I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9945 

To establish a North American Grasslands Conservation Council, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 8, 2024 

Ms. MACE (for herself, Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas, Mr. FITZPATRICK, and Mr. 

THOMPSON of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the 

Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by 

the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘North American Grasslands Conservation Act of 2024’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings. 

Sec. 3. Purpose. 


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Sec. 4. Definitions. 

Sec. 5. North American Grasslands Conservation Council. 

Sec. 6. Regional Grasslands Conservation Councils. 

Sec. 7. North American Grasslands Conservation Strategy. 

Sec. 8. Grasslands conservation grant program. 

Sec. 9. Approval of grasslands conservation projects. 

Sec. 10. Native seed crop systems research. 

Sec. 11. Regenerative grazing data collection. 

Sec. 12. Report to Congress. 

Sec. 13. Authorization of appropriations. 

Sec. 14. Rules of construction. 

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds that— 

3 (1) grasslands provide vital habitat for a mul4 titude of species which represent the lifeblood of 

5 local and regional economies that depend on income 

6 generated by sportsmen and women and other forms 

7 of outdoor recreation; 

8 (2) grasslands have been managed for millennia 

9 by Indian Tribes through the use of practices re10 ferred to as ‘‘Indigenous Traditional Ecological 

11 Knowledge’’ to conserve and restore habitat for na12 tive flora and fauna, including practices such as res13 toration and conservation of grassland ecosystems to 

14 support continued cultural traditions, including sub15 sistence agriculture, cultural burning, and manage16 ment of culturally significant wildlife and their eco17 systems; 

18 (3) the maintenance of healthy populations of 

19 grassland species and working lands that are critical 

20 for rural economies and carbon sequestration is deVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:40 Oct 22, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9945.IH H9945

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1 pendent on the conservation, restoration, and man2 agement of grassland ecosystems, which are com3 posed of tallgrass, mixed grass, and shortgrass prai4 ries, sagebrush shrub-steppe, and savannah grass5 lands (referred to in this Act as ‘‘grassland eco6 systems’’); 

7 (4) grassland and rangeland ecosystems pro8 vide— 

9 (A) essential and significant habitat for 

10 mammals, pollinators, reptiles, and other wild11 life of commercial, recreational, scientific, aes12 thetic, and cultural value; and 

13 (B) an abundance of critical ecological 

14 services, including forage and hay for grazing 

15 livestock, carbon sequestration, carbon storage, 

16 drought and flood resilience, water filtration, 

17 and water storage; 

18 (5) grasslands cover 358,000,000 acres of the 

19 United States, 85 percent of which are privately 

20 owned and serve as an important habitat for 29 

21 breeding obligate grassland bird species; 

22 (6) sagebrush occupies 161,000,000 acres of 14 

23 Western States; 

24 (7) over the last decade alone, millions of acres 

25 of grassland ecosystems in North America have been 


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1 converted to cropland and residential and commer2 cial development; 

3 (8) grassland ecosystems are threatened by 

4 fragmentation, invasive species, wildfire, degrada5 tion, and land conversion; 

6 (9) on average, about 1,200,000 acres of sage7 brush burn each year in the United States due to 

8 invasive annual grasses that fuel catastrophic 

9 wildfires; 

10 (10) in addition to wildfires, there has been a 

11 decrease in the number of working farms and 

12 ranches due to— 

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

14 (B) challenges in keeping ranching profit15 able; 

16 (11) effective restoration strategies for land 

17 managers of grassland ecosystems require— 

18 (A) access to adequate quantities of high19 quality, regionally appropriate, and diverse na20 tive plant seeds; 

21 (B) science-based guidance on cultivating 

22 native plant species; and 

23 (C) as stated in the National Seed Strat24 egy for Rehabilitation and Restoration devel25 oped by the Plant Conservation Alliance and 


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1 chaired by the Director of the Bureau of Land 

2 Management, more research on seedling estab3 lishment and species interaction in order to in4 crease the use of native plant species; 

5 (12) many plant species most often associated 

6 with grassland and rangeland ecosystems are 

7 drought tolerant, characteristics that will help en8 sure the viability of critical wildlife habitat and other 

9 ecosystem services in the face of increased drought 

10 prevalence brought on by the effects of climate 

11 change; 

12 (13) grassland and rangeland ecosystems are 

13 often comprised of disturbance-dependent commu14 nities that rely on disturbances such as fire to main15 tain the desired plant community composition, re16 duce fuel loading, and arrest ecological succession; 

17 (14) beneficial fire, when scientifically applied 

18 and in accordance with local fire prescriptions, is a 

19 critical tool in the maintenance of grassland and 

20 rangeland ecosystems, particularly in the face of cli21 mate change which has been linked to an increase in 

22 the frequency and intensity of wildfires in areas in 

23 which beneficial fire has been excluded and fuel 

24 loading is high; 


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1 (15) the migratory bird treaty obligations of the 

2 United States with Canada, Mexico, and other coun3 tries require conservation of grasslands and range4 lands that are used by migratory birds for breeding, 

