II 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5015 

To establish an Outdoor Restoration Fund for restoration and resilience 

projects, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 15, 2020 

Mr. BENNET introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To establish an Outdoor Restoration Fund for restoration 

and resilience projects, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Outdoor Restoration 

5 Force Act of 2020’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Council’’ means the 

9 Restoration Fund Advisory Council established by 

10 section 4(a). 


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1 (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti2 ty’’ means— 

3 (A) a State agency; 

4 (B) a unit of local government; 

5 (C) a Tribal government; 

6 (D) a regional organization; 

7 (E) a special district; or 

8 (F) a nonprofit organization. 

9 (3) ELIGIBLE PROJECT.— 

10 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘eligible 

11 project’’ means a project or initiative— 

12 (i) that improves— 

13 (I) ecosystem health and resil14 ience, including forest, watershed, and 

15 rangeland ecosystems across public 

16 and private land, including— 

17 (aa) fire mitigation efforts; 

18 (bb) forest and river restora19 tion; 

20 (cc) reforestation efforts; or 

21 (dd) natural infrastructure 

22 projects, including projects that 

23 sequester carbon, mitigate emis24 sions, or improve climate resil25 ience; 


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1 (II) air and water quality, includ2 ing the cleanup and restoration of— 

3 (aa) abandoned coal or 

4 hardrock mines; 

5 (bb) toxic waste sites; or 

6 (cc) orphaned oil or gas 

7 wells; or 

8 (III) wildlife habitats, including 

9 projects that— 

10 (aa) expand wildlife cross11 ings and habitat connectivity; 

12 (bb) create or improve habi13 tats for at-risk species; 

14 (cc) manage or remove 

15 invasive species from wildlife 

16 habitats; or 

17 (dd) conserve working land; 

18 (ii) that is carried out in accordance 

19 with— 

20 (I) the management objectives of 

21 an applicable land management plan 

22 adopted under— 

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1 ment Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 

2 1712); or 

3 (bb) section 6 of the Forest 

4 and Rangeland Renewable Re5 sources Planning Act of 1974 

6 (16 U.S.C. 1604); 

7 (II) any other authorized use not 

8 in the applicable land management 

9 plan described in subclause (I); and 

10 (III) applicable law and available 

11 authorities; and 

12 (iii) that does not include efforts to 

13 remove old growth stands (as defined in 

14 section 102(e) of the Healthy Forests Res15 toration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6512(e))). 

16 (B) INCLUSION.—The term ‘‘eligible 

17 project’’ may include, if a project or initiative 

18 described in subparagraph (A) is administered 

19 in coordination with an eligible entity, efforts to 

20 improve public access and outdoor recreation, 

21 including efforts— 

22 (i) to enhance recreational facilities or 

23 trails; 

24 (ii) to improve equitable access to the 

25 outdoors; or 


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1 (iii) to reduce the negative effects of 

2 recreation on forests, watersheds, or wild3 life. 

4 (4) FUND.—The term ‘‘Fund’’ means the Out5 door Restoration Fund established by section 3(a). 

6 SEC. 3. OUTDOOR RESTORATION FUND. 

7 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 

8 Treasury an Outdoor Restoration Fund. 

9 (b) USE.—Amounts in the Fund shall be used— 

10 (1) by the Council to carry out the restoration 

11 and resilience project grant program established by 

12 section 5; and 

13 (2) by the Secretary of the Interior, the Sec14 retary of Agriculture, and the Administrator of the 

15 Environmental Protection Agency to carry out the 

16 restoration and resilience partnership established by 

17 section 6. 

18 (c) SAVINGS PROVISIONS.— 

19 (1) COMPLEMENTARY PROGRAMS.—Activities 

20 carried out under this Act shall complement, not du21 plicate or replace, existing programs for Federal 

22 conservation and restoration, including initiatives 

23 for— 

24 (A) at-risk wildlife and wildlife habitats; 

25 (B) fire mitigation and forest restoration; 


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1 (C) the improvement of water quality; or 

2 (D) environmental remediation. 

3 (2) APPLICABLE LAW.—Amounts made avail4 able under this Act may be used for eligible projects 

5 on Federal, State, Tribal, and private land, in ac6 cordance with applicable law and available authori7 ties. 

8 (d) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—Amounts pro9 vided under this Act shall supplement, not supplant, any 

10 Federal, State, or other funds otherwise made available 

11 to an eligible entity for activities described in this Act. 

12 SEC. 4. RESTORATION FUND ADVISORY COUNCIL. 

13 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a Res14 toration Fund Advisory Council— 

15 (1) to disburse amounts from the Fund for the 

16 restoration and resilience project grant program es17 tablished by section 5; and 

18 (2) to gather public input and provide rec19 ommendations to the Secretary of the Interior, the 

20 Secretary of Agriculture, and the Administrator of 

21 the Environmental Protection Agency for the use of 

22 the Fund for the restoration and resilience partner23 ship established by section 6. 

