II 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4639 

To establish a North American Grasslands Conservation Council, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 27, 2022 

Mr. WYDEN (for himself, Mr. BENNET, and Ms. KLOBUCHAR) introduced the 

following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works 

A BILL 

To establish a North American Grasslands Conservation 

Council, 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 ‘‘North American Grass5 lands Conservation Act of 2022’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that— 

8 (1) the maintenance of healthy populations of 

9 grassland bird species and working lands that are 

10 critical for rural economies and carbon sequestration 


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1 are dependent on the conservation, restoration, and 

2 management of grassland ecosystems, which are 

3 composed of tallgrass, mixed grass, and shortgrass 

4 prairies, sagebrush shrub-steppe, and savannah 

5 grasslands (referred to in this section as ‘‘grassland 

6 ecosystems’’); 

7 (2) grasslands cover 358,000,000 acres of the 

8 United States, 85 percent of which are privately 

9 owned and serve as an important habitat for 29 

10 breeding obligate grassland bird species; 

11 (3) sagebrush occupies 161,000,000 acres of 14 

12 western States; 

13 (4) over the last decade alone, millions of acres 

14 of grassland ecosystems in North America have been 

15 converted to cropland and residential and commer16 cial development; 

17 (5) grassland ecosystems are threatened by 

18 fragmentation, invasive species, wildfire, degrada19 tion, and land conversion; 

20 (6) on average, about 1,200,000 acres of sage21 brush burn each year in the United States due to 

22 invasive annual grasses that fuel catastrophic 

23 wildfires; 


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1 (7) in addition to the wildfires described in 

2 paragraph (6), there has been a decrease in the 

3 number of working farms and ranches due to— 

4 (A) pressures to convert or sell land; and 

5 (B) challenges in keeping ranching profit6 able; and 

7 (8) effective restoration strategies for land 

8 managers of grassland ecosystems require— 

9 (A) access to adequate quantities of high 

10 quality, regionally appropriate, and diverse na11 tive plant seeds; 

12 (B) science-based guidance on cultivating 

13 native plant species; and 

14 (C) as stated in the National Seed Strat15 egy for Rehabilitation and Restoration devel16 oped by the Plant Conservation Alliance and 

17 chaired by the Director of the Bureau of Land 

18 Management, more research on seedling estab19 lishment and species interaction in order to in20 crease the use of native plant species. 

21 SEC. 3. PURPOSE. 

22 The purpose of this Act is to take bold action to con23 serve and restore grasslands in North America while sup24 porting ranchers, farmers, Indian Tribes, sportsmen and 

25 sportswomen, rural communities, and other interests by— 


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1 (1) preventing additional conversion and loss of 

2 native grasslands and loss of sagebrush biome and 

3 sustaining those ecosystems as working lands by cre4 ating a flexible, voluntary, and innovative grant pro5 gram; 

6 (2) improving grassland and rangeland health 

7 and management; 

8 (3) mitigating the impacts of severe drought 

9 and wildfire on grasslands; 

10 (4) supporting farmer and rancher stewards 

11 and Tribal partners; 

12 (5) improving biodiversity and habitat for 

13 grassland and sagebrush birds, pollinators, and 

14 other wildlife; 

15 (6) increasing carbon sequestration; 

16 (7) providing increased recreational and hunter 

17 access opportunities, at the discretion of private 

18 landowners; and 

19 (8) encouraging stronger public-private partner20 ships in support of landscape-level grassland con21 servation. 

22 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

23 In this Act: 

24 (1) CONSERVATION STRATEGY.—The term 

25 ‘‘Conservation Strategy’’ means the North American 


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1 Grasslands Conservation Strategy established under 

2 section 7(a). 

3 (2) COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Council’’ means the 

4 North American Grasslands Conservation Council 

5 established by section 5(a). 

6 (3) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

7 the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife 

8 Service. 

9 (4) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti10 ty’’ means— 

11 (A) a grazing land coalition; 

12 (B) an agricultural or livestock producer 

13 group; 

14 (C) an Indian Tribe; 

15 (D) a land trust; 

16 (E) a State or local government; 

17 (F) a Federal land management agency; 

18 (G) a nongovernmental organization; 

19 (H) a community-based organization; and 

20 (I) a group of individuals that are private 

21 landowners. 

