[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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