Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Act of July 3, 1952 (66 Stat. 328) as amended (42 U. S. C. 1952 -- 1958), is further amended to read as follows:

In view of the increasing shortage of usable surface and ground water in many parts of the Nation and the importance of finding new sources of supply to meet its present and future water needs, it is the policy of the Congress to provide for the development of practicable low-cost means for the large-scale production of water of a quality suitable for municipal, industrial, agricultural, and other beneficial consumptive uses from saline water, and for studies and research related thereto. As used in this Act, the term' saline water' includes sea water, brackish water, and other mineralized or chemically charged water, and the term 'United States' extends to and includes the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the territories and possessions of the United States.

In order to accomplish the purposes of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall --

conduct, encourage, and promote fundamental scientific research and basic studies to develop the best and most economical processes and methods for converting saline water into water suitable for beneficial consumptive purposes;

conduct engineering research and technical development work to determine, by laboratory and pilot plant testing, the results of the research and studies aforesaid in order to develop processes and plant designs to the point where they can be demonstrated on a large and practical scale;