7 U.S.C. § 7655c — Clarification of research and develop-

Page 2080 TITLE 7—AGRICULTURE § 7655c coordination with the Forest Service, including the Forest Products Laboratory, and other ap- propriate agencies of the Department. (e) Report The Secretary shall submit an annual report to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agri- culture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate describing, for the period covered by the re- port— (1) the research that has been conducted under paragraph (2) of subsection (b); (2) the number of buildings the Forest Serv- ice has built with wood as the primary struc- tural material; and (3) the investments made by the Forest Service in green building and wood promotion. (f) Authorization of appropriations (1) In general There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $7,000,000 for each of fis- cal years 2014 through 2023. (2) Matching funds To the extent practicable, the Secretary shall match any funds made available under paragraph (1) with funds made available under section 1646 of title 16. (Pub. L. 105–185, title VI, § 617, as added Pub. L. 113–79, title VII, § 7310, Feb. 7, 2014, 128 Stat. 892; amended Pub. L. 115–334, title VII, § 7308, Dec. 20, 2018, 132 Stat. 4816.) Editorial Notes PRIOR PROVISIONS A prior section 617 of Pub. L. 105–185, title VI, June 23, 1998, 112 Stat. 607, which was not classified to the Code, was repealed by Pub. L. 107–171, title VII, § 7302, May 13, 2002, 116 Stat. 455. AMENDMENTS 2018—Subsec. (f)(1). Pub. L. 115–334 substituted ‘‘2023’’ for ‘‘2018’’. § 7655c. Clarification of research and develop- ment program for wood building construc- tion (a) In general The Secretary shall conduct performance-driv- en research and development, education, and technical assistance for the purpose of facili- tating the use of innovative wood products in wood building construction in the United States. (b) Activities In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary shall— (1) after receipt of input and guidance from, and collaboration with, the wood products in- dustry, conservation organizations, and insti- tutions of higher education, conduct research and development, education, and technical as- sistance at the Forest Products Laboratory or through the State and Private Forestry dep- uty area that meets measurable performance goals for the achievement of the priorities de- scribed in subsection (c); and (2) after coordination and collaboration with the wood products industry and conservation organizations, make competitive grants to in- stitutions of higher education to conduct re- search and development, education, and tech- nical assistance that meets measurable per- formance goals for the achievement of the pri- orities described in subsection (c). (c) Priorities The research and development, education, and technical assistance conducted under subsection (a) shall give priority to— (1) ways to improve the commercialization of innovative wood products; (2) analyzing the safety of tall wood building materials; (3) calculations by the Forest Products Lab- oratory of the lifecycle environmental foot- print, from extraction of raw materials through the manufacturing process, of tall wood building construction; (4) analyzing methods to reduce the lifecycle environmental footprint of tall wood building construction; (5) analyzing the potential implications of the use of innovative wood products in build- ing construction on wildlife; and (6) 1 or more other research areas identified by the Secretary, in consultation with con- servation organizations, institutions of higher education, and the wood products industry. (d) Timeframe To the maximum extent practicable, the measurable performance goals for the research and development, education, and technical as- sistance conducted under subsection (a) shall be achievable within a 5-year timeframe. (Pub. L. 115–334, title VIII, § 8642, Dec. 20, 2018, 132 Stat. 4871.) Editorial Notes CODIFICATION Section was enacted as part of the Agriculture Im- provement Act of 2018, and not as part of the Agricul- tural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998, which in part comprises this chapter. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries DEFINITIONS ‘‘Secretary’’ as meaning the Secretary of Agri- culture, see section 2 of Pub. L. 115–334, set out as a Definition of ‘‘Secretary’’ note under section 9001 of this title. Pub. L. 115–334, title VIII, § 8641, Dec. 20, 2018, 132 Stat. 4871, provided that: ‘‘In this part [part III (§§ 8641–8644) of subtitle F of title VIII of Pub. L. 115–334, enacting this section and section 7655d of this title and amend- ing section 8113 of this title]: ‘‘(1) INNOVATIVE WOOD PRODUCT.—The term ‘innova- tive wood product’ means a type of building compo- nent or system that uses large panelized wood con- struction, including mass timber. ‘‘(2) MASS TIMBER.