Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 2024, SEC. 7518. "DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, AND NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION JOINT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES."

Summary

Mandates the Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, and National Science Foundation to conduct joint R&D activities.

Requires establishing memoranda of understanding to coordinate efforts.

Authorizes collaborative research in AI, machine learning, large-scale data analytics, and predictive analysis to optimize agricultural and rural energy systems.

Facilitates development of methods for handling large data sets related to agriculture, environment, and supply chain.

Promotes open data sharing and collaboration between federal agencies, labs, educational and nonprofit institutions, industry, and more, ensuring compliance with federal regulations.

Supports infrastructure and workforce development for research identified as necessary by the involved agencies.

Permits reimbursable agreements and collaborations with other federal agencies to enhance R&D effectiveness.

Requires a report within two years detailing interagency coordination, achievements, future opportunities, and ongoing coordination efforts.

Stipulates consistency with existing research security regulations.

Mandates collaborative research among Agriculture, Energy, and NSF via established memoranda of understanding.

SEC. 7518. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, AND NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION JOINT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES.

(a) In General.--The Secretary shall carry out, with the Secretary of Energy and the Director of the National Science Foundation, cross- cutting and collaborative research and development activities focused on the joint advancement of Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, and National Science Foundation mission requirements and priorities. (b) Memoranda of Understanding.--The Secretary shall carry out and coordinate the activities under subsection (a) through the establishment of one or more memoranda of understanding, or other appropriate interagency agreements, with the Secretary of Energy and the Director of the National Science Foundation.

Conduct collaborative research on AI, machine learning, and diverse energy and agriculture solutions.

(c) Coordination.--In carrying out the activities under subsection (a), the Secretary, the Secretary of Energy, and the Director of the National Science Foundation may-- (1) conduct collaborative research over a variety of focus areas, such as-- (A) modeling and simulation, machine learning, artificial intelligence, data assimilation, large-scale data analytics, and predictive analysis in order to optimize algorithms for purposes relating to agriculture and rural energy, such as life cycle analysis of agricultural or rural energy systems; (B) fundamental agricultural, biological, computational, and environmental science and engineering, including advanced crop science, crop protection, breeding, and biological pest control; (C) integrated natural resources and the energy- water nexus in agricultural or rural communities; (D) advanced biomass, biobased products, and biofuels, including in collaboration with the activities authorized under title IX of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8101 et seq.); (E) diverse feedstocks for economically and environmentally sustainable fuels, including aviation and naval fuels; (F) colocation of agricultural resources and activities and ecosystem services with diverse energy technologies and resources, such as geothermal energy, nuclear energy, solar energy, wind energy, natural gas, hydropower, and energy storage; (G) colocation of agricultural resources and activities with carbon storage and utilization technologies; (H) invasive species management to further the work done by the Federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds; (I) long-term and high-risk technological barriers in the development of transformative science and technology solutions in the agriculture and energy sectors, including in collaboration with the programs authorized under section 1473H of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3319k) and section 5012 of the America COMPETES Act (42 U.S.C. 16538); (J) grid modernization and grid security and resiliency for the purpose of improving and strengthening electric service in rural areas; (K) agricultural and rural technology development, including manufacturing, precision agriculture technologies, mechanization and automation technologies, and technologies that strengthen the food supply chain; (L) wildfire risks and prevention, including the power sector's role in fire prevention and mitigation and wildfire impacts on energy infrastructure; (M) technologies to address food and nutrition security, including food loss and waste; and (N) other relevant topics, as jointly agreed to by the Secretary, the Secretary of Energy, and the Director of the National Science Foundation;

Develops methods for data integration; promotes collaboration; supports infrastructure and workforce; conducts research to improve agriculture.

(2) develop methods to accommodate large voluntary standardized and integrated data sets on agricultural, environmental, supply chain, and economic information with variable accuracy and scale; (3) promote collaboration, open community-based development, and data and information sharing between Federal agencies, National Laboratories, institutions of higher education, nonprofit institutions, industry partners, and other appropriate entities by providing reliable access to secure data and information that are in compliance with Federal rules and regulations; (4) support research infrastructure and workforce development as the Secretary, the Secretary of Energy, and the Director of the National Science Foundation determine necessary; and (5) conduct collaborative research, development, and demonstration of methods and technologies-- (A) to improve the efficiency of agriculture operations and processing of agricultural products; and (B) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with such operations and such processing.

Allows reimbursable agreements and collaboration between departments to enhance research and development.

(d) Agreements.--In carrying out the activities under subsection (a), the Secretary, the Secretary of Energy, and the Director of the National Science Foundation may-- (1) carry out reimbursable agreements between the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and other entities in order to maximize the effectiveness of research and development; and (2) collaborate with other Federal agencies as appropriate.

Requires joint report on interagency coordination, technical expansion, research achievements, future opportunities, and continued coordination.

(e) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, the Secretary of Energy, and the Director of the National Science Foundation shall jointly submit to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives a report detailing the following: (1) Interagency coordination between each Federal agency involved in the research and development activities carried out under this section. (2) Potential opportunities to expand the technical capabilities of the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy, and the National Science Foundation. (3) Collaborative research achievements. (4) Areas of future mutually beneficial successes. (5) Continuation of coordination activities between the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy, and the National Science Foundation. (f) Research Security.--The activities authorized under this section shall be carried out in a manner consistent with subtitle D of title VI of the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 19231 et seq.).