Water-Energy Experts Meet in Austin, Texas

Earlier this week, a number of experts from across the country met at the University of Texas at Austin to strategize and coordinate their efforts surrounding the water-energy nexus. Brought together by the Energy Foundation, a broad range of groups were represented including environmental nonprofits, government agencies and research institutions. River Network had the opportunity to share a draft of our upcoming “Carbon Footprint of Water” report and receive feedback from the unique brain trust gathered in Austin.

River Network, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Alliance for Water Efficiency, the National Wildlife Federation, Pacific Institute and Environmental Defense Fund were among the handful nonprofit groups attending the workshop. Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin, Sandia National Laboratories, the California Energy Commission, UC Santa Barbara and the POLIS project on Ecological Governance (in Canada) also attended. Some government officials, including Tom Weimer from the US House of Representatives Select Committee on Energy and Global Warming and Lisa Vojta from the Government Accountability Office, also showed up to share their perspectives on how the water-energy nexus might fit into federal policies.

The purpose of the workshop was to bring together leading thinkers on the water-energy nexus in order to identify the policy barriers and technical hurdles that need to be overcome to achieve a more robust, integrated suite of energy and water policies. As you can tell by the above list of groups represented, the first goal was definitely achieved. Although I don’t have anything to prove it, I can assure you that the dialogue covered the latter goals with as much depth and nuance as I’ve seen.

I got to read and speak to the authors of some great reports, which was a lot of fun. One report was on the water-energy nexus in Texas and the other described research on the energy embedded in Canada’s water systems. Water-energy calculators, or models, were also discussed and some exciting tools will soon be available. I don’t have anything digital to share at the moment, but check back for more on what was shared at this conference.