5 wintering, or migration and are needed to achieve 

6 and to maintain optimum population levels, distribu7 tions, and patterns of migration; 

8 (16) the 1988 amendments to the Fish and 

9 Wildlife Conservation Act of 1980 require the Sec10 retary of the Interior to identify conservation meas11 ures to assure that nongame migratory bird species 

12 do not reach the point at which measures of the En13 dangered Species Act are necessary; and 

14 (17) conservation of migratory birds and their 

15 habitats requires long-term planning and the close 

16 cooperation and coordination of management activi17 ties by Canada, Mexico, and the United States with18 in the framework of the North American Wetlands 

19 Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 4401 et seq.), the 

20 1916, 1969, and 1986 Migratory Bird Conventions, 

21 and the Convention on Nature Protection and Wild22 life Preservation in the Western Hemisphere. 

23 SEC. 3. PURPOSE. 

24 The purpose of this Act is to take bold action to con25 serve and restore grasslands in North America while supVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:40 Oct 22, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9945.IH H9945

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1 porting ranchers, farmers, Indian Tribes, sportsmen and 

2 sportswomen, rural communities, and other interests by 

3 drawing from existing conservation plans, programs, and 

4 models with a proven track record of success through— 

5 (1) encouraging voluntary grassland conserva6 tion and restoration as an alternative to additional 

7 conversion and loss of native grasslands ecosystems 

8 and sustaining those ecosystems as working lands by 

9 creating a flexible, voluntary, and innovative grant 

10 program; 

11 (2) improving grassland and rangeland health 

12 and management; 

13 (3) restoring marginal lands to native grass14 lands in areas that were historically grasslands; 

15 (4) mitigating the impacts of severe drought 

16 and wildfire on grasslands; 

17 (5) supporting farmer and rancher stewards, 

18 private landowners, and Tribal partners; 

19 (6) improving biodiversity and habitat for 

20 grassland and sagebrush birds, pollinators, and 

21 other wildlife; 

22 (7) increasing carbon sequestration and carbon 

23 storage; 


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1 (8) providing increased wildlife-dependent rec2 reational and hunter and angler access opportuni3 ties, at the discretion of private landowners; 

4 (9) encouraging stronger public-private partner5 ships in support of landscape-level grassland con6 servation efforts conducted by State fish and wildlife 

7 agencies, Indian Tribes, regional and Federal enti8 ties, nongovernmental organizations, farmers and 

9 ranchers, and other stakeholders both in the United 

10 States and in Canada and Mexico, and comple11 menting the public-private partnerships working on 

12 grassland conservation as of the date of the enact13 ment of this Act, such as the Partners for Fish and 

14 Wildlife; 

15 (10) identifying voluntary opportunities for 

16 grassland conservation, restoration, and manage17 ment not currently available through existing pro18 grams; and 

19 (11) providing opportunities for Indian Tribes 

20 and Tribal organizations to conserve, restore, and 

21 manage grasslands, including through— 

22 (A) the ethical incorporation of Indigenous 

23 Traditional Ecological Knowledge into grass24 land management and restoration activities; and 


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1 (B) identifying, encouraging, and providing 

2 funding for partnerships between Indian Tribes 

3 and Federal agencies to co-manage grassland 

4 ecosystems, including ecologically important 

5 flora and fauna. 

6 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 

9 means the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission 

10 established by section 2 of the Migratory Bird Con11 servation Act (16 U.S.C. 715a). 

12 (2) CONSERVATION STRATEGY.—The term 

13 ‘‘Conservation Strategy’’ means the North American 

14 Grasslands Conservation Strategy established under 

15 section 7(a). 

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

17 North American Grasslands Conservation Council 

18 established by section 5(a). 

19 (4) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

20 the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife 

21 Service. 

22 (5) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti23 ty’’ means— 

24 (A) a grazing land coalition; 


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1 (B) an agricultural or livestock producer 

2 group; 

3 (C) an Indian Tribe; 

4 (D) a Tribal organization; 

5 (E) a land trust; 

6 (F) a State or local government; 

7 (G) a Federal agency; 

8 (H) a nongovernmental organization; 

9 (I) a community-based organization; 

10 (J) a group of individuals that are private 

11 landowners; and 

12 (K) a regional fish and wildlife agency. 

13 (6) GRASSLANDS.—The term ‘‘grasslands’’ 

14 means tallgrass, mixed grass, shortgrass, native 

15 prairie, sagebrush shrub-steppe, savanna grasslands, 

16 glades, wet meadows, coastal grasslands, and other 

17 related grassland ecosystems, including certain 

18 rangelands. 

19 (7) GRASSLANDS CONSERVATION PROJECT.— 

20 The term ‘‘grasslands conservation project’’ means 

21 any conservation, restoration, protection, or en22 hancement activity that is carried out with a grant 

23 awarded under the Program. 

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

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


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1 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

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

3 (9) INDIGENOUS TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL

4 KNOWLEDGE; ITEK.—The terms ‘‘Indigenous Tradi5 tional Ecological Knowledge’’ and ‘‘ITEK’’ mean ob6 servations, oral and written knowledge, practices, 

7 and beliefs of Indian Tribes that promote environ8 mental sustainability and the responsible steward9 ship of natural resources through relationships be10 tween humans and environmental systems and are 

11 applied to phenomena across biological, physical, cul12 tural, and spiritual systems. 