—The term ‘mass timber’ in- cludes— ‘‘(A) cross-laminated timber; ‘‘(B) nail laminated timber; ‘‘(C) glue laminated timber; ‘‘(D) laminated strand lumber; and ‘‘(E) laminated veneer lumber. ‘‘(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means the Secretary [of Agriculture], acting through the Re- search and Development deputy area and the State Page 2081 TITLE 7—AGRICULTURE § 7656 and Private Forestry deputy area of the Forest Serv- ice. ‘‘(4) TALL WOOD BUILDING.—The term ‘tall wood building’ means a building designed to be— ‘‘(A) constructed with mass timber; and ‘‘(B) more than 85 feet in height.’’ § 7655d. Wood innovation grant program (a) Definitions In this section: (1) Eligible entity The term ‘‘eligible entity’’ means— (A) an individual; (B) a public or private entity (including a center of excellence that consists of 1 or more partnerships between forestry, engi- neering, architecture, or business schools at 1 or more institutions of higher education); or (C) a State, local, or Tribal government. (2) Secretary The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service. (b) Grant program (1) In general The Secretary, in carrying out the wood in- novation grant program of the Secretary de- scribed in the notice of the Secretary entitled ‘‘Request for Proposals: 2016 Wood Innovations Funding Opportunity’’ (80 Fed. Reg. 63498 (Oc- tober 20, 2015)), may make a wood innovation grant to 1 or more eligible entities each year for the purpose of advancing the use of innova- tive wood products. (2) Proposals To be eligible to receive a grant under this subsection, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary a proposal at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require. (c) Incentivizing use of existing milling capacity In selecting among proposals of eligible enti- ties under subsection (b)(2), the Secretary shall give priority to proposals that include the use or retrofitting (or both) of existing sawmill facili- ties located in counties in which the average an- nual unemployment rate exceeded the national average unemployment rate by more than 1 per- cent in the previous calendar year. (d) Matching requirement As a condition of receiving a grant under sub- section (b), an eligible entity shall provide funds equal to the amount received by the eligible en- tity under the grant, to be derived from non- Federal sources. (Pub. L. 115–334, title VIII, § 8643, Dec. 20, 2018, 132 Stat. 4872.) Editorial Notes CODIFICATION Section was enacted as part of the Agriculture Im- provement Act of 2018, and not as part of the Agricul- tural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998, which in part comprises this chapter. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries DEFINITIONS ‘‘Secretary’’ as meaning the Secretary of Agri- culture, see section 2 of Pub. L. 115–334, set out as a Definition of ‘‘Secretary’’ note under section 9001 of this title. For definition of ‘‘innovative wood product’’, see sec- tion 8641 of Pub. L. 115–334, set out as a note under sec- tion 7655c of this title. § 7656. Designation of Crisis Management Team within Department (a) Designation of Crisis Management Team The Secretary of Agriculture shall designate a Crisis Management Team within the Depart- ment of Agriculture, which shall be— (1) composed of senior departmental per- sonnel with strong subject matter expertise selected from each relevant agency of the De- partment; and (2) headed by a team leader with manage- ment and communications skills. (b) Duties of Crisis Management Team The Crisis Management Team shall be respon- sible for the following: (1) Developing a Department-wide crisis management plan, taking into account similar plans developed by other government agencies and other large organizations, and developing written procedures for the implementation of the crisis management plan. (2) Conducting periodic reviews and revisions of the crisis management plan and procedures developed under paragraph (1). (3) Ensuring compliance with crisis manage- ment procedures by personnel of the Depart- ment and ensuring that appropriate Depart- ment personnel are familiar with the crisis management plan and procedures and are en- couraged to bring information regarding crises or potential crises to the attention of mem- bers of the Crisis Management Team. (4) Coordinating the Department’s informa- tion gathering and dissemination activities concerning issues managed by the Crisis Man- agement Team. (5) Ensuring that Department spokespersons convey accurate, timely, and scientifically sound information regarding crises or poten- tial crises that can be easily understood by the general public. (6) Cooperating with, and coordinating among, other Federal agencies, States, local governments, industry, and public interest groups, Department activities regarding a cri- sis. (c) Role in prioritizing certain research The Crisis Management Team shall cooperate with the Advisory Board in the prioritization of agricultural research conducted or funded by the Department regarding animal health, nat- ural disasters, food safety, and other agricul- tural issues. (d) Cooperative agreements The Secretary shall seek to enter into cooper- ative agreements with other Federal depart- ments and agencies that have related programs or activities to help ensure consistent, accurate,