II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4752 

To establish an integrated national approach to respond to ongoing and 

expected effects of extreme weather and climate change by protecting, 

managing, and conserving the fish, wildlife, and plants of the United 

States, and to maximize Government efficiency and reduce costs, in 

cooperation with State and local governments, Indian Tribes, Native 

Hawaiians, and other entities, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 23, 2024 

Mr. WHITEHOUSE (for himself, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. CARPER, Ms. WARREN, and Mr. WYDEN) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public 

Works 

A BILL 

To establish an integrated national approach to respond to 

ongoing and expected effects of extreme weather and 

climate change by protecting, managing, and conserving 

the fish, wildlife, and plants of the United States, and 

to maximize Government efficiency and reduce costs, in 

cooperation with State and local governments, Indian 

Tribes, Native Hawaiians, and other entities, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Safeguarding Amer3 ica’s Future and Environment Act’’ or the ‘‘SAFE Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS, PURPOSES, AND POLICY. 

5 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

6 (1) healthy, diverse, and productive commu7 nities of fish, wildlife, and plants provide significant 

8 benefits to the people and economy of the United 

9 States, including— 

10 (A) abundant clean water supplies; 

11 (B) flood and coastal storm protection; 

12 (C) clean air; 

13 (D) a source of food, fiber, medicines, and 

14 pollination of the crops and other plants of the 

15 United States; 

16 (E) outdoor recreation, which is a source 

17 of jobs and economic stimulus; 

18 (F) hunting and fishing opportunities and 

19 support for subsistence communities; 

20 (G) opportunities for scientific research 

21 and education; 

22 (H) world-class tourism destinations that 

23 support local economies; 

24 (I) sequestration and storage of carbon to 

25 help mitigate changes to the global climate sys26 tem; and 


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1 (J) cultural values and sources of tradi2 tional knowledge and practice; 

3 (2) the United States Geological Survey, Na4 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Na5 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration, and 

6 other agencies within the United States Global 

7 Change Research Program have observed that the 

8 fish, wildlife, and plants of the United States are 

9 facing increasing risks from changing patterns of ex10 treme weather and climate, including— 

11 (A) severe droughts and heatwaves; 

12 (B) severe storms and floods; 

13 (C) frequent and severe wildfires; 

14 (D) more frequent and severe outbreaks of 

15 forest pests and invasive species; 

16 (E) flooding and erosion of coastal areas 

17 due to rising sea levels; 

18 (F) melting glaciers and sea ice; 

19 (G) thawing permafrost; 

20 (H) shifting distributions of fish, wildlife, 

21 and plant populations; 

22 (I) disruptive shifts in the timing of fish, 

23 wildlife, and plant natural history cycles, such 

24 as blooming, breeding, and seasonal migrations; 


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1 (J) increasing ocean temperatures and 

2 acidification; 

3 (K) altered patterns of rain, snow, runoff, 

4 and streamflow; and 

5 (L) habitat loss, degradation, fragmenta6 tion, and movement; and 

7 (3) the Federal Government should provide 

8 leadership in preparing for and responding to the ef9 fects described in paragraph (2) to ensure that 

10 present and future generations continue to receive 

11 the benefits of the abundant and diverse fish, wild12 life, and plant resources of the United States. 

13 (b) PURPOSES.—The purpose of this Act is to estab14 lish an integrated national approach— 

15 (1) to respond to ongoing and expected effects 

16 of extreme weather and climate change by pro17 tecting, managing, and conserving the fish, wildlife, 

18 and plants of the United States; and 

19 (2) to maximize Government efficiency and re20 duce costs, in cooperation with State and local gov21 ernments, Indian Tribes, Native Hawaiians, and 

22 other entities. 

23 (c) NATIONAL FISH, WILDLIFE, AND PLANTS CLI24 MATE CHANGE ADAPTATION POLICY.—It is the policy of 

25 the Federal Government, in cooperation with State and 


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1 local governments, Indian Tribes, Native Hawaiians, and 

2 other interested stakeholders, to evaluate and reduce the 

3 increased risks and vulnerabilities associated with climate 

4 change and extreme weather events, and to use all prac5 ticable means to protect, manage, and conserve healthy, 

6 diverse, and productive fish, wildlife, and plant popu7 lations. 