13 (10) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘Program’’ means 

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

15 (11) REGIONAL GRASSLANDS CONSERVATION

16 COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Regional Grasslands Con17 servation Council’’ means a Regional Grasslands 

18 Conservation Council established by section 6(a). 

19 (12) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ 

20 means the Secretary of the Interior. 

21 (13) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘Trib22 al organization’’ has the meaning given the term in 

23 section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu24 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 


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1 SEC. 5. NORTH AMERICAN GRASSLANDS CONSERVATION 

2 COUNCIL. 

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the 

4 North American Grasslands Conservation Council. 

5 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall be com7 posed of the following 13 members: 

8 (A) The Director, who shall be the respon9 sible Federal official for ensuring Council com10 pliance with the National Environmental Policy 

11 Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). 

12 (B) The Chief of the Natural Resources 

13 Conservation Service of the Department of Ag14 riculture, who shall coordinate interdepart15 mental efforts with the Director. 

16 (C) 1 representative of the National Fish 

17 and Wildlife Foundation, appointed by the Sec18 retary. 

19 (D) 4 members who shall each— 

20 (i) be appointed by the Secretary; 

21 (ii) be a director of a State fish and 

22 wildlife agency; and 

23 (iii) represent a different regional as24 sociation. 

25 (E) 2 members who shall each— 

26 (i) be appointed by the Secretary; 


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1 (ii) be a director, or an equivalent 

2 role, of a natural resources agency of an 

3 Indian Tribe; and 

4 (iii) represent a different intertribal 

5 organization dedicated to natural resources 

6 and the environment. 

7 (F) 2 members who shall each— 

8 (i) be appointed by the Secretary of 

9 Agriculture; and 

10 (ii) represent a separate working 

11 lands organization that represents land12 owners, farmers, or ranchers actively par13 ticipating in carrying out voluntary grass14 lands conservation projects. 

15 (G) 2 members, of whom— 

16 (i) both shall be appointed by the Sec17 retary; 

18 (ii) both shall be a member of a chari19 table nonprofit conservation organization; 

20 and 

21 (iii) 1 shall be a member of a wildlife 

22 hunting conservation organization. 

23 (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) INITIAL APPOINTMENTS.— 

5 (i) DIRECTORS OF STATE FISH AND

6 WILDLIFE AGENCIES.—Of the members 

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

8 (I) 1 shall be appointed for a 

9 term of 1 year; 

10 (II) 2 shall be appointed for a 

11 term of 2 years; and 

12 (III) 1 shall be appointed for a 

13 term of 3 years. 

14 (ii) OTHER MEMBERS.—Of the mem15 bers first appointed under subparagraphs 

16 (E), (F), and (G) of paragraph (1)— 

17 (I) 2 shall be appointed for a 

18 term of 1 year; 

19 (II) 2 shall be appointed for a 

20 term of 2 years; and 

21 (III) 2 shall be appointed for a 

22 term of 3 years. 

23 (C) VACANCIES.— 

24 (i) IN GENERAL.—With respect to a 

25 member appointed to the Council under 


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1 subparagraphs (C) through (G) of para2 graph (1), a vacancy in the Council shall 

3 be filled in accordance with that subpara4 graph for the remainder of the applicable 

5 term of that member. 

6 (ii) ALTERNATE MEMBERS.—Until a 

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

8 in the event of an anticipated absence of a 

9 member described in that clause from any 

10 meeting of the Council, the Secretary shall 

11 appoint an alternate member to the Coun12 cil who shall— 

13 (I) be knowledgeable and experi14 enced in matters relating to grass15 lands conservation and restoration; 

16 and 

17 (II) perform the duties of a mem18 ber appointed to the Council under 

19 subparagraphs (C) through (G) of 

20 paragraph (1). 

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

22 include as ex officio, nonvoting members of the 

23 Council— 


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1 (A) the Under Secretary for Farm Produc2 tion and Conservation of the Department of Ag3 riculture; 

4 (B) the Under Secretary for Natural Re5 sources and Environment of the Department of 

6 Agriculture; and 

7 (C) representatives of— 

8 (i) other appropriate Federal, State, 

9 or Tribal Government agencies that are ac10 tively participating in grasslands conserva11 tion projects or have technical expertise in 

12 grasslands conservation; 

13 (ii) the Federal, provincial, territorial, 

14 Indigenous, or State government agencies 

15 of Canada and Mexico that are actively 

16 participating in carrying out grasslands 

17 conservation projects; 

18 (iii) nonprofit charitable organizations 

19 that are actively participating in grass20 lands conservation projects; and 

21 (iv) Tribal organizations that are ac22 tively participating in grasslands conserva23 tion projects. 

24 (4) CHAIRPERSON.— 


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

2 a Chairperson from among the members of the 

3 Council. 

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

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

6 Chairperson may serve for an initial term of 

7 less than 3 years. 

