[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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