22 (5) GRASSLANDS.—The term ‘‘grasslands’’ 

23 means tallgrass, mixed grass, shortgrass, native 

24 prairie, sagebrush shrub-steppe, savanna grasslands, 


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1 glades, wet meadows, coastal grasslands, and other 

2 related grassland ecosystems. 

3 (6) GRASSLANDS CONSERVATION PROJECT.— 

4 The term ‘‘grasslands conservation project’’ means 

5 any conservation, restoration, protection, or en6 hancement activity that is carried out with a grant 

7 awarded under the program. 

8 (7) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

9 has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 

10 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

11 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

12 (8) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means 

13 the grant program established under section 8(a). 

14 (9) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

15 the Secretary of the Interior. 

16 (10) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘Trib17 al organization’’ has the meaning given the term in 

18 section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu19 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

20 SEC. 5. NORTH AMERICAN GRASSLANDS CONSERVATION 

21 COUNCIL. 

22 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the 

23 North American Grasslands Conservation Council. 

24 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall be com2 posed of 10 members, of whom— 

3 (A) 1 shall be the Director, who shall be 

4 the responsible Federal official for ensuring 

5 Council compliance with the National Environ6 mental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 

7 seq.); 

8 (B) 1 shall be a representative of the Na9 tional Fish and Wildlife Foundation; 

10 (C) 2 shall be appointed by the Secretary, 

11 who shall each be a Director of a State fish and 

12 wildlife agency; 

13 (D) 2 shall be appointed by the Secretary, 

14 who shall be representatives of Indian Tribes; 

15 (E) 2 shall be appointed by the Secretary, 

16 who shall each represent a different 

17 landowning, farming, ranching, or grazing 

18 group organization that is actively participating 

19 in carrying out grassland conservation projects; 

20 and 

21 (F) 2 shall be appointed by the Secretary, 

22 who shall be members of conservation organiza23 tions. 

24 (2) PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT; VACANCIES.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

2 subparagraph (B), a member of the Council 

3 shall serve for a term of 3 years. 

4 (B) EXCEPTIONS.— 

5 (i) DIRECTORS OF STATE FISH AND

6 WILDLIFE AGENCIES.—Of the members 

7 first appointed under paragraph (1)(C)— 

8 (I) 1 shall be appointed for a 

9 term of 2 years; and 

10 (II) 1 shall be appointed for a 

11 term of 3 years. 

12 (ii) OTHER MEMBERS.—Of the mem13 bers first appointed under subparagraphs 

14 (D), (E), and (F) of paragraph (1)— 

15 (I) 2 shall be appointed for a 

16 term of 1 year; 

17 (II) 2 shall be appointed for a 

18 term of 2 years; and 

19 (III) 2 shall be appointed for a 

20 term of 3 years. 

21 (C) VACANCIES.— 

22 (i) IN GENERAL.—With respect to a 

23 member appointed to the Council under 

24 subparagraph (C) or (E) of paragraph (1), 

25 a vacancy in the Council shall be filled in 


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1 accordance with that subparagraph for the 

2 remainder of the applicable term of that 

3 member. 

4 (ii) ALTERNATE MEMBERS.—Until a 

5 vacancy referred to in clause (i) is filled, or 

6 in the event of an anticipated absence of a 

7 member described in that clause from any 

8 meeting of the Council, the Secretary shall 

9 appoint an alternate member to the Coun10 cil who shall— 

11 (I) be knowledgeable and experi12 enced in matters relating to grassland 

13 conservation and restoration; and 

14 (II) perform the duties of a mem15 ber appointed to the Council under 

16 subparagraph (C) or (E) of paragraph 

17 (1). 

18 (3) EX OFFICIO MEMBERS.—The Secretary may 

19 include as ex officio, nonvoting members of the 

20 Council— 

21 (A) the Under Secretary for Farm Produc22 tion and Conservation of the Department of Ag23 riculture; 

24 (B) the Director of the Bureau of Land 

25 Management; and 


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1 (C) representatives of— 

2 (i) other appropriate Federal, provin3 cial, territorial, or Tribal government agen4 cies; and 

5 (ii) nonprofit charitable organizations 

6 and Native American interests, including 

7 Tribal organizations, that are participating 

8 in grasslands conservation projects. 