8 (5) VICE CHAIR.— 

9 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Chairperson shall 

10 select a Vice Chair from among the members of 

11 the Council. 

12 (B) TERM.—A Vice Chair shall serve for a 

13 2-year term, except that the first selected Vice 

14 Chair may serve for an initial term of less than 

15 2 years. 

16 (c) MEETINGS.— 

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

18 the call of the Chairperson. 

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

20 less frequently than once per year. 

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

22 conducted in person, virtually, or in a hybrid format. 

23 (4) AVAILABILITY.—Meetings of the Council 

24 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 (5) QUORUM.—A majority of the members of 

4 the Council shall constitute a quorum for the trans5 action of business. 

6 (d) DUTIES.—The Council shall— 

7 (1) provide input to the Director in the develop8 ment of the Conservation Strategy; 

9 (2) establish publicly available project evalua10 tion criteria for applications submitted under the 

11 Program; 

12 (3) recommend grasslands conservation projects 

13 to the Commission in accordance with section 9; 

14 (4) receive input from regional conservation en15 tities who have a vested interest in developing multi16 State and Tribal conservation plans; and 

17 (5) provide annual updates on the status of the 

18 objectives and goals identified in the Conservation 

19 Strategy to the Commission. 

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

21 receive no compensation as a result of serving on the 

22 Council. 

23 (f) FACA APPLICABILITY.—Chapter 10 of part I of 

24 title 5, United States Code, shall not apply to the Council. 


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1 SEC. 6. REGIONAL GRASSLANDS CONSERVATION COUN2 CILS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is established a Regional 

4 Grasslands Conservation Council for each region of the 

5 United States Fish and Wildlife Service. 

6 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—Each Regional Grasslands Con7 servation Council shall be composed of not more than 10 

8 members, which shall include— 

9 (1) representatives of nongovernmental and 

10 Tribal organizations representing the conservation 

11 community; 

12 (2) representatives from Tribal Governments; 

13 (3) representatives of rancher and farming in14 terests; 

15 (4) representatives from State fish and wildlife 

16 agencies; and 

17 (5) any other representatives, as determined 

18 necessary by the Secretary in coordination with the 

19 Council. 

20 (c) RECOMMENDATIONS.—Each Regional Grasslands 

21 Conservation Council shall provide recommendations to 

22 the Council regarding— 

23 (1) the selection of grasslands conservation 

24 projects; and 

25 (2) key grasslands conservation strategies with 

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1 lands Conservation Council that draw from estab2 lished regional grasslands conservation plans. 

3 (d) FACA APPLICABILITY.—Chapter 10 of part I of 

4 title 5, United States Code, does not apply to a Regional 

5 Grasslands Conservation Council. 

6 SEC. 7. NORTH AMERICAN GRASSLANDS CONSERVATION 

7 STRATEGY. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—After the appointment of the first 

9 7 of the initial members of the Council under section 5(b), 

10 the Director shall, in consultation with the Council— 

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

12 as the ‘‘North American Grasslands Conservation 

13 Strategy’’, for the conservation, restoration, and 

14 management of grasslands ecosystems across North 

15 America; and 

16 (2) support implementation, monitoring, and 

17 communication efforts relating to the Conservation 

18 Strategy. 

19 (b) EXISTING CONSERVATION PLANS AND FRAME20 WORKS.—The Conservation Strategy shall draw from ex21 isting local, State, regional, and international conservation 

22 plans and frameworks, conservation plans of Indian 

23 Tribes, and State wildlife action plans, with an emphasis 

24 on supporting existing science- and ITEK-based frame25 works. 


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

2 (1) identify key areas with— 

3 (A) grasslands at high risk of— 

4 (i) conversion to cropland or residen5 tial or commercial development; 

6 (ii) shrub or woody encroachment; or 

7 (iii) invasion of annual grasses or 

8 other undesired vegetation; 

9 (B) the highest potential of conserving na10 tive grasslands, restoring grasslands, and re11 ducing fragmentation; 

12 (C) ecologically and culturally significant 

13 grasslands remnants; 

14 (D) populations of grasslands-dependent 

15 species of greatest conservation need, as identi16 fied in— 

17 (i) State wildlife action plans; 

18 (ii) Tribal conservation plans; 

19 (iii) the report of the United States 

20 Fish and Wildlife Service titled ‘‘Birds of 

21 Conservation Concern 2021 Migratory 

22 Bird Program’’ (published April 2021), or 

23 a successor document; or 

24 (iv) other appropriate science-based 

25 grasslands conservation plans; and 


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1 (E) grasslands habitats important to the 

2 recovery of species listed as a threatened spe3 cies or an endangered species under section 4 of 

4 the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 

5 1533) or identified by a State or Tribal fish 

6 and wildlife agency as a species of greatest con7 servation need; 

8 (2) identify specific goals for North American 

9 grasslands conservation, including goals for— 

10 (A) conserving grasslands identified under 

11 paragraph (1)(A); 