8 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

9 In this Act: 

10 (1) ADAPTATION.—The term ‘‘adaptation’’ 

11 means— 

12 (A) the process of adjustment to actual or 

13 expected climate and the effects of climate 

14 change; and 

15 (B) with respect to fish, wildlife, and 

16 plants, protection, management, and conserva17 tion efforts designed to maintain or enhance the 

18 ability of fish, wildlife, and plants to withstand, 

19 adjust to, or recover from the effects of extreme 

20 weather and climate change (including, where 

21 applicable, ocean acidification, drought, flood22 ing, and wildfire). 

23 (2) COMMITTEE.—The term ‘‘Committee’’ 

24 means the Advisory Committee on Climate Change 


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1 and Natural Resource Sciences established under 

2 section 6(b)(1). 

3 (3) ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES.—The term ‘‘eco4 logical processes’’ means biological, chemical, or 

5 physical interaction between the biotic and abiotic 

6 components of an ecosystem, including— 

7 (A) decomposition; 

8 (B) disease epizootiology; 

9 (C) disturbance regimes, such as fire and 

10 flooding; 

11 (D) gene flow; 

12 (E) hydrological cycling; 

13 (F) larval dispersal and settlement; 

14 (G) nutrient cycling; 

15 (H) pollination; 

16 (I) predator-prey relationships; and 

17 (J) soil formation. 

18 (4) HABITAT.—The term ‘‘habitat’’ means the 

19 physical, chemical, and biological properties that 

20 fish, wildlife, or plants use for growth, reproduction, 

21 survival, food, water, or cover (whether on land, in 

22 water, or in an area or region). 

23 (5) HABITAT CONNECTIVITY.—The term ‘‘habi24 tat connectivity’’ means areas that facilitate terresVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:07 Aug 20, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4752.IS S4752

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1 trial, marine, estuarine, and freshwater fish, wildlife, 

2 or plant movement that is necessary— 

3 (A) for migration, gene flow, or dispersal; 

4 or 

5 (B) to respond to the ongoing and ex6 pected effects of climate change (including, 

7 where applicable, ocean acidification, drought, 

8 flooding, and wildfire). 

9 (6) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

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

11 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

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

13 (7) NATIONAL STRATEGY.—The term ‘‘National 

14 Strategy’’ means the National Fish, Wildlife, and 

15 Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy released March 

16 26, 2013. 

17 (8) NATIVE AMERICAN.—The term ‘‘Native 

18 American’’ has the meaning given the term in sec19 tion 2 of the Native American Graves Protection and 

20 Repatriation Act (25 U.S.C. 3001). 

21 (9) NATIVE HAWAIIAN ORGANIZATION.—The 

22 term ‘‘Native Hawaiian organization’’ has the mean23 ing given the term in section 6207 of the Elemen24 tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

25 U.S.C. 7517). 


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1 (10) NETWORK.—The term ‘‘Network’’ means 

2 the Climate Adaptation Science Center Network es3 tablished under section 6(a)(1). 

4 (11) RESILIENCE; RESILIENT.—The terms ‘‘re5 silience’’ and ‘‘resilient’’ mean the ability to antici6 pate, prepare for, and adapt to changing conditions 

7 and withstand, respond to, and recover rapidly from 

8 disruptions. 

9 (12) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means— 

10 (A) a State of the United States; 

11 (B) the District of Columbia; 

12 (C) American Samoa; 

13 (D) Guam; 

14 (E) the Commonwealth of the Northern 

15 Mariana Islands; 

16 (F) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; 

17 and 

18 (G) the United States Virgin Islands. 

19 (13) WORKING GROUP.—The term ‘‘Working 

20 Group’’ means the National Fish, Wildlife, and 

21 Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy Joint Imple22 mentation Working Group established under section 

23 4(a). 


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1 SEC. 4. NATIONAL FISH, WILDLIFE, AND PLANTS CLIMATE 

2 ADAPTATION STRATEGY JOINT IMPLEMENTA3 TION WORKING GROUP. 

4 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 days after 

5 the date of enactment of this Act, the President shall es6 tablish a National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Ad7 aptation Strategy Joint Implementation Working Group 

8 composed of the heads of Federal and State agencies or 

9 departments with jurisdiction over fish, wildlife, and plant 

10 resources of the United States, and Tribal representatives, 

11 as follows: 

12 (1) The Administrator of the Environmental 

13 Protection Agency. 

14 (2) The Administrator of the Federal Emer15 gency Management Agency. 

16 (3) The Administrator of the National Oceanic 

17 and Atmospheric Administration. 