9 (4) CHAIRPERSON.— 

10 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall select 

11 a Chairperson from among the members of the 

12 Council. 

13 (B) TERM.—A Chairperson shall serve for 

14 a 3-year term, except that the first selected 

15 Chairperson may serve a term of less than 3 

16 years. 

17 (c) MEETINGS.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall meet at 

19 the call of the Chairperson. 

20 (2) FREQUENCY.—The Council shall meet not 

21 less frequently than once per year. 

22 (3) FORMAT.—A meeting of the Council may be 

23 conducted in person or virtually. 

24 (4) AVAILABILITY.—Meetings of the Council 

25 shall be open to the public, and the Council shall 


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1 give public notice of the time and place of such 

2 meetings. 

3 (d) DUTIES.—The Council shall— 

4 (1) provide input to the Director in the develop5 ment of the Conservation Strategy; 

6 (2) establish publicly available project evalua7 tion criteria for applications submitted under the 

8 program; and 

9 (3) provide funding recommendations to the Di10 rector with respect to those applications. 

11 (e) COMPENSATION.—A member of the Council shall 

12 receive no compensation as a result of serving on the 

13 Council. 

14 (f) FACA APPLICABILITY.—The Federal Advisory 

15 Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the 

16 Council. 

17 SEC. 6. REGIONAL GRASSLANDS CONSERVATION COUN18 CILS. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—There are established Regional 

20 Grasslands Conservation Councils for each region estab21 lished by the Director, in consultation with relevant Fed22 eral agencies. 

23 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—Each Regional Grasslands Con24 servation Council shall be composed of not more than 10 

25 members, which shall include— 


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1 (1) representatives of nongovernmental organi2 zations representing the conservation community; 

3 (2) representatives from Tribal governments 

4 and organizations; 

5 (3) representatives of rancher and farming in6 terests; 

7 (4) representatives from State fish and wildlife 

8 agencies; and 

9 (5) any other representatives, as determined 

10 necessary by the Secretary in coordination with the 

11 Council. 

12 (c) RECOMMENDATIONS.—A Regional Grasslands 

13 Conservation Council shall provide recommendations to 

14 the Council on— 

15 (1) the selection of grasslands conservation 

16 projects; and 

17 (2) best practices of established regional grass18 land conservation plans. 

19 (d) FACA APPLICABILITY.—The Federal Advisory 

20 Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to a Re21 gional Grasslands Conservation Council. 

22 SEC. 7. NORTH AMERICAN GRASSLANDS CONSERVATION 

23 STRATEGY. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—After not less than half of the 

25 members of the Council are appointed under section 


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1 5(b)(1), the Director shall, in consultation with the Coun2 cil— 

3 (1) develop a coordinated strategy, to be known 

4 as the ‘‘North American Grasslands Conservation 

5 Strategy’’, for the protection, restoration, and man6 agement of grassland ecosystems across the United 

7 States; and 

8 (2) support implementation, monitoring, and 

9 communication efforts relating to the Conservation 

10 Strategy. 

11 (b) EXISTING CONSERVATION PLANS.—The Con12 servation Strategy shall draw from existing local, State, 

13 and regional conservation plans and frameworks, con14 servation plans of Indian Tribes, and State wildlife action 

15 plans, with an emphasis on supporting existing science16 based frameworks from the Natural Resources Conserva17 tion Service, including the Working Land for Wildlife 

18 framework. 

19 (c) INCLUSION.—The Conservation Strategy shall— 

20 (1) identify key areas with— 

21 (A) grasslands at high risk of conversion 

22 to cropland, residential and commercial develop23 ment, shrub or woody encroachment, or inva24 sion of annual grasses or other undesired vege25 tation; 


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1 (B) the highest potential of conserving na2 tive grasslands, restoring grasslands, and re3 ducing fragmentation; 

4 (C) ecologically significant grassland rem5 nants; 

6 (D) populations of grassland bird species 

7 of greatest conservation need, as identified in— 

8 (i) State wildlife action plans; 

9 (ii) Tribal conservation plans; or 

10 (iii) the report of the United States 

11 Fish and Wildlife Service entitled ‘‘Birds 

12 of Conservation Concern 2021 Migratory 

13 Bird Program’’ and dated April 2021 (or 

14 a successor document); and 

15 (E) grassland habitats important to the re16 covery of species listed as threatened species or 