12 (B) increasing grasslands acreage through 

13 the restoration of marginal cropland and 

14 pastureland to native grasslands in areas that 

15 were historically grasslands; and 

16 (C) enhancing existing grasslands, pri17 marily through incentivizing the voluntary res18 toration of degraded grasslands and the man19 agement of native prairie or sagebrush 

20 shrublands through conservation practices in21 cluding— 

22 (i) advanced grazing management or 

23 other prescribed grazing management that 

24 meets the objectives of the Conservation 

25 Strategy; 


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1 (ii) beneficial fire, including pre2 scribed fires and cultural burning prac3 tices; 

4 (iii) invasive species management; and 

5 (iv) removal of encroaching woody 

6 vegetation; 

7 (3) identify key grasslands conservation, res8 toration, and management strategies for each of the 

9 grasslands regions identified by the Director; 

10 (4) examine existing funding sources and iden11 tify gaps from current Federal, State, Tribal, or 

12 local conservation programs as such programs relate 

13 to grasslands conservation, restoration, and manage14 ment needs, including— 

15 (A) conservation programs under the Agri16 culture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public Law 

17 115–334) and amendments made by that Act; 

18 (B) conservation programs under the Pitt19 man-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 

20 U.S.C. 669 et seq.); and 

21 (C) any Federal, State, Tribal, or local 

22 plans, programs, or initiatives that support 

23 grasslands conservation, restoration, and man24 agement; and 

25 (5) develop— 


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1 (A) baseline inventories and population es2 timates of key indicator birds, pollinators, and 

3 other wildlife species at risk; 

4 (B) goals to increase the population size 

5 and resiliency of such species, including through 

6 ensuring grasslands habitat connectivity; and 

7 (C) a tool to track county-level aggregated 

8 conversion of native grasslands to cropland, res9 idential and commercial development, and other 

10 uses that shall— 

11 (i) protect the personally identifiable 

12 information of producers and landowners; 

13 (ii) be made publicly available; and 

14 (iii) be updated on an annual basis. 

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

16 the date on which the Program is established, the Con17 servation Strategy shall be finalized and made publicly 

18 available on the website of the United States Fish and 

19 Wildlife Service to help target investments in grasslands 

20 conservation projects. 

21 SEC. 8. GRASSLANDS CONSERVATION GRANT PROGRAM. 

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

23 the date of the enactment of this section, the Director, 

24 in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture and other 

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1 petitive grant program through which the Commission 

2 shall award amounts to eligible entities to carry out eligi3 ble projects to support voluntary grasslands conservation 

4 projects, including projects— 

5 (1) to conserve intact grasslands at risk of con6 version to cropland or residential or commercial de7 velopment; 

8 (2) to restore degraded grasslands and improve 

9 grasslands health; 

10 (3) to restore marginal cropland or idle land 

11 back to grasslands; 

12 (4) to increase carbon sequestration and eco13 logical function in soils and improve the resilience of 

14 grasslands; 

15 (5) to support habitat and habitat connectivity 

16 for native grasslands and sagebrush birds, polli17 nators, plants, and other wildlife, including big game 

18 species; 

19 (6) to restore and enhance watersheds through 

20 grasslands restoration, management, and conserva21 tion; 

22 (7) to increase adoption of grasslands conserva23 tion, restoration, and management practices; and 

24 (8) carried out by Indian Tribes to protect cul25 turally significant flora and fauna through the use 


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1 of Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge re2 lated to grasslands ecosystems. 

3 (b) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible for a grant under 

4 the Program, an eligible entity shall submit to the Council 

5 an application at such time, in such manner, and con6 taining such information as the Director determines ap7 propriate, which shall include a description of the project 

8 the eligible entity intends to carry out with such a grant. 

9 (c) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under the Pro10 gram, the Commission shall prioritize grants to eligible en11 tities the intended projects of which advance the goals of 

12 the Conservation Strategy. 

13 (d) CONSIDERATIONS.—In awarding grants under 

14 the Program, the Commission shall consider the rec15 ommendations made to the Commission by the Council 

16 under section 9. 

17 (e) USE OF FUNDS.— 

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

19 grant awarded under the Program to carry out 

20 grasslands conservation projects, including— 

21 (A) voluntary conservation easements; 

22 (B) grasslands restoration; 

23 (C) management activities, including— 

24 (i) voluntary incentives to producers 

25 for prescribed burns; 


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1 (ii) removal of pinyon juniper, eastern 

2 red cedar, salt cedar, or any other en3 croaching woody species; 

4 (iii) management of invasive species; 

5 (iv) maintenance and monitoring of 

6 new or ongoing grasslands conservation 

7 projects; 

8 (v) advanced grazing management ac9 tivities; 

10 (vi) drought monitoring and prepared11 ness activities; 

12 (vii) management activities informed 

13 by Indigenous Traditional Ecological 

14 Knowledge, including through cultural 

15 burns to manage ecosystems to manage, 

16 conserve, or restore native flora and fauna; 

17 and 

18 (viii) such other restoration and man19 agement activities identified in the Con20 servation Strategy or otherwise determined 

21 appropriate by the Director; 

22 (D) grasslands ecosystem education, out23 reach, and conservation stewardship assistance, 

