DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act
DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act
Plain Language Summary
# DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act Summary **What the bill does:** This legislation requires the Department of Energy (DOE) and Department of Agriculture (USDA) to work together on joint research projects through a formal agreement. The bill allows these agencies to share funding and collaborate on research in areas like artificial intelligence, biofuels, renewable energy, rural technology, and wildfire prevention. Research proposals would be selected through a competitive, merit-based review process open to federal agencies, national labs, universities, and nonprofit organizations. **Who it affects:** The bill primarily affects researchers, scientists, and institutions (universities and nonprofits) that pursue federal research funding in energy and agriculture.
Farmers and rural communities could benefit from new technologies developed through these collaborations. Taxpayers fund these agencies, so the bill affects how federal research dollars are spent. **Current status:** The bill has passed the House of Representatives and is awaiting Senate action. As written, it's a relatively narrow bill focused on improving how two federal agencies coordinate their research efforts rather than creating new programs or significantly increasing spending.
CRS Official Summary
DOE and USDA Interagency Research ActThis 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 includecollaborative 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; andcollaborative research and development on ways to improve agriculture operations and processing efficiencies, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Latest Action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.