Good afternoon. Thank you, Chairman Lamb, for the opportunity to speak on behalf of H.R. 34, the Energy and Water Research Integration Act of 2019.
This legislation authorizes DOE to integrate water considerations into energy research, development, and demonstration programs by advancing a diverse portfolio of innovative energy and energy efficiency technologies and research approaches, and to develop a strategic plan for the specific technical needs and milestones of these programs.
A sustainable supply of both energy and water is essential to the maintenance of U.S. economic health, environmental stability, and national security.
And as we heard in expert testimony at Energy Subcommittee hearing earlier this month, it is clear that no matter what the future cross-section of the U.S. energy market looks like – we will need to develop an integrated approach to understanding these two critical and fundamentally intertwined systems.
With its strong expertise in energy technologies and world-leading fundamental science capabilities, DOE is uniquely and perfectly suited to lead this research, which falls squarely within the Administration’s ongoing national energy-water nexus initiative.
I believe that the Energy and Water Research Integration Act will provide U.S. researchers with greater opportunity to leverage DOE’s one-of-a-kind capabilities in support of critical national goals that will help maintain U.S. leadership in sustainable energy technology for years to come.
I want to thank the lead sponsors of this bill, Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas, for their leadership and on this important legislation. I encourage my colleagues to support this bill and I yield back the balance of my time.