24 which may include— 

25 (i) field days; 


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1 (ii) grazing management training pro2 grams; 

3 (iii) conservation planning; and 

4 (iv) education and outreach relating 

5 to— 

6 (I) grazing management; 

7 (II) control of invasive species; 

8 (III) beneficial fire; 

9 (IV) native seed crop systems re10 search, in accordance with the re11 search carried out by the Secretary of 

12 Agriculture under section 10; 

13 (V) land access, generational 

14 land transfers, and ensuring ranch15 land viability; 

16 (VI) best management practices 

17 relating to grasslands ecosystems; 

18 (VII) participation in carbon and 

19 ecosystem markets; 

20 (VIII) payment for ecosystem or 

21 conservation services; and 

22 (IX) safeguarding and ensuring 

23 the perpetuation of Indigenous Tradi24 tional Ecological Knowledge related to 

25 grasslands ecosystems; and 


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1 (E) such other activities that— 

2 (i) benefit grasslands and associated 

3 wildlife and enable increased adoption of 

4 grasslands conservation, restoration, and 

5 management practices; and 

6 (ii) are consistent with the Conserva7 tion Strategy. 

8 (2) RESTORATION ACTIVITIES.—For purposes 

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

10 prioritize a diverse mix of appropriately sourced na11 tive grasses and forbs, with such exceptions as the 

12 Director determines to be appropriate for eco13 logically appropriate noninvasive and nonnative spe14 cies. 

15 (3) SAFE HARBOR.—An eligible entity that car16 ries out a project pursuant to a grant awarded 

17 under the Program shall be eligible with respect to 

18 such project for a safe harbor agreement with the 

19 United States Fish and Wildlife Service. 

20 (f) GRASSLANDS CONSERVATION PROJECTS IN MEX21 ICO AND CANADA.—The Director shall grant or otherwise 

22 provide up to 10 percent of the amounts appropriated pur23 suant to the authorization under section 13(a)(1) to Fed24 eral agencies, eligible entities, and other individuals and 

25 entities, including foreign land management agencies, for 


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1 the purpose of assisting such agencies, entities, and indi2 viduals in carrying out grasslands conservation projects in 

3 Mexico and Canada that— 

4 (1) have been recommended 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 of such 

10 amounts to provide grants to Indian Tribes and Tribal 

11 organizations working with 1 or more Indian Tribes. 

12 (h) COST-SHARING REQUIREMENT.— 

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

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

15 eligible project using amounts from a grant awarded 

16 under the Program— 

17 (A) shall be not less than 25 percent, in18 cluding in-kind contributions; and 

19 (B) may not be derived from a Federal 

20 grant program. 

21 (2) WAIVERS.— 

22 (A) INDIAN TRIBES.—The Director shall 

23 waive the cost-share requirement under para24 graph (1) for grants awarded under the Pro25 gram to Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations. 


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1 (B) OTHER ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The 

2 Council shall establish waiver criteria under 

3 which the Commission may waive the cost-share 

4 requirement under paragraph (1), in whole or 

5 in part, for grants awarded under the Program 

6 to eligible entities other than Indian Tribes. 

7 (i) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—An eligible entity that 

8 is awarded a grant under this section may use such grant 

9 award for reasonable administrative costs relating to that 

10 grant. 

11 SEC. 9. APPROVAL OF GRASSLANDS CONSERVATION 

12 PROJECTS. 

13 (a) RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE COMMISSION.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each calendar year, the 

15 Council shall submit to the Commission a report 

16 that includes a list of the grasslands conservation 

17 projects (including the costs of those projects), in 

18 order of priority, that the Council, in consultation 

19 with each Regional Grasslands Conservation Council, 

20 recommends to the Commission for funding under 

21 the Program. 

22 (2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In making the list of 

23 recommended grasslands conservation projects under 

24 paragraph (1), the Council shall consider— 


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1 (A) the extent to which the grasslands con2 servation project fulfills the purpose of this Act 

3 and the strategies and objectives of the Con4 servation Strategy; 

5 (B) the availability of sufficient non-Fed6 eral funds to carry out the grasslands conserva7 tion project and to match Federal contributions 

8 in accordance with section 8(h)(1), notwith9 standing the waivers described in paragraph (2) 

10 of that section; 

11 (C) the extent to which the grasslands con12 servation project represents a partnership be13 tween public entities, including Indian Tribes, 

14 and private entities, including landowners; and 

15 (D) the substantiality of the character and 

16 design of the grasslands conservation project. 

17 (b) COUNCIL BEST PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall establish 

19 best practices and procedures for carrying out the 

20 requirements of subsection (a). 

21 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—The best practices and 

22 procedures established under paragraph (1) shall re23 quire that— 

24 (A) a quorum of the Council be present be25 fore any business may be conducted; and 


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1 (B) the Council may not refer a grasslands 

2 conservation project to the Commission under 

3 subsection (a)(1) unless the grasslands con4 servation project is approved by a vote of 

2 5 ⁄3 of the members of the Council present 

6 and voting. 

