1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Open Access Evapotranspiration Data Act . 2. Definitions In this Act: (1) Evapotranspiration The term evapotranspiration or ET means the process by which water is transferred from the land to the atmosphere by— (A) evaporation from soil and other surfaces; and (B) transpiration from plants. (2) Program The term Program means the Open Access Evapotranspiration (OpenET) Data Program established under section 4(a). (3) Program partner The term Program partner means— (A) an institution of higher education; (B) a State (including a State agency); (C) an Indian Tribe as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act ( 25 U.S.C. 5304 ); (D) a private sector entity; (E) a nongovernmental organization; or (F) any other entity determined to be appropriate by the Secretary. (4) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United States Geological Survey. 3. Findings Congress finds that— (1) evapotranspiration is the second largest component of the water budget, which is an accounting of the allocation of water resources to various water uses; (2) evapotranspiration is a measure of the water that is consumed and lost from a water system, removed from available supplies, and unavailable for other uses within a watershed; (3) accurate information on evapotranspiration is required to balance water supply and water demand in a watershed and ensure that adequate water supplies for beneficial uses are available over time; (4) water users and managers are impeded in more efficient decision making by— (A) the lack of consistent and comprehensive water use data; and (B) the fact that access to existing data is often limited and cost-prohibitive; and (5) evapotranspiration data may be applied for the purposes of— (A) assisting users and decisionmakers to better manage resources and protect financial viability of farm operations during drought