WASHINGTON D.C. — U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M.,  and John Hoeven, R-N.D., members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, introduced the Department of Energy and United States Department of Agriculture Interagency Research Act Nov. 14. This act will require interagency collaboration on activities including environmental science, electric grid modernization, and rural technology development. Overall, this bipartisan legislation will develop partnerships that maximize limited federal research dollars to improve the ability to address key agricultural research needs.

The DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act also leverages the DOE National Lab system to help USDA meet the wide-ranging challenges facing the agricultural sector, stewardship of public lands, and economic opportunity in rural America. This legislation will also improve U.S. competitiveness on agricultural research and development compared to China and the EU, and build on successful DOE-USDA initiatives like Regional Feedstock Partnerships and Bioenergy Research Centers.

“New Mexico is blessed to have a thriving agriculture sector, expansive public lands, and National Labs right in our backyard,” Luján said. “With such resources at our disposal, it’s critical we capitalize on every opportunity to harness the power of our National Labs to further groundbreaking research. That’s why I’m proud to join Senator Hoeven to introduce this bipartisan bill that will boost our public lands and agricultural industry by improving coordination with DOE and USDA. This legislation will help codify this partnership and ensure our Labs are being used to their full potential to support the USDA and the challenges facing our farmers, ranchers, and producers.”

By Senator Ben Ray Luján, D- N.M.