7 (c) COUNCIL REPRESENTATION ON COMMISSION.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 

9 provision of law, the Secretary and the Secretary of 

10 Agriculture shall each select 1 member of the Coun11 cil to serve as an ex officio member of the Commis12 sion for the purposes of considering and voting on 

13 grasslands conservation projects recommended to the 

14 Commission by the Council under subsection (a)(1). 

15 (2) REQUIREMENT.—A member of the Council 

16 selected under paragraph (1) shall be a citizen of the 

17 United States. 

18 (d) APPROVAL OF COUNCIL RECOMMENDATIONS BY

19 THE COMMISSION.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission, including 

21 the 2 members of the Council selected to serve as ex 

22 officio members on the Commission under subsection 

23 (c)(1), shall approve, reject, or reorder the priority 

24 of any grasslands conservation projects rec25 ommended by the Council under subsection (a)(1) 


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1 based on, to the greatest extent practicable, the con2 siderations described in paragraph (2) of that sub3 section. 

4 (2) APPROVAL OF PROJECTS.—If the Commis5 sion approves a grasslands conservation project 

6 under paragraph (1), the Commission shall award a 

7 grant under the Program to the eligible entity that 

8 applied to carry out the grasslands conservation 

9 project. 

10 (3) REJECTION OF PROJECTS.—If the Commis11 sion rejects or reorders the priority of any grass12 lands conservation project under paragraph (1), the 

13 Commission shall provide the Council and the Com14 mittee on Natural Resources of the House of Rep15 resentatives and the Committee on Environment and 

16 Public Works of the Senate a written statement ex17 plaining the rationale of the Commission in rejecting 

18 or reordering the priority of, as applicable, the 

19 grasslands conservation project. 

20 (e) NOTIFICATION OF APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES.— 

21 Not less frequently than annually, the Commission shall 

22 submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the 

23 House of Representatives and the Committee on Environ24 ment and Public Works of the Senate, and make publicly 

25 available, a report that includes— 


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1 (1) a list and description of the grasslands con2 servation projects approved by the Commission 

3 under subsection (d)(2), in order of priority; 

4 (2) the amounts and sources of Federal and 

5 non-Federal funding for those grasslands conserva6 tion projects; 

7 (3) a justification for the approval of those 

8 grasslands conservation projects and the order of 

9 priority for funding those grasslands conservation 

10 projects; 

11 (4) a list and description of the grasslands con12 servation projects that the Council recommended, in 

13 order of priority, that the Commission approved for 

14 funding under the Program; and 

15 (5) a justification for any rejection or reor16 dering of the priority of grasslands conservation 

17 projects recommended by the Council that was based 

18 on factors other than the considerations described in 

19 subsection (a)(2). 

20 SEC. 10. NATIVE SEED CROP SYSTEMS RESEARCH. 

21 The Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture shall 

22 jointly coordinate and implement the National Seed Strat23 egy for Rehabilitation and Restoration developed by the 

24 Plant Conservation Alliance and chaired by the Director 


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1 of the Bureau of Land Management, with an emphasis 

2 on— 

3 (1) research relating to native seed crop sys4 tems, including— 

5 (A) agronomic research to improve the un6 derstanding of native plants as seed crops for 

7 native rangeland revegetation, with an emphasis 

8 on enhancing natural plant establishment in the 

9 environment; 

10 (B) research on plant seed physiology to 

11 improve seed quality, storage, and seeding suc12 cess in the landscape; 

13 (C) the development and technology trans14 fer of best management practices and tech15 nologies for seed production, seed collection, 

16 seed storage, and reseeding success in the envi17 ronment; 

18 (D) research on soil chemistry and biome 

19 composition and how soil chemistry and biome 

20 composition affect native seed establishment; 

21 and 

22 (E) identification of scenarios and pre23 ferred species for the incorporation of nonnative 

24 seed, with the goal of the overall successful res25 toration of functional groups of species; 


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1 (2) the extension of research described in para2 graph (1) to seed producers and land managers re3 sponsible for restoration efforts; and 

4 (3) the production, storage, distribution, and 

5 planting of native seed crops in grasslands areas for 

6 restoration. 

7 SEC. 11. REGENERATIVE GRAZING DATA COLLECTION. 

8 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

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

10 means— 

11 (A) public lands; and 

12 (B) land of the National Forest System. 

13 (2) NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM.—The term 

14 ‘‘National Forest System’’ has the meaning given 

15 the term in section 11(a) of the Forest and Range16 land Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 

17 U.S.C. 1609(a)). 

18 (3) PILOT PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘pilot pro19 gram’’ means the pilot program established under 

20 subsection (b)(1). 

21 (4) PUBLIC LANDS.—The term ‘‘public lands’’ 

22 has the meaning given the term in section 103 of the 

23 Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 

24 (43 U.S.C. 1702). 


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1 (5) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 

2 means the— 

3 (A) Secretary of Agriculture, acting 

4 through the Chief of the Forest Service; and 

5 (B) Secretary of the Interior, acting 

6 through the Director of the Bureau of Land 

7 Management; 

8 acting jointly. 

