Official Summaries

DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act

This bill requires the Department of Energy and Department of Agriculture to carry out cross-cutting and collaborative research and development activities through the establishment of an interagency agreement.

The agencies are authorized to (1) carry out reimbursable agreements in order to maximize research and development effectiveness, and (2) collaborate with other federal agencies. Further, the interagency agreement must require the use of a competitive, merit-reviewed process, which considers applications from federal agencies, national laboratories, institutions of higher education, and nonprofit institutions.

Research and development activities may include

• collaborative research in a variety of focus areas such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, biofuels and biobased products, grid modernization and security, rural technology development, and wildfire risks and prevention;
• developing methods to accommodate large voluntary standardized and integrated data sets on agricultural, environmental, supply chain, and economic information;
• supporting research infrastructure and workforce development; and
• collaborative research and development on ways to improve agriculture operations and processing efficiencies, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Current Full Text

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1326 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1326


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 25, 2025

   Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
To provide for Department of Energy and Department of Agriculture joint 
      research and development activities, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``DOE and USDA Interagency Research 
Act''.

SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE JOINT 
              RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of 
Agriculture (in this section referred to as the ``Secretaries'') shall 
carry out cross-cutting and collaborative research and development 
activities focused on the joint advancement of Department of Energy and 
Department of Agriculture mission requirements and priorities.
    (b) Memorandum of Understanding.--The Secretaries shall carry out 
and coordinate the activities under subsection (a) through the 
establishment of a memorandum of understanding, or other appropriate 
interagency agreement. Such memorandum or agreement shall require the 
use of a competitive, merit-reviewed process, which considers 
applications from Federal agencies, National Laboratories, institutions 
of higher education, nonprofit institutions, and other appropriate 
entities.
    (c) Coordination.--In carrying out the activities under subsection 
(a), the Secretaries may carry out the following:
            (1) Conduct collaborative research over a variety of focus 
        areas, such as the following:
                    (A) Modeling and simulation, machine learning, 
                artificial intelligence, data assimilation, large scale 
                data analytics, and predictive analysis in order to 
                optimize algorithms for purposes related to agriculture 
                and energy, such as life cycle analysis of agricultural 
                or energy systems.
                    (B) Fundamental agricultural, biological, 
                computational, and environmental science and 
                engineering, including advanced crop science, crop 
                protection, breeding, and biological pest control, in 
                collaboration with the program authorized under section 
                306 of the Department of Energy Research and Innovation 
                Act (42 U.S.C. 18644).
                    (C) Integrated natural resources and the energy-
                water nexus, including in collaboration with the 
                program authorized under section 1010 of the Energy Act 
                of 2020 (enacted as division Z of the Consolidated 
                Appropriations Act, 2021 (42 U.S.C. 16183)).
                    (D) Advanced biomass, biobased products, and 
                biofuels, including in collaboration with the 
                activities authorized under section 9008(b) of the Farm 
                Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 
                8108(b)).
                    (E) Diverse feedstocks for economically and 
                environmentally sustainable fuels, including aviation 
                and naval fuels.
                    (F) Colocation of agricultural resources and 
                activities and ecosystem services with diverse energy 
                technologies and resources.
                    (G) Colocation of agricultural resources and 
                activities with carbon storage and utilization 
                technologies.
                    (H) Invasive species management to further the work 
                done by the Federal Interagency Committee for the 
                Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds.
                    (I) Long-term and high-risk technological barriers 
                in the development of transformative science and 
                technology solutions in the agriculture and energy 
                sectors, including in collaboration with the program 
                authorized under section 5012 of the America COMPETES 
                Act (42 U.S.C. 16538).
                    (J) Grid modernization and grid security.
                    (K) Rural technology development, including 
                manufacturing, precision agriculture technologies, and 
                mechanization and automation technologies.
                    (L) Wildfire risks and prevention, including the 
                power sector's role in fire prevention and mitigation 
                and wildfire impacts on energy infrastructure.
            (2) Develop methods to accommodate large voluntary 
        standardized and integrated data sets on agricultural, 
        environmental, supply chain, and economic information with 
        variable accuracy and scale.
            (3) Promote collaboration, open community-based 
        development, and data and information sharing between Federal 
        agencies, National Laboratories, institutions of higher 
        education, nonprofit institutions, industry partners, and other 
        appropriate entities by providing reliable access to secure 
        data and information that are in compliance with Federal rules 
        and regulations.
            (4) Support research infrastructure and workforce 
        development as the Secretaries determine necessary.
            (5) Conduct collaborative research, development, and 
        demonstration of methods and technologies to accomplish the 
        following:
                    (A) Improve the efficiency of agriculture 
                operations and processing of agricultural products.
                    (B) Reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with 
                such operations and such processing.
    (d) Agreements.--In carrying out the activities under subsection 
(a), the Secretaries are authorized to--
            (1) carry out reimbursable agreements between the 
        Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture, and other 
        entities in order to maximize the effectiveness of research and 
        development; and
            (2) collaborate with other Federal agencies as appropriate.
    (e) Report.--Not later than two years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall submit to the Committee on 
Science, Space, and Technology and the Committee on Agriculture of the 
House of Representatives, and the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of 
the Senate, a report detailing the following:
            (1) Interagency coordination between each Federal agency 
        involved in the research and development activities carried out 
        under this section.
            (2) Potential opportunities to expand the technical 
        capabilities of the Department of Energy and the Department of 
        Agriculture.
            (3) Collaborative research achievements.
            (4) Areas of future mutually beneficial successes.
            (5) Continuation of coordination activities between the 
        Department of Energy and the Department of Agriculture.
    (f) Research Security.--The activities authorized under this 
section shall be applied in a manner consistent with subtitle D of 
title VI of the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation 
Act (enacted as division B of Public Law 117-167; 42 U.S.C. 19231 et 
seq.).

            Passed the House of Representatives March 24, 2025.

            Attest:

                                             KEVIN F. MCCUMBER,

                                                                 Clerk.