S-1218 : Still Just a Bill

Nexus of Energy and Water for Sustainability Act of 2015 or the NEWS Act of 2015

This bill requires the Office of Science and Technology Policy to establish either a Committee or a Subcommittee on the Nexus of Energy and Water for Sustainability (NEWS) under the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC). The Secretary of Energy (DOE) and Secretary of the Interior must serve as co-chairs. The term "energy-water nexus" means the links between: (1) the water needed to produce energy; and (2) the energy needed to transport, reclaim, and treat water and wastewater.

The NEWS Committee or Subcommittee shall:

• serve as a forum for developing common federal goals and plans on energy-water nexus research, development, and demonstration activities;
• issue a strategic plan on the priorities and objectives of those activities;
• promote coordination of the related activities of federal departments and agencies;
• coordinate and develop capabilities and methodologies for data collection, management, and dissemination of information related to those activities from and to other federal departments and agencies;
• promote information exchange between federal departments and agencies; and
• review its activities, relevance, and effectiveness 10 years after it is established and report on the results of the review.

The Office of Management and Budget must submit a report that displays for each agency that carries out or supports basic and applied research, development, and demonstration activities to advance energy-water nexus-related science and technologies: (1) the budget proposed in the President's budget request for the upcoming fiscal year, (2) expenditures and obligations for the prior fiscal year, and (3) estimated expenditures and obligations for the current fiscal year.