use measures.

Better data and analysis are foundational to identifying efficiencies in the face of climate change, especially in States where water processing uses a large portion of the energy budget.

Madam Speaker, I urge the adoption of these amendments.

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