18 (4) The Chair of the Council on Environmental 

19 Quality. 

20 (5) The Chief of Engineers. 

21 (6) The Chief of the Forest Service. 

22 (7) The Commissioner of Reclamation. 

23 (8) The Director of the Bureau of Indian Af24 fairs. 

25 (9) The Director of the Bureau of Land Man26 agement. 


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1 (10) The Director of the National Park Service. 

2 (11) The Director of the United States Fish 

3 and Wildlife Service. 

4 (12) The Director of the United States Geologi5 cal Survey. 

6 (13) The Secretary of Agriculture. 

7 (14) The Secretary of Defense. 

8 (15) State representatives from each regional 

9 association of State fish and wildlife agencies. 

10 (16) Not less than 2 representatives of Indian 

11 Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations. 

12 (b) DUTIES.—The Working Group shall serve as a 

13 forum for interagency consultation on, and the coordina14 tion of, the development and implementation of the Na15 tional Strategy. 

16 (c) CO-CHAIRS.—There shall be 4 co-chairs, of 

17 whom— 

18 (1) 2 shall be representatives of the Federal 

19 Government; 

20 (2) 1 shall be a representative of a State; and 

21 (3) 1 shall be a representative of an Indian 

22 Tribe or a Native Hawaiian organization. 

23 (d) FACA.—Notwithstanding section 1009 of title 5, 

24 United States Code, the Working Group may close a meet25 ing of the Working Group to the public or redact informaVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:07 Aug 20, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4752.IS S4752

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1 tion from minutes of a meeting of the Working Group if 

2 the applicable Tribal or Native Hawaiian organization rep3 resentatives on the Working Group determine that a meet4 ing or minutes from a meeting, as applicable, will disclose 

5 sensitive traditional ecological knowledge. 

6 (e) FOIA.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para8 graph (3), information described in paragraph (2) 

9 shall be exempt from disclosure under section 

10 552(b)(3) of title 5, United States Code. 

11 (2) INFORMATION DESCRIBED.—The informa12 tion referred to in paragraph (1) is information that 

13 a representative of an Indian Tribe or a Native Ha14 waiian organization on the Working Group or any 

15 other member of an Indian Tribe or a Native Ha16 waiian organization— 

17 (A) submits to or discusses with the Work18 ing Group; and 

19 (B) designates as sensitive or private ac20 cording to Tribal or Native Hawaiian custom, 

21 law, culture, or religion. 

22 (3) EXCEPTION.—If a representative of an In23 dian Tribe or a Native Hawaiian organization on the 

24 Working Group or any other member of an Indian 

25 Tribe or a Native Hawaiian organization requests 


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1 information that the Tribal or Native Hawaiian or2 ganization representative or member submitted to 

3 the Working Group and designated as sensitive or 

4 private, as described in paragraph (2), the Tribal or 

5 Native Hawaiian organization representative or 

6 member shall receive that information. 

7 SEC. 5. NATIONAL FISH, WILDLIFE, AND PLANTS CLIMATE 

8 ADAPTATION STRATEGY. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Working Group shall adopt 

10 the National Strategy to protect, manage, and conserve 

11 fish, wildlife, and plants to maintain the inherent resil12 ience and adaptability of fish, wildlife, and plants to with13 stand the ongoing and expected effects of extreme weather 

14 and climate change. 

15 (b) REVIEW AND REVISION.—Not later than 1 year 

16 after each release of the assessment required under section 

17 106 of the Global Change Research Act of 1990 (15 

18 U.S.C. 2936), the Working Group shall— 

19 (1) use sound science and traditional ecological 

20 knowledge to review and revise the National Strat21 egy to incorporate— 

22 (A) new information regarding the ongoing 

23 and expected effects of climate change on fish, 

24 wildlife, and plants; and 


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1 (B) advances in the development of fish, 

2 wildlife, and plant adaptation strategies; and 

3 (2) in carrying out paragraph (1)— 

4 (A) provide public notice and opportunity 

5 for comment; and 

6 (B) include robust consultation or engage7 ment with Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian 

8 organizations, as appropriate. 

