A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a program to control or eradicate tamarisk in the western States, and for other purposes.

Summary: Tamarisk Control and Riparian Restoration Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, through the Commissioner of Reclamation, to: (1) complete an assessment of the extent of tamarisk (an invasive plant species) invasion in the western United States and (2) establish the Tamarisk Assistance Program to provide cost-share grants to States for tamarisk control or eradication.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Tamarisk Control and Riparian 
Restoration Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the western United States is currently experiencing its 
        worst drought in modern history;
            (2) the drought in the western United States has caused--
                    (A) severe losses in rural, agricultural, and 
                recreational economies;
                    (B) detrimental effects on wildlife; and
                    (C) increased risk of wildfires;
            (3) it is estimated that throughout the western United 
        States tamarisk, a noxious and non-native plant--
                    (A) occupies between 1,000,000 and 1,500,000 acres 
                of land; and
                    (B) is a nonbeneficial user of 2,000,000 to 
                4,500,000 acre-feet of water per year;
            (4) the amount of nonbeneficial use of water by tamarisk--
                    (A) is greater than the amount that valuable native 
                vegetation would have used; and
                    (B) represents enough water for--
                            (i) use by 20,000,000 or more people; or
                            (ii) the irrigation of over 1,000,000 acres 
                        of land;
            (5) scientists have established that tamarisk infestations 
        can--
                    (A) increase soil and water salinity;
                    (B) increase the risk of flooding through increased 
                sedimentation and decreased channel conveyance;
                    (C) increase wildfire potential;
                    (D) diminish human enjoyment of and interaction 
                with the river environment; and
                    (E) adversely affect--
                            (i) wildlife habitat for threatened and 
                        endangered species; and
                            (ii) the abundance and biodiversity of 
                        other species; and
            (6) as drought conditions and legal requirements relating 
        to water supply accelerate water shortages, innovative 
        approaches are needed to address the increasing demand for a 
        diminishing water supply.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Program.--The term ``program'' means the Tamarisk 
        Assistance Program established under section 5.
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of 
        Reclamation.
            (3) State.--The term ``State'' means--
                    (A) each of the States of Arizona, California, 
                Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, 
                Texas, Utah, and Wyoming; and
                    (B) any other State that is affected by tamarisk, 
                as determined by the assessment conducted under section 
                4.

SEC. 4. TAMARISK ASSESSMENT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date on which 
funds are made available to carry out this section, the Secretary shall 
complete an assessment of the extent of tamarisk invasion in the 
western United States.
    (b) Components.--The assessment under subsection (a) shall--
            (1) address past and ongoing research on tested and 
        innovative methods to control tamarisk;
            (2) estimate the costs for destruction of tamarisk, biomass 
        removal, and restoration and maintenance of land;
            (3) identify the States affected by tamarisk; and
            (4) include a gross-scale estimation of infested acreage 
        within the States identified.

SEC. 5. STATE TAMARISK ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--Based on the findings of the assessment under 
section 4, the Secretary shall establish the Tamarisk Assistance 
Program to provide grants to States to carry out projects to control or 
eradicate tamarisk.
    (b) Amount of Grant.--The amount of a grant to a State under 
subsection (a) shall be determined by the Secretary, based on the 
estimated infested acreage in the State.
    (c) Designation of Lead State Agency.--On receipt of a grant under 
subsection (a), the Governor of a State shall designate a lead State 
agency to administer the program in the State.
    (d) Priority.--
            (1) In general.--The lead State agency designated under 
        subsection (c), in consultation with the entities described in 
        paragraph (2), shall establish the priority by which grant 
        funds are distributed to projects to control or eradicate 
        tamarisk in the State.
            (2) Entities.--The entities referred to in paragraph (1) 
        are--
                    (A) the National Invasive Species Council;
                    (B) the Invasive Species Advisory Committee;
                    (C) representatives from Indian tribes in the State 
                that have weed management entities or that have 
                particular problems with noxious weeds;
                    (D) institutions of higher education in the State;
                    (E) State agencies;
                    (F) nonprofit organizations in the State; and
                    (G) soil and water conservation districts in the 
                State that are actively conducting research on or 
                implementing activities to control or eradicate 
                tamarisk.
    (e) Conditions.--A lead State agency shall require that, as a 
condition of receipt of a grant under this Act, a grant recipient 
provide to the lead State agency any necessary information relating to 
a project carried out under this Act.
    (f) Administrative Expenses.--Not more than 10 percent of the 
amount of a grant provided under subsection (a) may be used for 
administrative expenses.
    (g) Cost Sharing.--
            (1) Federal share.--The Federal share of the cost of 
        carrying out a project under this section shall be not more 
        than 75 percent.
            (2) Non-federal share.--The non-Federal share may be paid 
        by a State, county, municipality, special district, or 
        nongovernmental entity.
    (h) Report.--To be eligible for additional grants under the 
program, not later than 180 days after the date of completion of a 
project carried out under this Act, a lead State agency shall submit to 
the Secretary a report that describes the purposes and results of the 
project.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act--
            (1) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2004; and
            (2) such sums as are necessary for each fiscal year 
        thereafter.