Sec. 81224. X-prize for water technology breakthroughs
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/bill/116/hr/2/eh/section-81224A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
The Secretary, working through the Bureau of Reclamation, shall establish a program to award prizes to eligible persons described in subsection
(b)for achievement in one or more of the following applications of water technology: Demonstration of wastewater and industrial process water purification for reuse or desalination of brackish water or seawater with significantly less energy than current municipally and commercially adopted technologies. Demonstration of portable or modular desalination units that can process 1 to 5,000,000 gallons per day that could be deployed for temporary emergency uses in coastal communities or communities with brackish groundwater supplies. Demonstration of significant advantages over current municipally and commercially adopted reverse osmosis technologies as determined by the board established under subsection (c). Demonstration of significant improvements in the recovery of residual or waste energy from the desalination process. Reducing open water evaporation. An eligible person described in this subsection is— an individual who is— a citizen or legal resident of the United States; or a member of a group that includes citizens or legal residents of the United States; an entity that is incorporated and maintains its primary place of business in the United States; or a public water agency. The Secretary shall establish a board to administer the program established under subsection (a). The board shall be composed of not less than 15 and not more than 21 members appointed by the Secretary, of whom not less than 2 shall— be a representative of the interests of public water districts or other public organizations with water delivery authority; be a representative of the interests of academic organizations with expertise in the field of water technology, including desalination or water reuse; be representative of a non-profit conservation organization; have expertise in administering award competitions; and be a representative of the Bureau of Reclamation of the Department of the Interior with expertise in the deployment of desalination or water reuse. Subject to the availability of appropriations, the board established under subsection
(c)may make awards under the program established under subsection
(a)as follows: The board may hold a financial award competition and award a financial award in an amount determined before the commencement of the competition to the first competitor to meet such criteria as the board shall establish. The board may recognize an eligible person for superlative achievement in 1 or more applications described in subsection (a). An award under this paragraph shall not include any financial remuneration. The board established under subsection
(c)may contract with a private organization to administer a financial award competition described in subsection (d)(1). A member of the board or any administering organization with which the board has a contract under paragraph
(1)may solicit gifts from private and public entities to be used for a financial award under subsection (d)(1). The board may allow a donor who is a private person described in paragraph
(2)to participate in the determination of criteria for an award under subsection (d), but such donor may not solely determine the criteria for such award. A donor who is a private person described in paragraph
(3)shall not be entitled to any special consideration or advantage with respect to participation in a financial award competition under subsection (d)(1). The Federal Government may not acquire an intellectual property right in any product or idea by virtue of the submission of such product or idea in any competition under subsection (d)(1). The board established under subsection
(c)may require a competitor in a financial award competition under subsection (d)(1) to waive liability against the Federal Government for injuries and damages that result from participation in such competition. Each year, the board established under subsection
(c)shall submit to the relevant committees of Congress a report on the program established under subsection (a). There are authorized to be appropriated sums for the program established under subsection
(a)as follows: For administration of prize competitions under subsection (d), $750,000 for each fiscal year through fiscal year 2026. For the awarding of a financial prize award under subsection (d)(1), in addition to any amounts received under subsection (e)(2), $5,000,000 for each fiscal year through fiscal year 2026. Amounts appropriated under paragraph
(1)shall remain available until expended. The Secretary, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation, shall establish a program, pursuant to the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act ( Public Law 102–575 , title XVI), the Water Desalination Act of 1996 ( Public Law 104–298 ), and other applicable laws, to promote the expanded use of technology for improving availability and resiliency of water supplies and power deliveries, which shall include— investments to enable expanded and accelerated deployment of desalination technology; and investments to enable expanded and accelerated use of recycled water. There are authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each fiscal year through fiscal year 2026 for the Secretary to carry out the purposes and provisions of subsection (j).
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- Pub. L. 102-575
- Pub. L. 104-298
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Sec. 81224
X-prize for water technology breakthroughs
Pub. L.Pub. L. 102-575
Pub. L.Pub. L. 104-298
Cites 2Cited by 0 across 0 sources