9 (c) CONTENTS.—A revised National Strategy shall— 

10 (1) assess the vulnerability of fish, wildlife, and 

11 plants to climate change, including short-term, me12 dium-term, long-term, and cumulative impacts; 

13 (2) describe current, observation, and moni14 toring activities at the Federal, State, Tribal, and 

15 local levels relating to the ongoing and expected ef16 fects of climate change on fish, wildlife, and plants; 

17 (3) identify and prioritize research and data 

18 needs and areas to incorporate traditional ecological 

19 knowledge; 

20 (4) identify fish, wildlife, and plants likely to 

21 have the greatest need for protection, restoration, 

22 and conservation due to the ongoing and expanding 

23 effects of extreme weather and climate change; 

24 (5) include specific protocols for integrating 

25 fish, wildlife, and plant adaptation strategies and acVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:07 Aug 20, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4752.IS S4752

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1 tivities into the conservation and management of 

2 natural resources by Federal agencies to ensure con3 sistency across agency jurisdictions; 

4 (6) identify opportunities for maintaining, re5 storing, or enhancing fish, wildlife, and plants to re6 duce the risks of extreme weather and climate 

7 change on other vulnerable sectors of society; 

8 (7) identify opportunities to increase co-stew9 ardship and co-management of fish, wildlife, and 

10 plants between Indian Tribes, Native Hawaiian or11 ganizations, and Federal and State partners; 

12 (8) identify Federal policies and actions that 

13 may reduce resilience and increase the vulnerability 

14 of fish, wildlife, and plants to extreme weather and 

15 climate change; 

16 (9) include specific actions that Federal agen17 cies shall take to protect, conserve, and manage fish, 

18 wildlife, and plants to maintain the inherent resil19 ience and adaptability of fish, wildlife, and plants to 

20 withstand, adjust to, or recover from the ongoing 

21 and expected effects of climate change, including a 

22 timeline to implement those actions; 

23 (10) include specific mechanisms for ensuring 

24 communication and coordination— 

25 (A) among Federal agencies; and 


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1 (B) between Federal and State agencies, 

2 territories of the United States, Indian Tribes, 

3 Native Hawaiian organizations, private land4 owners, conservation organizations, and other 

5 countries that share jurisdiction over fish, wild6 life, and plants with the United States; 

7 (11) include specific actions to develop and im8 plement coordinated fish, wildlife, and plants inven9 tory and monitoring protocols through— 

10 (A) interagency coordination and collabora11 tion with States, local governments, and private 

12 organizations; and 

13 (B) robust consultation or engagement 

14 with Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian orga15 nizations, as appropriate; and 

16 (12) include procedures for guiding the develop17 ment of detailed strategy implementation plans re18 quired under section 7. 

19 (d) IMPLEMENTATION.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Consistent with other laws 

21 and Federal trust responsibilities concerning Indian 

22 land or rights of Indians under treaties with the 

23 United States, and through collaboration, engage24 ment, and resource co-stewardship and co-manage25 ment, as appropriate, with Indian Tribes and Native 


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1 Hawaiian organizations, each Federal agency shall 

2 integrate the elements of the National Strategy that 

3 relate to conservation, management, and protection 

4 of fish, wildlife, and plants into agency plans, envi5 ronmental reviews, and programs. 

6 (2) PUBLIC REPORT.—The Working Group 

7 shall, on a biannual basis, between revisions to the 

8 National Strategy, make available to the public a re9 port documenting any actions implementing the 

10 Strategy. 

11 (3) COORDINATION.—The Working Group shall 

12 coordinate the implementation of the National Strat13 egy with Federal agencies, Indian Tribes, and Na14 tive Hawaiian organizations not represented on the 

15 Working Group to achieve the policy of the United 

16 States described in section 2(c). 

17 SEC. 6. FISH, WILDLIFE, AND PLANTS ADAPTATION 

18 SCIENCE AND INFORMATION. 

19 (a) CLIMATE ADAPTATION SCIENCE CENTER NET20 WORK.— 

21 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of the In22 terior, in collaboration with the States, Indian 

23 Tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, and other 

24 partner organizations, shall establish a Climate Ad25 aptation Science Center Network. 


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1 (2) STRUCTURE.—The Network shall consist of 

2 a National Climate Adaptation Science Center and a 

3 network of Regional Climate Adaptation Science 

4 Centers (referred to in this section as ‘‘Centers’’) 

5 that adequately represent the ecological diversity, cli6 mate risks, and adaptation science needs across 

7 States and territories of the United States. 

8 (3) DUTIES OF CENTERS.—The Centers shall 

9 assess and develop scientific information, tools, 

10 strategies, and techniques to support the Working 

11 Group, Federal and State agencies, Indian Tribes, 

12 Native Hawaiian organizations, regionally based 

13 science and conservation centers, regional coordi14 nating entities, and other interested parties in ad15 dressing the effects of extreme weather and climate 

16 change on fish, wildlife, and plants. 

