# Plain Language Summary: DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act

This bill creates a formal partnership between the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to work together on research projects that benefit both agencies' missions. Instead of these two departments working separately, they'll now coordinate their efforts and combine their expertise to tackle problems that involve both energy and agriculture.

The two departments will focus on a wide range of research areas where energy and agriculture overlap. This includes developing better computer models and artificial intelligence tools to optimize farming and energy systems, researching advanced crops and pest control methods, studying how to use agricultural waste to create biofuels, exploring ways to combine farming with renewable energy on the same land, and developing technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from farming. They'll also work on managing invasive species, protecting the power grid, developing rural technologies like precision agriculture equipment, and preventing wildfire damage to energy infrastructure.

To make this work, the departments will create an agreement that sets up a competitive process where universities, national laboratories, nonprofits, and private companies can apply for funding to conduct this joint research. The bill also emphasizes sharing data and information between organizations and developing the workforce needed for these projects. Within two years, the departments must report to Congress on how well the partnership is working, what they've accomplished, and whether they should continue coordinating in the future.

For everyday people, this means the government is trying to be smarter about how it spends research money by having two departments work together instead of separately. The practical benefits could eventually include more efficient farming methods, cleaner energy from agricultural sources, and technologies that help farmers adapt to climate change and other challenges.

DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act

Lucas, Frank D.

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 include<ul><li>collaborative research in a variety of focus areas such as machine learning and artificial intelligence,&nbsp;biofuels and biobased&nbsp;products, grid modernization and security, rural technology development, and wildfire risks and prevention;</li><li>developing methods to accommodate large voluntary standardized and integrated data sets on agricultural, environmental, supply chain, and economic information;</li><li>supporting research infrastructure and workforce development; and</li><li>collaborative research and development on ways to improve agriculture operations and processing efficiencies, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.</li></ul>