[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 199 (Monday, December 4, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H6089-H6090]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 DOE AND USDA INTERAGENCY RESEARCH ACT

  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 1713) to provide for Department of Energy and Department of 
Agriculture joint research and development activities, and for other 
purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1713

       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--
       (1) conduct collaborative research over a variety of focus 
     areas, such as--
       (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, such as geothermal energy, nuclear energy, solar 
     energy, wind energy, natural gas, hydropower, and energy 
     storage;
       (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; and
       (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; and

[[Page H6090]]

       (5) conduct collaborative research, development, and 
     demonstration of methods and technologies to--
       (A) improve the efficiency of agriculture operations and 
     processing of agricultural products; and
       (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.).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oklahoma.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H.R. 1713, the bill now under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Oklahoma?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1713, the DOE and USDA 
Interagency Research Act.
  This bill allows the Department of Energy and the Department of 
Agriculture to work together to improve how we grow our food, fiber, 
and fuel in America.
  As a farmer and rancher myself, I am proud to sponsor this bill, 
which will help us address cross-cutting research challenges that will 
advance crop science, maximize carbon storage, enhance precision 
agricultural technologies, and more.
  DOE and USDA already have a successful track record of collaboration 
to mitigate invasive species, modernize the grid, address the energy-
water nexus, develop biofuels, and improve agriculture operations.

                              {time}  1545

  DOE has some of the country's most advanced computing capacities as 
well as world-class research facilities and a depth of scientific 
expertise.
  These resources can be used to support the work being done by 
America's farmers and ranchers, ultimately strengthening our 
agricultural production.
  The bill before us today is smart, bipartisan legislation that 
codifies the partnership between DOE and USDA, ensuring they can 
continue to work together on these interdisciplinary challenges.
  I thank my Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren for working with me on this 
legislation and helping to pass it through the Science Committee with 
unanimous support.
  I appreciate her support of agriculture research, and I urge all of 
my colleagues to join us in supporting this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bipartisan bill introduced by 
Chairman Lucas and myself authorizing cross-cutting, joint research and 
development between the Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture.
  Together, these agencies leverage their incredible capabilities to 
address some of our multidisciplinary research challenges in crop 
science, carbon storage, and precision agriculture technologies.
  Codifying the partnership between these agencies is a testament to 
our commitment to combat climate change and to serve the agricultural 
communities like those in my district and throughout the Nation.
  We generated substantial momentum through the bipartisan CHIPS and 
Science Act, which included research support toward agricultural 
productivity improvement goals.
  This bill will sustain and strengthen this momentum by empowering 
deeper cooperation between two of our top science agencies, enabling 
national research and ag capability to fully realize the opportunities 
presented by new and emerging technologies.
  The technologies that are being used on farms in my district are 
really cutting edge. For example, on farms in my district, there is in 
use a giant machine that roams the fields, and by computer, identifies 
weeds and zaps them with lasers.
  This is done automatically, it doesn't use any pesticides, and those 
weeds are permanently gone. It is really an example of how we are 
entering a high-tech area in precision agriculture. The Federal 
Government can help facilitate progress in this field through bills 
like the one before us today.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to support this bill, 
and as I have no additional speakers, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, as we have heard, H.R. 1713, the DOE and USDA 
Interagency Research Act, is smart, bipartisan policy to make it easier 
to address the agriculture research challenges facing our Nation.
  By passing this bill, we are supporting the science and technology 
that will enable easier production agriculture.
  I thank Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren for her support of this critical 
issue. I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of the time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 1713, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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