AIR Researcher to Chair National Academies Committee on Energy-Water Nexus

The committee on Enabling DOE Regional Energy-Water Demonstrations will provide recommendations to the US Department of Energy on criteria for establishing regional facilities to resolve issues and create opportunities at the intersection of energy and water systems in the United States.

Katharine Jacobs, Director of the Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions within the Arizona Institute for Resilience at the University of Arizona, will chair a committee appointed by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to explore the complex interconnections between energy and water. 

Water and energy are each essential to the other’s production in the United States, according to the National Academies announcement, since most energy production requires water and water delivery, treatment and production can account for a significant component of municipal energy consumption. 

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“By combining the stellar expertise in this committee with input from regional stakeholders, we aim to provide recommendations to the Department of Energy on ways to prioritize investments and engage with potential partners,” said Jacobs. “I’m honored to chair this important endeavor on behalf of the National Academies and the DOE.” 

In addition to background research and analysis, the committee will conduct information-gathering public meetings across the country to outline opportunities to leverage existing regional programs, and the potential to contribute to the development and deployment of potential solutions. A report with the committee’s recommendations for the Department of Energy is expected to be released in 2026.

The committee includes experts from academic and industrial institutions, as well as non-governmental organizations: East Bay Municipal Utility District, Pacific Institute, Electric Power Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Tennessee Valley Authority, North Carolina State University, University of California, Merced, Pennsylvania State University, Cornell University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the Geological Survey of Alabama and State Oil and Gas Board, New Mexico State University, and Yale University.

Rachel Gallery, who directs the Lovejoy Center for Bridging Biodiversity, Conservation Science and Policy within AIR, also serves the National Academies as a New Voice in Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.