17 (4) GENERAL AUTHORITY TO ENTER INTO CON18 TRACTS, GRANTS, AND COOPERATIVE AGREE19 MENTS.—The Secretary may enter into contracts, 

20 grants, or cooperative agreements with State agen21 cies, State cooperative extension services, institutions 

22 of higher education, other research or educational 

23 institutions and organizations, Tribal organizations, 

24 Native Hawaiian organizations, Federal and private 

25 agencies and organizations, individuals, and any 


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1 other contractor or recipient, to further the duties 

2 under paragraph (3) without regard to— 

3 (A) any requirements for competition; 

4 (B) section 6101 of title 41, United States 

5 Code; or 

6 (C) subsections (a) and (b) of section 3324 

7 of title 31, United States Code. 

8 (b) ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON CLIMATE CHANGE

9 AND NATURAL RESOURCE SCIENCES.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

11 after the date of enactment of this Act, and pursu12 ant to chapter 10 of title 5, United States Code 

13 (commonly known as the ‘‘Federal Advisory Com14 mittee Act’’), the Secretary of the Interior shall es15 tablish an Advisory Committee on Climate Change 

16 and Natural Resource Sciences. 

17 (2) MEMBERSHIP.—The Committee shall be 

18 comprised of 25 members who— 

19 (A) represent— 

20 (i) Federal agencies; 

21 (ii) State and local governments; 

22 (iii) Indian Tribes and Native Hawai23 ian organizations; 

24 (iv) nongovernmental organizations; 

25 (v) academic institutions; and 


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1 (vi) the private sector; and 

2 (B) have expertise in— 

3 (i) biology (including fish, wildlife, 

4 plant, aquatic, coastal, and marine biol5 ogy); 

6 (ii) ecology; 

7 (iii) climate change (including, where 

8 applicable, ocean acidification, drought, 

9 flooding, and wildfire); 

10 (iv) traditional ecological knowledge; 

11 and 

12 (v) other relevant scientific disciplines. 

13 (3) CHAIR.—The Secretary of the Interior shall 

14 appoint a Committee Chair from among the mem15 bers of the Committee. 

16 (4) DUTIES.—The Committee shall— 

17 (A) advise the Secretary of the Interior on 

18 the establishment, implementation, and evalua19 tion of the Network and the integration of cli20 mate adaptation science into the operation of 

21 bureaus and programs of the Department of 

22 the Interior; 

23 (B) advise the Working Group on the state 

24 of the science regarding— 


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1 (i) the ongoing and expected effects of 

2 extreme weather and climate change on 

3 fish, wildlife, and plants; and 

4 (ii) scientific strategies and mecha5 nisms for fish, wildlife, and plant adapta6 tion; 

7 (C) identify and recommend priorities for 

8 ongoing research needs on the issues described 

9 in subparagraph (B) to inform the research pri10 orities of the Centers and other Federal climate 

11 science institutions; and 

12 (D) review and comment on each revised 

13 National Strategy before that National Strategy 

14 is finalized. 

15 (5) COLLABORATION.—The Committee shall 

16 collaborate with climate change and fish, wildlife, 

17 and plant research entities in other Federal agencies 

18 and departments. 

19 (6) AVAILABILITY TO PUBLIC.—The advice and 

20 recommendations of the Committee shall be made 

21 available to the public. 

22 (7) FACA.—Notwithstanding section 1009 of 

23 title 5, United States Code, the Committee may 

24 close a meeting of the Committee to the public or re25 dact information from minutes of a meeting of the 


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1 Committee if a member representing an Indian 

2 Tribe or a Native Hawaiian organization on the 

3 Committee determines that a meeting or minutes 

4 from a meeting, as applicable, will disclose sensitive 

5 traditional ecological knowledge. 

6 (8) FOIA.— 

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

8 subparagraph (C), information described in 

9 subparagraph (B) shall be exempt from disclo10 sure under section 552(b)(3) of title 5, United 

11 States Code. 

12 (B) INFORMATION DESCRIBED.—The in13 formation referred to in subparagraph (A) is in14 formation that a member representing an In15 dian Tribe or a Native Hawaiian organization 

16 on the Committee— 

17 (i) submits to or discusses with the 

18 Committee; and 

19 (ii) designates as sensitive or private 

20 according to Native American custom, law, 

21 culture, or religion. 