17 endangered species under section 4 of the En18 dangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 

19 1533); 

20 (2) identify specific goals for increasing grass21 land acreage and enhancing existing grasslands pri22 marily through incentivizing the voluntary restora23 tion of grasslands and the management of native 

24 prairie or sagebrush shrublands through conserva25 tion practices such as— 


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1 (A) advanced grazing management or 

2 other prescribed grazing management that 

3 meets the objectives of the Conservation Strat4 egy; 

5 (B) prescribed fires; 

6 (C) invasive species management; 

7 (D) removal of encroaching woody vegeta8 tion; and 

9 (E) restoration of marginal cropland and 

10 pastureland to native grasslands in areas that 

11 were historically grasslands; and 

12 (3) develop— 

13 (A) baseline inventories and population es14 timates of key indicator birds, pollinators, and 

15 other wildlife species at risk; 

16 (B) goals for increasing population size 

17 and resiliency of those species, including 

18 through ensuring grassland habitat 

19 connectivity; and 

20 (C) a tool for tracking county-level aggre21 gated conversion of native grasslands to crop22 land, residential and commercial development, 

23 and other uses that shall be— 

24 (i) made publicly available; and 

25 (ii) updated on an annual basis. 


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1 (d) AVAILABILITY.—Not later than 120 days before 

2 the date on which the program is established, the Con3 servation Strategy shall be finalized and made publicly 

4 available on the website of the United States Fish and 

5 Wildlife Service to help target investments in grasslands 

6 conservation projects. 

7 SEC. 8. GRASSLAND CONSERVATION GRANT PROGRAM. 

8 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 2 years after 

9 the date of enactment of this Act, the Director, in con10 sultation with the Secretary of Agriculture and other 

11 heads of relevant Federal agencies, shall establish a com12 petitive grant program to award grants to eligible entities 

13 for eligible projects to support voluntary grasslands con14 servation projects, including projects— 

15 (1) to conserve intact grasslands at risk of con16 version to cropland and residential and commercial 

17 development; 

18 (2) to restore degraded grasslands and improve 

19 grassland health; 

20 (3) to increase carbon sequestration and eco21 logical function in soils and improve resilience of 

22 grasslands; 

23 (4) to support habitat and habitat connectivity 

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1 nators, plants, watersheds, and other wildlife, includ2 ing big game species; and 

3 (5) to restore and enhance watersheds. 

4 (b) APPLICATIONS.—An eligible entity desiring a 

5 grant under the program shall submit to the Director an 

6 application at such time, in such manner, and containing 

7 such information as the Director may require. 

8 (c) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under the pro9 gram, the Director shall prioritize grants to eligible enti10 ties that advance the goals of the Conservation Strategy. 

11 (d) CONSIDERATIONS.—In awarding grants under 

12 the program, the Director shall consider recommendations 

13 made by the Council. 

14 (e) USE OF FUNDS.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity may use a 

16 grant awarded under the program for grasslands 

17 conservation projects, including— 

18 (A) voluntary conservation easements; 

19 (B) restoration and management activities, 

20 including— 

21 (i) voluntary incentives to producers 

22 for prescribed burns; 

23 (ii) removal of pinyon juniper or any 

24 other encroaching woody species; 

25 (iii) management of invasive species; 


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1 (iv) maintenance and monitoring of 

2 new or ongoing grasslands conservation 

3 projects; 

4 (v) advanced grazing management ac5 tivities; 

6 (vi) drought monitoring and prepared7 ness activities; and 

8 (vii) such other restoration and man9 agement activities as determined appro10 priate by the Director; 

11 (C) ecosystem education, outreach, and 

12 conservation stewardship assistance, which may 

13 include— 

14 (i) field days; 

15 (ii) grazing management training pro16 grams; 

17 (iii) conservation planning; and 

18 (iv) education and outreach relating 

19 to— 

20 (I) grazing management; 

21 (II) control of invasive species; 

22 (III) prescribed fires; 

23 (IV) native seed crop systems re24 search, in accordance with the reVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:44 Aug 03, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4639.IS S4639

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1 search carried out by the Secretary of 

2 Agriculture under section 9; 

3 (V) land access, generational 

4 land transfers, and ensuring ranch5 land viability; 

6 (VI) best management practices 

7 relating to grassland biomes; and 

8 (VII) participation in carbon and 

9 ecosystem markets; 

10 (D) payments for ecosystem or conserva11 tion services; and 

12 (E) such other activities that benefit grass13 lands and associated wildlife. 

