DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act

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.

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.

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.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas), our former chairman.

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.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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.

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. 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. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1326, the ``DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act'' which I was proud to introduce alongside my colleague and friend, the gentleman from Oklahoma, Mr. Lucas.

H.R. 1326 is a bipartisan bill that would authorize cross-cutting and collaborative research and development between the Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Together these agencies can leverage their incredible capabilities to address some of our multi- disciplinary research challenges in crop science, biofuels, carbon storage, and precision agriculture technologies.

Codifying the partnership between these agencies would be a testament to our commitment to these communities, particularly rural America, and our climate.

The Science, Space, and Technology Committee generated substantial momentum through the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, which included research support towards agriculture productivity improvement goals. The DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act would sustain and strengthen this momentum in its entirety, by empowering deeper collaboration between these two agencies, enabling our research and agriculture communities to fully utilize the opportunities presented by a broad range of new emerging technologies.

With this, I encourage all my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to be in Washington, D.C. today due to a family medical event. Had I been present, I would have voted: YEA on Roll Call No. 72 and YEA on Roll Call No. 73.