9 (b) PILOT PROGRAM FOR USE OF REGENERATIVE

10 GRAZING ON FEDERAL LAND TO MITIGATE EFFECTS OF

11 CLIMATE CHANGE.— 

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

13 after the date of the enactment of this section, the 

14 Secretaries shall establish a pilot program to study 

15 the effectiveness of using grazing on Federal land to 

16 mitigate the effects of climate change. 

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

18 program, the Secretaries shall— 

19 (A) identify— 

20 (i) a standard set of practices to 

21 study, such as carbon beneficial practices, 

22 that support conservation and grazing 

23 goals, including— 

24 (I) ecologically appropriate 

25 silvopasture; 


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1 (II) practices that provide wild2 life habitat benefits; 

3 (III) practices that consider flexi4 bility in season of use; 

5 (IV) forage and biomass manage6 ment; 

7 (V) planned grazing; and 

8 (VI) range monitoring; and 

9 (ii) sufficient grazing allotments on a 

10 diverse mixture of ecosystems to identify 

11 whether, and the extent to which, grazing 

12 is an effective tool to mitigate the effects 

13 of climate change, including the ability— 

14 (I) to improve soil health; 

15 (II) to increase carbon sequestra16 tion; 

17 (III) to reduce wildfire risk; and 

18 (IV) to improve watershed resil19 ience and biodiversity; and 

20 (B) in developing, implementing, and mon21 itoring the pilot program, consult with— 

22 (i) the Chief of the Forest Service; 

23 (ii) the Director of the Bureau of 

24 Land Management; 


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1 (iii) the Administrator of the Agricul2 tural Research Service; 

3 (iv) the Chief of the Natural Re4 sources Conservation Service; 

5 (v) the Director of the United States 

6 Geological Survey; 

7 (vi) representatives designated by In8 dian Tribes; 

9 (vii) ranchers and representatives of 

10 the ranching industry; 

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

13 (ix) environmental and conservation 

14 nongovernmental organizations; 

15 (x) institutions of higher education; 

16 and 

17 (xi) any other Federal or State agen18 cy, academic institution, or organization 

19 that 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— 

23 (A) to conduct research activities; 

24 (B) to provide technical assistance to per25 mittees; or 


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1 (C) to construct the infrastructure nec2 essary to implement and analyze regenerative 

3 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 regarding the findings and data 

16 derived from the pilot program, including whether 

17 and the extent to which the use of regenerative graz18 ing improved the ability to mitigate the impacts of 

19 climate change. 

20 SEC. 12. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 

21 The Director shall biennially submit to Congress, and 

22 make publicly available, a report regarding the implemen23 tation of this Act, which shall include an assessment of 

24 the status of grasslands conservation projects during the 


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1 preceding 2 years, including an accounting of expenditures 

2 by Federal, State, and other entities. 

3 SEC. 13. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro5 priated, to remain available until expended— 

6 (1) to carry out section 7, $5,000,000; 

7 (2) beginning on the date the Conservation 

8 Strategy is first publicly posted under section 7(d), 

9 to carry out the Program— 

10 (A) $60,000,000 for fiscal year 2025; 

11 (B) $67,500,000 for fiscal year 2026; 

12 (C) $75,000,000 for fiscal year 2027; 

13 (D) $82,500,000 for fiscal year 2028; and 

14 (E) $90,000,000 for fiscal year 2029; 

15 (3) to Partners for Fish and Wildlife to work 

16 with ranchers, landowners, Tribes, and eligible enti17 ties to carry out activities under the Program, 

18 $1,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 

19 2029; 

20 (4) to the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out 

21 section 10, $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 

22 through 2027; and 

23 (5) to carry out section 11, $10,000,000 for 

24 each of fiscal years 2024 through 2026. 


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1 (b) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS FOR THE PROGRAM.— 

2 Of the amounts made available under subsection (a)(3), 

3 not more than 10 percent may be used for administrative 

4 costs relating to the Council, Regional Grasslands Con5 servation Councils, and the Program. 

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

7 under this section may be— 

8 (1) used for species or habitat mitigation under 

9 any Federal law; or 

10 (2) applied in a manner that requires nonvol11 untary changes in agricultural or domestic livestock 

12 production, permitted forestry practices, access to 

13 valid existing rights, or compatible energy develop14 ment and mining. 

15 SEC. 14. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION. 

16 Nothing in this Act may be construed— 

17 (1) to enlarge or diminish the authority, juris18 diction, or responsibility of a State to manage, con19 trol, or regulate fish and wildlife under the law and 

20 regulations of the State on lands and waters within 

21 the State, including on Federal lands and waters; 

22 (2) as modifying or abrogating a treaty with 

23 any Indian Tribe, or as enlarging or diminishing the 

24 authority, jurisdiction, or responsibility of an Indian 


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1 Tribe to manage, control, or regulate wildlife on 

2 Tribal land; 

3 (3) to impact the private property or privacy 

4 rights of landowners without the express written 

5 consent of such landowners; or 

6 (4) to authorize restrictions or reductions to 

7 public access for hunting, angling, recreational 

8 shooting, or other compatible types of outdoor recre9 ation. 

Æ 


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