14 (2) RESTORATION ACTIVITIES.—For purposes 

15 of paragraph (1)(B), any restoration activity shall 

16 prioritize a diverse mix of appropriately sourced na17 tive grasses and forbs, with such exceptions as the 

18 Director determines to be appropriate for eco19 logically appropriate noninvasive and non-native spe20 cies. 

21 (f) GRASSLANDS CONSERVATION PROJECTS IN MEX22 ICO AND CANADA.—The Secretary shall grant or otherwise 

23 provide up to 10 percent of the amounts made available 

24 under section 12(a)(1) to Federal agencies, eligible enti25 ties, and other individuals and entities, including foreign 


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1 land management agencies, for the purpose of assisting 

2 those entities and individuals in carrying out grasslands 

3 conservation projects in Mexico and Canada that— 

4 (1) have been approved by the Council; and 

5 (2) meet the goals of the Conservation Strat6 egy. 

7 (g) TRIBAL SET-ASIDE.—For each fiscal year, of the 

8 amounts made available to carry out the program, the Di9 rector shall set aside not less than 10 percent to provide 

10 grants to Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations. 

11 (h) COST-SHARING REQUIREMENT.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

13 the non-Federal share of the cost of carrying out an 

14 eligible project using funds from a grant awarded 

15 under the program shall be not less than 25 percent, 

16 including in-kind contributions. 

17 (2) WAIVERS.— 

18 (A) INDIAN TRIBES.—The Secretary shall 

19 waive the cost-share requirement under para20 graph (1) for grants awarded to Indian Tribes 

21 and Tribal organizations. 

22 (B) OTHER ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The 

23 Council shall establish waiver criteria under 

24 which the Secretary may waive the cost-share 

25 requirement under paragraph (1), in whole or 


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1 in part, for grants awarded to such other eligi2 ble entities. 

3 (i) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—An eligible entity 

4 awarded a grant under this section may use the grant 

5 funds for administrative costs relating to that grant. 

6 SEC. 9. NATIVE SEED CROP SYSTEMS RESEARCH. 

7 The Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture shall 

8 jointly coordinate and implement the National Seed Strat9 egy for Rehabilitation and Restoration developed by the 

10 Plant Conservation Alliance and chaired by the Director 

11 of the Bureau of Land Management, with an emphasis 

12 on— 

13 (1) research relating to native seed crop sys14 tems, including— 

15 (A) agronomic research to improve the un16 derstanding of native plants as seed crops for 

17 native rangeland revegetation, with an emphasis 

18 on enhancing natural plant establishment in the 

19 environment; 

20 (B) research on plant seed physiology to 

21 improve seed quality, storage, and seeding suc22 cess in the landscape; 

23 (C) the development and technology trans24 fer of best management practices and tech25 nologies for seed production, seed collection, 


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1 seed storage, and reseeding success in the envi2 ronment; 

3 (D) research on soil chemistry and biome 

4 composition and how soil chemistry and biome 

5 composition impact native seed establishment; 

6 and 

7 (E) identification of scenarios and pre8 ferred species for the incorporation of non-na9 tive seed, with the goal of the overall successful 

10 restoration of functional groups of species; 

11 (2) extension of research described in para12 graph (1) to seed producers and land managers re13 sponsible for restoration efforts; and 

14 (3) production, storage, distribution, and plant15 ing of native seed crops in grassland areas for res16 toration. 

17 SEC. 10. REGENERATIVE GRAZING DATA COLLECTION. 

18 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

19 (1) FEDERAL LAND.—The term ‘‘Federal land’’ 

20 means— 

21 (A) public lands (as defined in section 103 

22 of the Federal Land Policy and Management 

23 Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702)); and 

24 (B) land of the National Forest System (as 

25 defined in section 11(a) of the Forest and 


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1 Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act 

2 of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1609(a))). 

3 (2) PILOT PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘pilot pro4 gram’’ means the pilot program established under 

5 subsection (b)(1). 

