New legislation from the leaders of the Senate Natural Resources Committee would increase the federal government’s attention to the connections between water and energy. Sponsored by Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and ranking member Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), the “Nexus of Energy and Water for Sustainability (NEWS) Act” (S. 1971) would create a panel within the White House National Science and Technology Council to coordinate federal activities focused on the energy-water nexus.
Under the bill, the new panel would identify activities at the intersection of water and energy across the federal government; improve coordination of research and development; improve data collection and sharing; and promote collaborations between the public and private sectors. The legislation would require the Office of Management and Budget to create a “cross-cut” budget that identifies spending across the federal government related to energy and water activities.