Water Well Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/617280
NGWA filed comments on the pro- posed rule, arguing water well drilling contractors should not be treated the same way as more traditional long-haul truckers. Stripped-Down Energy Package Passes in House H ouse leadership had indicated H.R. 8, the North American Energy Se- curity and Industrial Competitiveness Act, passed in the House largely along party lines. Major energy legislation has not been enacted in several years, and passage of H.R. 8 in the House would be important progress. The legislation began as a bipartisan measure, with provisions on energy efficiency and 21st century workforce training, but those measures have since been dropped, which may make passage more difficult. Language that defines geothermal as renewable energy was maintained. Senate leaders indicated at Water Well Journal's press time it was unlikely for legislation to pass in 2015, but had not written off bringing it to the Senate floor in early 2016. House energy legislation contains NGWA-supported language on renew- able energy, in support of geothermal heat pumps systems. NGWA Urges Support of the Savings Act NGWA is supporting an effort led by the Water Systems Council to promote H.R. 3533, the Water Systems Cost Sav- ings Act, known as the Savings Act. The goal for the act is to reduce fed- eral, state, and local costs of providing quality drinking water to millions of Americans residing in rural communi- ties by facilitating greater use of water well systems as an alternative to traditional centralized drinking water systems. The Water Systems Council has as- sembled a range of tools that will help stimulate grassroots engagement in support of action on the Savings Act that will hopefully lead to its passage. Those tools may be accessed at www.watersystemscouncil.org/savings- act/documents. The Water Systems Council is asking supporters to download the letter of sup- port and submit it to their congressional delegation. Contact NGWA's Lauren Schapker at lschapker@ngwa.org if you have questions about how best to reach out to your members of Congress. The Savings Act would provide im- portant information to small communi- ties on the viability of water wells and would encourage consideration of water wells when constructing or expanding water systems infrastructure. Capitol Hill Briefing on Hydropower Is Latest in NGWA-Cosponsored Series N GWA and several other geoscience organizations cosponsored a brief- ing on Capitol Hill on November 19 focused on the energy-water-land implications of hydropower energy development. The briefing heard from representa- tives from the National Hydropower Association, the Nature Conservancy, and the U.S. Department of Energy and was moderated by the USGS Associate Director for Water. The panelists discussed trade-offs between energy production, resource availability, and ecosystem impacts. The briefing represented an opportu- nity to increase NGWA awareness on Capitol Hill and also provided a plat- form to discuss resource challenges associated with energy production. NGWA Reinforces Support for Geoscience Funding As congressional leaders work on a long-term spending package, NGWA joined with hundreds of colleagues in support of strong commitment to the geosciences. A letter was signed by more than 100 universities, research institutions, and nonprofit organizations from across the country and urged members of Congress to consider the important scientific con- tributions made by the National Science Foundation's Geosciences Directorate. The Directorate was subject to scrutiny by Congress in 2015 when it was singled out for funding cuts over largely political reasons. NSF's Geosciences Directorate conducts important research on many groundwater-related topics, such as the energy-water nexus and aquifer use and recharge. Consistent support is critical to enabling this research. NEWS from page 11 12 January 2016 WWJ waterwelljournal.com