The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee recently released S 1971 Nexus of Energy and Water for Sustainability (NEWS) Act of 2014, a bipartisan bill which would create a committee within the National Science and Technology Committee to establish interagency coordination and streamline federal activities related to the management of this energy-water nexus.  This nexus refers to the vast quantity of water needed to produce fuels and energy as well as the vast quantity of energy needed to transport, reclaim, and treat water.  The proposed committee would be co-chaired by the secretaries of Energy and Interior and would aim to enhance the coordination of federal and non-federal research and development activities; improve relevant data collection and dissemination capabilities; and promote public-private collaboration.  The bill, introduced on January 29, 2014, is sponsored by U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), chairman and ranking minority member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

To see the full text of the bill, visit http://bit.ly/1eBhMBC.