H.R. 34 would direct the Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a strategic plan that incorporates water issues into the department’s research and development programs. The bill also would require DOE to establish a committee to improve data collection and reporting on the relationship between energy and water and to conduct annual workshops to facilitate the exchange of information about technologies that promote the conservation and efficient use of water and energy.
Using information from DOE, CBO estimates that the department would incur costs of $450,000 annually for the workshops and for additional staff to manage the committee. Based on the costs of similar plans, CBO estimates that developing the strategic plan would cost $700,000. In total, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 34 would cost $3 million over the 2019-2024 period; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
Enacting H.R. 34 could affect direct spending by the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Bonneville Power Administration. However, because those agencies can set their rates to recover their costs, CBO estimates that the net change in spending would be negligible.