24 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Council shall be composed 

25 of— 


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1 (1) the Secretary of the Interior; 

2 (2) the Secretary of Agriculture; 

3 (3) the Administrator of the Environmental 

4 Protection Agency; and 

5 (4) 15 members, to be appointed by the Sec6 retary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, 

7 and the Administrator of the Environmental Protec8 tion Agency, of whom— 

9 (A) 5 shall be representatives from re10 source-dependent industries, including the agri11 culture, oil and gas, outdoor recreation, and 

12 forest product industries; 

13 (B) 5 shall be national experts in the fields 

14 of natural resource restoration, economic devel15 opment, and community and climate resilience; 

16 and 

17 (C) 5 shall be representatives of eligible 

18 entities. 

19 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

20 of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the 

21 Council shall submit to Congress a report describing— 

22 (1) the status of funded eligible projects, in23 cluding— 

24 (A) scientifically defensible estimates of en25 vironmental benefits; 


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1 (B) restoration achievements; 

2 (C) attainment of restoration and habitat 

3 improvement objectives; 

4 (D) adaptive measures undertaken; 

5 (E) jobs created and retained through— 

6 (i) grants made from the Fund; and 

7 (ii) activities carried out under the 

8 restoration and resilience partnership es9 tablished by section 6; 

10 (F) the growth in outdoor industries; and 

11 (G) progress towards State and community 

12 level resilience goals; 

13 (2) Federal programs and existing authorities, 

14 including funding, financing, technical assistance, 

15 and coordination efforts, that contribute to, support, 

16 or otherwise complement funded eligible projects; 

17 and 

18 (3) recommendations to improve delivery, align 

19 Federal resources, and expand the workforce in out20 door industries through legislative and administra21 tive changes. 

22 (d) REVIEW.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

23 of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the In24 spector Generals of the Department of the Interior, the 

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1 tection Agency shall review, and submit to the Committees 

2 on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Environment and 

3 Public Works, Energy and Natural Resources, and Appro4 priations of the Senate and the Committees on Agri5 culture, Science, Space, and Technology, Energy and 

6 Commerce, Natural Resources, and Appropriations of the 

7 House of Representatives a report describing— 

8 (1) the use of the Fund by the Council for the 

9 restoration and resilience project grant program es10 tablished by section 5; 

11 (2) the use of the Fund by the Secretary of the 

12 Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Ad13 ministrator of the Environmental Protection Agency 

14 for the restoration and resilience partnership estab15 lished by section 6; and 

16 (3) any abuse or misuse of the Fund. 

17 SEC. 5. RESTORATION AND RESILIENCE PROJECT GRANT 

18 PROGRAM. 

19 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a res20 toration and resilience project grant program (referred to 

21 in this section as the ‘‘grant program’’), to be adminis22 tered by the Council in conjunction with a regional entity 

23 under subsection (b), to provide grants from the Fund to 

24 eligible entities for eligible projects. 

25 (b) REGIONAL ENTITIES.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall coordinate 

2 with not less than 1 existing regional entity, or a re3 gional entity established by the Council, in a specific 

4 geographic region to assist with the grant program 

5 under this section. 

6 (2) MEMBERSHIP.—A regional entity shall in7 clude representatives, who have a strong under8 standing of the economic and environmental chal9 lenges in the geographic region, from— 

10 (A) Federal and State agencies; 

11 (B) Tribal governments; 

12 (C) resource-dependent industries; 

13 (D) economic development organizations; 

14 and 

15 (E) conservation organizations. 

16 (3) ROLE OF REGIONAL ENTITIES.—A regional 

17 entity shall— 

18 (A) act as an advisor and intermediary be19 tween the Council and an eligible entity; 

20 (B) assist with the development of com21 petitive funding applications made to the Coun22 cil; 

23 (C) provide advice, resources, and best 

24 practice recommendations to any eligible entity 

25 that is interested in applying for a grant; 


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1 (D) review an application made by an eligi2 ble entity under this section; 

3 (E) recommend eligible projects to the 

4 Council for priority funding; and 

5 (F) assist with data collection to develop 

6 the report to Congress made by the Council 

7 under section 4(c). 

8 (c) USE OF FUNDS.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to appropriations, 

10 the Council shall use amounts in the Fund to pro11 vide capacity grants under paragraph (2) and imple12 mentation grants under paragraph (3). 

13 (2) CAPACITY GRANTS.— 

14 (A) IN GENERAL.—Grants shall be made 

15 available to an eligible entity for the planning 

16 and monitoring of eligible projects. 

17 (B) APPLICATION.— 

18 (i) IN GENERAL.—A grant under this 

19 paragraph may only be made to an eligible 

20 entity that submits to the Council an ap21 plication at such time, in such manner, 

22 and containing or accompanied by such in23 formation as the Council, in consultation 

24 with a regional entity, may require. 