22 (C) EXCEPTION.—If a member rep23 resenting an Indian Tribe or a Native Hawaiian 

24 organization on the Committee requests infor25 mation that the member submitted to the ComVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:07 Aug 20, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00021 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4752.IS S4752

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1 mittee and designated as sensitive or private, as 

2 described in subparagraph (B), that member 

3 shall receive that information. 

4 SEC. 7. STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION PLAN. 

5 (a) DEVELOPMENT.—Not later than 1 year after the 

6 date of enactment of this Act and not later than 1 year 

7 after the date of each revision of the National Strategy, 

8 the Working Group shall— 

9 (1) complete a strategy implementation plan; 

10 (2) provide opportunities for public review and 

11 comment on the plan; 

12 (3) conduct robust consultation or engagement 

13 with Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organiza14 tions, as appropriate; and 

15 (4) submit the plan to the President for ap16 proval. 

17 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—The strategy implementation 

18 plan shall— 

19 (1) identify and prioritize specific conservation 

20 and management strategies and actions that address 

21 the ongoing and expected effects of extreme weather 

22 and climate change on fish, wildlife, and plants, in23 cluding— 

24 (A) protection, management, co-steward25 ship, co-management, and conservation of terVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:07 Aug 20, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4752.IS S4752

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1 restrial, marine, estuarine, and freshwater habi2 tats and ecosystems; 

3 (B) establishment of terrestrial, marine, 

4 estuarine, and freshwater habitat connectivity 

5 corridors; 

6 (C) restoration and conservation of ecologi7 cal processes; 

8 (D) protection of a broad diversity of spe9 cies of fish, wildlife, and plant populations; 

10 (E) protection of fish, wildlife, and plant 

11 health, recognizing that climate can alter the 

12 distribution and ecology of parasites, pathogens, 

13 and vectors; and 

14 (F) management of human-wildlife con15 flict, recognizing climate-induced movements of 

16 wildlife are likely to result in increased inter17 actions between wildlife and human commu18 nities; 

19 (2) establish methods— 

20 (A) to assess the effectiveness of strategies 

21 and conservation actions implemented by the 

22 agencies to protect, manage, and conserve fish, 

23 wildlife, and plants; and 


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1 (B) to update those strategies and actions 

2 to respond to new information and changing 

3 conditions; 

4 (C) to consult or engage, as appropriate, 

5 with Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian orga6 nizations; and 

7 (D) to incorporate traditional ecological 

8 knowledge into plans and strategies; 

9 (3) describe current and proposed mechanisms 

10 to enhance cooperation and coordination of fish, 

11 wildlife, and plant adaptation efforts with other Fed12 eral agencies, State and local governments, Indian 

13 Tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, and non14 governmental stakeholders; 

15 (4) include written guidance to resource man16 agers; and 

17 (5) identify and assess data and information 

18 gaps necessary to develop fish, wildlife, and plant 

19 adaptation plans and strategies. 

20 (c) IMPLEMENTATION.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—On approval by the Presi22 dent, each Federal agency shall, consistent with ex23 isting authority, implement the strategy implementa24 tion plan under subsection (a)(1) through existing 


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1 and new plans, policies, programs, activities, and ac2 tions. 

3 (2) CONSIDERATION OF EFFECTS.—To the 

4 maximum extent practicable and consistent with ex5 isting authority, fish, wildlife, and plant conservation 

6 and management decisions made by each Federal 

7 agency shall consider and promote resilience to the 

8 ongoing and expected effects of extreme weather and 

9 climate change. 

10 (d) REVISION AND REVIEW.—Not later than 1 year 

11 after the National Strategy is revised under section 5(b), 

12 the Working Group shall review and revise the strategy 

13 implementation plan under subsection (a)(1) to incor14 porate the best available science, including advice and in15 formation pursuant to section 6 and other information, re16 garding the ongoing and expected effects of climate 

17 change on fish, wildlife, and plants. 