6 (3) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 

7 means the Secretary of Agriculture (acting through 

8 the Chief of the Forest Service) and the Secretary 

9 (acting through the Director of the Bureau of Land 

10 Management), acting jointly. 

11 (b) PILOT PROGRAM FOR USE OF REGENERATIVE

12 GRAZING ON FEDERAL LAND TO MITIGATE THE EF13 FECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.— 

14 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 1 year 

15 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secre16 taries shall establish a pilot program to study the ef17 fectiveness of using grazing on Federal land to miti18 gate the effects of climate change. 

19 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out the pilot 

20 program, the Secretaries shall— 

21 (A) identify— 

22 (i) a standard set of practices to 

23 study, such as carbon beneficial practices, 

24 that support conservation and grazing 

25 goals, including— 


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1 (I) ecologically appropriate 

2 silvopasture; 

3 (II) practices that provide wild4 life habitat benefits; 

5 (III) practices that consider flexi6 bility in season of use; 

7 (IV) forage and biomass manage8 ment; 

9 (V) planned grazing; and 

10 (VI) range monitoring; and 

11 (ii) sufficient grazing allotments on a 

12 diverse mixture of ecosystems to identify 

13 whether, and the extent to which, grazing 

14 is an effective tool to mitigate effects of 

15 climate change, including the ability— 

16 (I) to improve soil health; 

17 (II) to increase carbon sequestra18 tion; 

19 (III) to reduce wildfire risk; and 

20 (IV) to improve watershed resil21 ience and biodiversity; and 

22 (B) in developing, implementing, and mon23 itoring the pilot program, consult with— 

24 (i) the Chief of the Forest Service; 


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1 (ii) the Director of the Bureau of 

2 Land Management; 

3 (iii) the Administrator of the Agricul4 tural Research Service; 

5 (iv) the Chief of the Natural Re6 sources Conservation Service; 

7 (v) the Director of the United States 

8 Geological Survey; 

9 (vi) ranchers and representatives of 

10 the ranching industry; 

11 (vii) representatives from grazing dis12 tricts, associations, boards, or councils; 

13 (viii) environmental and conservation 

14 nongovernmental organizations; 

15 (ix) institutions of higher education; 

16 and 

17 (x) any other Federal or State agency, 

18 academic institution, or organization that 

19 the Secretaries determine to be appro20 priate. 

21 (3) USE OF FUNDS.—Funds made available to 

22 carry out the pilot program may be used for— 

23 (A) the conduct of research activities; 

24 (B) the provision of technical assistance to 

25 permittees; or 


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1 (C) the construction of infrastructure nec2 essary for implementing and analyzing regen3 erative grazing. 

4 (4) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 

5 180 days after the date on which the Secretaries de6 termine that a sufficient quantity of data has been 

7 collected under the pilot program, the Secretaries 

8 shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Nat9 ural Resources and the Committee on Agriculture, 

10 Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Com11 mittee on Natural Resources and the Committee on 

12 Agriculture of the House of Representatives, and 

13 make publicly available on the websites of the De14 partment of Agriculture and the Department of the 

15 Interior, a report on the findings and data derived 

16 from the pilot program, including whether and the 

17 extent to which the use of regenerative grazing im18 proved the ability to mitigate the impacts of climate 

19 change. 

20 SEC. 11. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 

21 The Director shall submit to Congress, and make 

22 publicly available, an annual report on the implementation 

23 of this Act, which shall include an annual assessment of 

24 the status of grasslands conservation projects, including 


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1 an accounting of expenditures by Federal, State, and other 

2 entities. 

3 SEC. 12. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro5 priated— 

6 (1) to the Director to carry out the program, 

7 $290,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 

8 2026, to remain available until expended; 

9 (2) to carry out section 5, $1,000,000 for each 

10 of fiscal years 2022 through 2026, to remain avail11 able until expended; 

12 (3) to the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out 

13 section 9, $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 

14 through 2025, to remain available until expended; 

15 and 

16 (4) to carry out section 10, $10,000,000 for 

17 each of fiscal years 2022 through 2024, to remain 

18 available until expended. 

19 (b) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS FOR THE COUNCIL AND

20 PROGRAM.—Of the amounts made available under sub21 section (a)(2), not more than 10 percent may be used for 

22 administrative costs relating to the Council and the pro23 gram. 


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28 

•S 4639 IS

1 (c) LIMITATION.—None of the funds made available 

2 under this section may be used for species or habitat miti3 gation under any Federal law. 

Æ 


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