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1 (ii) CONTENTS.—An application 

2 shall— 

3 (I) contain— 

4 (aa) a clear and concise ex5 pression of interest; 

6 (bb) an explanation for how 

7 the funds would advance State 

8 actions plans or regional con9 servation projects; 

10 (cc) an explanation for how 

11 funds would complement existing 

12 Federal funds; and 

13 (dd) an estimate of the 

14 number and duration of jobs that 

15 would be created, or sustained, 

16 with the funds; and 

17 (II) be consistent with applica18 tions for other Federal funding oppor19 tunities for eligible entities. 

20 (C) PRIORITY.—The Council, in consulta21 tion with a regional entity, in approving appli22 cations under this paragraph, shall give priority 

23 to eligible entities— 

24 (i) with demonstrated restoration 

25 needs; 


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1 (ii) whose funded projects would cre2 ate or sustain jobs; 

3 (iii) whose funded projects would have 

4 the greatest community benefit; and 

5 (iv) in a location with a significant 

6 Federal interest. 

7 (3) IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—Grants shall be made 

9 available to an eligible entity for the implemen10 tation of eligible projects. 

11 (B) APPLICATION.— 

12 (i) IN GENERAL.—A grant under this 

13 paragraph may be made only to an eligible 

14 entity that submits to the Council an ap15 plication at such time, in such manner, 

16 and containing or accompanied by such in17 formation as the Council, in consultation 

18 with a regional entity, may require. 

19 (ii) CONTENTS.—An application shall 

20 be consistent with applications for other 

21 Federal funding opportunities for eligible 

22 entities. 

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1 cations under this paragraph, shall give priority 

2 to eligible projects that— 

3 (i) employ local or regional labor, or 

4 expand the outdoor workforce through 

5 training and education programs; 

6 (ii) are developed through a collabo7 rative process with multiple stakeholders 

8 representing diverse interests; 

9 (iii) would address shared conserva10 tion and restoration priorities for Federal 

11 and non-Federal partners; 

12 (iv) advance State plans related to 

13 water, wildlife, or forests; or 

14 (v) improve long-term economic secu15 rity or viability in the geographic region, 

16 particularly in geographic regions 

17 transitioning from fossil-fuel extraction. 

18 SEC. 6. RESTORATION AND RESILIENCE PARTNERSHIP. 

19 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a part20 nership, to be known as the ‘‘restoration and resilience 

21 partnership’’, and to be administered by the Secretary of 

22 the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Admin23 istrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. 

24 (b) USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts in the Fund shall be 

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1 retary of Agriculture, and the Administrator of the Envi2 ronmental Protection Agency to supplement the existing 

3 budgets of the Department of the Interior, the Depart4 ment of Agriculture, and the Environmental Protection 

5 Agency for efforts that— 

6 (1) enhance forest and watershed health 

7 through fuel reduction, forest restoration, fire miti8 gation, and road and trail maintenance; 

9 (2) support State, private, and Tribal forestry; 

10 (3) remediate or reclaim abandoned oil and gas 

11 wells, coal mines, and hardrock mines; 

12 (4) mitigate, or eradicate, invasive species on 

13 public, private, and Tribal land; or 

14 (5) enhance carbon sequestration, water re15 sources, and improve wildlife habitats. 

16 (c) PRIORITY.—The Secretary of the Interior, the 

17 Secretary of Agriculture, and the Administrator of the En18 vironmental Protection Agency shall prioritize the use of 

19 the Fund for efforts that— 

20 (1) complement and accelerate eligible projects 

21 that received funds under the restoration and resil22 ience grant program established by section 5; 

23 (2) advance State, local, or Tribal plans with 

24 respect to forests, water, or wildlife; or 


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1 (3) reduce existing agency backlogs or advance 

2 projects that can be immediately carried out. 

3 (d) OUTREACH BY THE COUNCIL.—Not later than 30 

4 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually 

5 thereafter until fiscal year 2026, the Council shall perform 

6 outreach efforts and solicit public comments on the use 

7 of the Fund by the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary 

8 of Agriculture, and the Administrator of the Environ9 mental Protection Agency for the partnership under this 

10 section. 

11 (e) RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE COUNCIL.—Not 

12 later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this 

13 Act, and after the Council has conducted the outreach ef14 forts under subsection (d), the Council shall make formal 

15 recommendations for the use of supplemental monies from 

16 the Fund by the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary 

17 of Agriculture, and the Administrator of the Environ18 mental Protection Agency for the partnership under this 

19 section. 

20 SEC. 7. FUNDING. 

21 There is appropriated, out of any money in the Treas22 ury not otherwise appropriated, $60,000,000,000 for the 

23 Fund, to remain available until expended, of which— 


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1 (1) $20,000,000,000 shall be for the restoration 

2 and resilience project grant program under section 

3 5; and 

4 (2) $40,000,000,000 shall be for the partner5 ship under section 6. 

Æ 


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