18 SEC. 8. STATE FISH, WILDLIFE, AND PLANTS ADAPTATION 

19 PLANS. 

20 (a) REQUIREMENT.—To be eligible to receive funds 

21 pursuant to subsection (d), not later than 1 year after the 

22 date of enactment of this Act and not later than 1 year 

23 after the date of each revision of the National Strategy, 

24 each State shall prepare and submit to the Secretary of 

25 the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce a State fish, 


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1 wildlife, and plant adaptation plan detailing current and 

2 future efforts of the State to address the ongoing and ex3 pected effects of climate change on fish, wildlife, and 

4 plants and coastal areas within the jurisdiction of the 

5 State. 

6 (b) REVIEW OR APPROVAL.—The Secretary of the In7 terior and the Secretary of Commerce shall— 

8 (1) review each State adaptation plan; and 

9 (2) approve a State adaptation plan if the 

10 plan— 

11 (A) meets the requirements of subsection 

12 (c); and 

13 (B) is consistent with the National Strat14 egy. 

15 (c) CONTENTS.—A State adaptation plan shall— 

16 (1) meet the requirements described in section 

17 7(b), except that the requirements of that section re18 lating to marine habitats or ecosystems shall not 

19 apply to a State in which those habitats or eco20 systems do not exist; 

21 (2) include the adaptation provisions of any 

22 State comprehensive wildlife conservation strategy 

23 (or State wildlife action plan) that has been— 

24 (A) submitted to the Director of the 

25 United States Fish and Wildlife Service; and 


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1 (B) approved, or is pending approval, by 

2 the Director of the United States Fish and 

3 Wildlife Service; 

4 (3) include the adaptation provisions of a state5 wide assessment and strategy for forest resources re6 quired under section 2A of the Cooperative Forestry 

7 Assistance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2101a) that has 

8 been— 

9 (A) submitted to the Secretary of Agri10 culture; and 

11 (B) approved, or is pending approval, by 

12 the Secretary of Agriculture; 

13 (4) in the case of a State with coastal areas, in14 clude the adaptation provisions of a Coastal Zone 

15 Management Plan or a Coastal and Estuarine Land 

16 Conservation Program Plan that has been— 

17 (A) submitted to the Administrator of the 

18 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra19 tion; and 

20 (B) approved, or is pending approval, by 

21 the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 

22 Atmospheric Administration; and 

23 (5) include documentation describing efforts 

24 and opportunities to conduct robust consultation or 


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1 engagement with Indian Tribes and Native Hawai2 ian organizations, as appropriate. 

3 (d) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS TO STATES.—Any 

4 funds made available pursuant to this Act shall be— 

5 (1) used to carry out activities in accordance 

6 with adaptation plans approved under this section; 

7 and 

8 (2) made available through— 

9 (A) the State and Tribal wildlife grant pro10 gram under title I of division F of the Consoli11 dated Appropriations Act, 2008 (Public Law 

12 110–161; 121 Stat. 2103); and 

13 (B)(i) the grant program under section 

14 306 of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 

15 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1455); 

16 (ii) the Coastal and Estuarine Land Con17 servation Program established under title II of 

18 the Department of Commerce and Related 

19 Agencies Appropriations Act, 2002 (16 U.S.C. 

20 1456d); and 

21 (iii) programs established under the Coop22 erative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (16 

23 U.S.C. 2101 et seq.). 

24 (e) TRIBAL CLIMATE PRIORITIES.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Of the amounts made avail2 able to a State pursuant to this Act, not less than 

3 2 percent shall be used to implement Tribal and Na4 tive Hawaiian climate priorities, as determined by 

5 consultation or engagement with relevant Indian 

6 Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations, as appli7 cable and appropriate. 

8 (2) FUNDING TO INDIAN TRIBES AND NATIVE

9 HAWAIIAN ORGANIZATIONS.—A State may award 

10 amounts described in paragraph (1) to Indian Tribes 

11 or Native Hawaiian organizations located in the 

12 State to implement Tribal or Native Hawaiian cli13 mate priorities, as applicable and appropriate. 

14 (f) PUBLIC INPUT.—In developing an adaptation 

15 plan, a State shall— 

16 (1) solicit and consider input from the public 

17 and independent scientists; and 

18 (2) conduct robust consultation or engagement 

19 with Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organiza20 tions, as appropriate. 

21 (g) COORDINATION WITH OTHER PLANS.—A State 

22 adaptation plan shall, where appropriate, integrate the 

23 goals and measures set forth in other climate adaptation, 

24 hazard mitigation, and fish, wildlife, and plant conserva25 tion strategies and plans. 


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1 (h) UPDATES.—Each State adaptation plan shall be 

2 updated at least every 4 years. 

Æ 


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