In committee
DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act
This bill directs the Department of Energy and the Department of Agriculture to jointly fund research and share data on challenges facing both agriculture and the nation's energy supply. Researchers at universities, national laboratories, and private companies will compete for federal grants to develop biofuels, cut farm emissions, improve automated farming tools, and protect rural power grids from wildfires. The agencies must also establish secure, shared data systems and report their collaborative findings to Congress within two years.
People affected—The text directs federal agency coordination and competitive research awards open to national laboratories, higher education institutions, nonprofits, and other entities, without specifying or bounding the number of individuals affected.
Fiscal magnitude—The bill authorizes collaborative research activities, reimbursable agreements, and competitive merit-reviewed awards between DOE and USDA, but does not appropriate funds or authorize a specific dollar amount.
Reach24provisional · pending reviewrigor: heuristic llm
What this bill touches.
Public R&D+25Energy sources+18Farm policy & subsidies+10Greenhouse-gas policy+18
Who it helps · who it burdens.
Who it helps
- Universities, National Laboratories, and nonprofit research institutionsEligible to compete for joint research funding, access secure shared data sets, and receive support for research infrastructure and workforce development (Sec. 2(b), Sec. 2(c)(3), Sec. 2(c)(4)).
- Agricultural, energy, and technology companiesAuthorized to engage in collaborative information and data sharing, technology development, and reimbursable research partnerships with the departments (Sec. 2(c)(3), Sec. 2(d)(1)).
Who it burdens
- Department of Energy and Department of AgricultureRequired to establish an interagency agreement, establish a competitive merit-reviewed award process, adhere to federal research security standards, and submit a report to Congress within two years (Sec. 2(a), Sec. 2(b), Sec. 2(e), Sec. 2(f)).