“A bill to establish an Outdoor Restoration Fund for restoration and resilience projects, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section defines key terms for purposes of the Act, including "(1) Council," meaning the Restoration Fund Advisory Council established by section 4(a); "(2) covered authority," meaning 12 specified restoration authorities and programs (e.g., good neighbor authority under 16 U.S.C. 2113a, stewardship contracting under 16 U.S.C. 6591c, and Farm Bill conservation programs under 16 U.S.C. 3801 et seq.); "(3) ecological integrity" and "(7) restoration," with meanings given in 36 C.F.R. §219.19 (as in effect on the date of enactment); "(4) eligible entity," meaning a State agency, unit of local government, Tribal government, regional or quasi-governmental organization, special district, or nonprofit organization; "(5) Fund," meaning the Outdoor and Watershed Restoration Fund established by section 3(a); "(6) grant program," meaning the restoration and resilience grant program established by section 5(b); "(8) restoration and resilience project," meaning a project on Federal, non-Federal, or both lands that uses best available science to improve forest conditions, rangeland and native grassland health, watershed function, or wildlife habitat; "(9) Secretary," meaning the Secretary of Agriculture; and "(10) wildland-urban interface," with the meaning given in section 101 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6511).
This section establishes in the Treasury the Outdoor and Watershed Restoration Fund to provide funding for the grant program under this Act and the Restoration and Resilience Partnership Program under section 6. The section directs the Secretary of Agriculture to use fund amounts through a transparent process—(1) in coordination with the Council, for the grant program; and (2) for the Partnership Program—and includes savings provisions requiring activities to complement existing federal conservation, restoration, and resilience programs; comply with applicable law; and supplement, not supplant, other funds. Further, the section authorizes interagency flexibility to satisfy matching or cost-sharing requirements using funds from other covered authorities or appropriations under section 8 and to modify eligibility criteria for such authorities; permits pay-for-performance contracts, grants, or fixed-amount awards for restoration outcomes; allows acceptance of non-Federal contributions into a dedicated account available without further appropriation; and requires the Department of Agriculture Inspector General to report annually to specified congressional committees, beginning one year after enactment, on the fund's use or any abuse or misuse for the grant and Partnership Programs.
This section establishes a Restoration Fund Advisory Council to provide recommendations to the Secretary on (1) disbursement of amounts from the Restoration Fund for the grant program, (2) priority-setting for landscapes, and (3) evaluation and monitoring for restoration and resilience project success. The Council consists of the Secretary, 12 members appointed by the Secretary—including 3 representatives from resource-dependent industries (i.e., agriculture, oil and gas, outdoor recreation, or forest products), 3 national experts in natural resource restoration, economic development, and community and climate resilience, 3 representatives of conservation, wildlife, or watershed organizations, and 1 representative each from State, local, and Tribal governments—and up to 3 additional representatives from other federal agencies. Not later than one year after enactment and annually thereafter, the Secretary, in consultation with the Council, must submit to the Senate Committees on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and Appropriations and the House Committees on Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Appropriations a report on (1) the status of Restoration Fund projects, including environmental and climate benefits, restoration achievements, jobs created or retained, growth in outdoor industries, and progress toward resilience goals; and (2) recommendations to improve coordination, align resources and authorities, and expand workforce capacity through legislative and administrative changes.
This section establishes a restoration and resilience grant program, administered by the Secretary with guidance from the Council, to provide capacity grants or pay-for-performance contracts from the Fund to eligible entities for planning, coordinating, and monitoring restoration and resilience projects on non-Federal land and supporting collaboration and monitoring on Federal land. The program also provides implementation grants or pay-for-performance contracts to eligible entities for restoration and resilience projects, wildfire-resistive construction and home ignition zone risk reduction, and equitable outdoor access projects on non-Federal land. The Secretary must coordinate with state and regional restoration efforts; offer grant-writing training and mentoring to lower-capacity or underserved communities and organizations; and waive matching requirements for such applicants and rural communities. In awarding grants, the Secretary must prioritize projects that (1) create or sustain jobs or expand the outdoor workforce; (2) are developed collaboratively using best available science; (3) address shared Federal-non-Federal priorities or advance state, local, and Tribal plans; (4) utilize watershed data analytics; (5) are carried out by underserved communities or organizations; or (6) improve long-term economic security, particularly in fossil fuel transition regions.
This section establishes the Restoration and Resilience Partnership Program to restore forest, grassland, and rangeland ecosystems in partnership with State, local, and Tribal governments; create or sustain outdoor jobs; improve rangeland resilience against invasive species such as cheatgrass; and reduce uncharacteristic wildfires in high-risk areas. The Secretary of Agriculture shall designate partnership areas of Federal and non-Federal land not later than 60 days after enactment—including areas proposed by States or Tribes—that (1) have high or very high wildfire potential per the Forest Service's Wildfire Hazard Potential Version 2020 map, other Secretary-approved resources, or State tools; (2) contain high-priority wildlife habitat needing restoration, as determined in consultation with eligible entities and applicable Governors or Tribal representatives; or (3) for Federal land, are in the wildland-urban interface. On designated land, the Secretary shall carry out restoration and resilience projects, prioritizing those that (A) reintroduce low-intensity fire in frequent-fire ecosystems, (B) reduce fuels via small-diameter thinning and strategic breaks, (C) retain old/large trees as appropriate, (D) improve at-risk wildlife habitat, (E) enhance water quality/quantity, (F) include success metrics, (G) involve communities in wildland-urban interface mitigation, (H) emphasize proactive wildfire risk reduction there, and (I) increase community fire adaptation; projects on Federal land must align with land management plans and applicable law (using existing authorities, including covered authorities), with coordination alongside the Secretary of the Interior on Federal land and eligible entities/stakeholders on non-Federal land. Projects are prohibited in wilderness or wilderness study areas; for permanent roads/trails; on Federal land where vegetation removal is restricted by Congress or proclamation; in inventoried or State-defined roadless areas; or to remove old growth stands (as defined in 16 U.S.C. 6512(e)(1)).
This section directs the Secretary to submit to Congress, not later than 60 days after the date of enactment, a report on forestry funding made available by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117-58) and Public Law 117-169 (Inflation Reduction Act of 2022) that (1) explains the methodology for priority landscapes set by the Secretary, (2) describes metrics for measuring performance and outcomes, and (3) describes allocation of funds to states, forests, and Indian Tribes.
This section appropriates $60 billion to the Fund, to remain available until expended, of which (1) $20 billion is for the grant program; and (2) $40 billion is for the Restoration and Resilience Partnership Program under section 6, including not less than $20 billion for restoration and resilience projects on federal land. Funds available for the partnership program may be used for staffing, salaries, and other workforce needs and expenses related to its administration.