[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 53 (Monday, March 24, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H1204-H1205]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DOE AND USDA INTERAGENCY RESEARCH ACT
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 1326) to provide for Department of Energy and Department of
Agriculture joint research and development activities, and for other
purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1326
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.).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
[[Page H1205]]
Texas (Mr. Babin) and the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include
extraneous material on H.R. 1326, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1326, the DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act is
a perfect example of government efficiency. This bill directs the
Department of Energy and the Department of Agriculture to share their
resources and knowledge to achieve common mission priorities.
DOE and USDA already have a successful track record of collaboration
in topics such as the energy-water nexus, invasive species control,
wildfire risk mitigation, and biofuels. Through the expanded
interagency agreement authorized in this bill, DOE and USDA can tackle
additional complex research challenges, such as genomics-based
research, rural energy development, and grid modernization.
These joint efforts advance clean energy and agricultural
technologies and promote rural economic growth. As global competition
intensifies and our adversaries seek to gain an advantage by feeding
and clothing the rest of the world, it is vital that we strengthen and
preserve this interagency collaboration to keep pace through
innovation.
This bill will do exactly that. We have two world-class agencies, DOE
and USDA, conducting research, so it only makes sense that we ensure
they are both at the table to coordinate on a wide range of topics.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense bill,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am rising in support of the DOE and USDA Interagency
Research Act, H.R. 1326.
I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas), again, our former
committee chair, for reintroducing this legislation alongside the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren), our ranking member of the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
The Department of Energy and the United States Department of
Agriculture have a long and established history of partnering to
address multidisciplinary research areas like biomass energy
development, sustainable aviation fuels, and various methods for
improving clean energy development and deploying that development in
rural America.
H.R. 1326 is going to codify and strengthen these cross-cutting and
collaborative research and development activities between these two
departments, the Department of Energy and the Department of
Agriculture. This bill positions these agencies to overcome future
international competition challenges while accelerating the production
of biofuels, renewable chemical feed stocks, and conversion systems
that can support clean energy technologies and, of course, rural
economic growth.
Mr. Speaker, I join in encouraging my colleagues to support this
legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas), our former chairman.
Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1326, 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.
I introduced this bill in the last Congress with the help of the
ranking member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Ms.
Lofgren. The measure passed with unanimous support through the
committee and by voice vote on the House floor.
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
agriculture technologies, and much 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.
DOE has some of our 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.
This bill before us today is a smart, bipartisan legislation that
codifies the partnership between DOE and USDA, ensuring that they can
continue to work together on these interindustry challenges.
I thank Ms. Lofgren for working with me these past two Congresses on
this bill, and I deeply appreciate her support of agricultural
research. It is always a pleasure to be on the floor with Ms. Stevens
from Michigan.
I urge all my colleagues to join us in supporting this bill.
Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests to speak on this
bill, and I am prepared to close. I yield myself the balance of my
time.
Mr. Speaker, let's make this a reality with H.R. 1326. I urge a
``yes'' vote, and, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, this bill passed the House with unanimous
support last Congress. That is because smart, bipartisan legislation
rarely faces opposition.
I thank former Science, Space, and Technology Committee chairman, Mr.
Lucas, and Ranking Member Lofgren for once again leading this effort.
I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 1326.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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