The Energy and Water Research Integration Act addresses the interrelatedness of water resources and energy resources. Increasing energy demands fueled by the American lifestyle place new demands on already strained water resources. This bill seeks to minimize freshwater use, increase water use efficiency, and promote use of non-traditional water sources in energy research, development, and demonstration programs conducted by the Department of Energy. It also requires consideration of the effects of climate change on water resources available for energy production. Finally, it requires examination of the relationship between the energy needed to obtain water and the water needed to produce energy.
The problems identified and solutions proposed in this bill have few conflicts with Cohen’s “Values” Framework. Energy and water supplies are essential components of our economic and personal well-being in the U.S. The problem presents ecological as well as human well-being trade-offs. If water resources are not used wisely, both the environment and humans suffer the consequences. If energy production is limited by lack of water resources, human well-being suffers. Both human and environmental issues must be confronted when addressing the problem and solutions presented in this bill.
Both water and energy are national priorities; therefore, this policy issue would have an important place on the policy agenda. The federal government, specifically the Secretary of Energy, has the primary responsibility for carrying out the mandates of this bill. However, numerous stakeholders will be involved in the implementation of the strategic plan. Other federal and state agencies, research and academic institutions, and industries that deal with water or energy are all included either through participation in the Energy-Water Architecture Council or through annual regional technical workshops.
Other political issues that cluster with the water-energy relationships addressed in this bill include coal mining, oil and gas production, alternative fuels, hydropower and water storage, and climate change. The entities that produce energy or fuels or related technologies will be affected by the increased scrutiny of their efficiency and impacts on water resources. The less efficient methods of energy or fuel production will eventually lose to the more efficient, less water-intensive ones.
The causes and effects of the problems associated with the energy-water nexus are well known. Some methods of energy or fuel production use vast quantities of fresh water and many contaminate the water used. Extracting groundwater or moving surface water from source to point of use requires large amounts of energy. The greatest uncertainty is the amount of water required for various energy and fuel production technologies. The Strategic Plan calls for identification of the most water and energy intensive projects and those projects with the most potential for conservation. Clearly, the intent of this legislation is improvement of existing technologies and development of new technologies.
The policy design of this program will encourage research and development of more efficient technologies through cooperation among federal and state agencies and non-governmental entities. It will facilitate data collection and analysis, and sharing of this information through workshops and publications. In addition, it will establish national best management practices as recommended guidelines for energy and water technology. This is not a regulatory program, however, the data collected and best management practices formulated could be used to develop regulatory frameworks. Because the primary purpose of this program is to promote technological advances to address pressing issues, the outcome is likely to be dramatic improvements in energy and water efficiency on a national scale.
We have recognized water and energy issues for decades. The Department of Energy received $5,000,000 for each fiscal year from 2011 through 2015 to carry out this program. It relies on cooperation with other federal and state agencies, research institutions, universities, and industry already involved in energy and water issues. The objective is to improve existing technologies and develop new ones to increase efficiencies in water and energy use and production.
10 April 2010
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2 comments:
Sandra, I like your bill, is ist asking for enough money? 20 million over 4 years. What I i thought about was, what about cleaning contaminated waters? clean up such as in oil spills, or preserving ground water fom being contminated, is there any room in there for this, maybe some of the new technologies they are reserching. Cause eventually will there be enough water to even use?
It doesn't address clean up. It does address how much water is used to produce energy or fuel and how much energy is required to obtain water. The Secretary of Energy is supposed to develop a program to oversee these issues for any development and research the Department is involved with. There is also an education and information sharing component. If the funds are managed wisely, I believe it will be adequate. I do think that if the program is reasonably successful, it will be funded beyond 2015. We certainly need to look closely at the amount of water needed to produce fuels, especially in cases like corn ethanol. The new technologies that are being pushed are not necessarily "green" when all factors are considered.
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