I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2534 

To provide incentives for agricultural producers to carry out climate stewardship practices, to provide for increased reforestation across the United 

States, to establish the Coastal and Estuary Resilience Grant Program, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 14, 2021 

Ms. SPANBERGER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committees on Natural 

Resources, and Science, Space, and Technology, 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 provide incentives for agricultural producers to carry out 

climate stewardship practices, to provide for increased 

reforestation across the United States, to establish the 

Coastal and Estuary Resilience Grant Program, 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 ‘‘Climate Stewardship Act of 2021’’. 


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

2 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

TITLE I—AGRICULTURE 

Sec. 101. Conservation reserve program. 

Sec. 102. Environmental quality incentives program. 

Sec. 103. Conservation stewardship program. 

Sec. 104. Funding. 

Sec. 105. Regional conservation partnership program. 

Sec. 106. Funding for climate stewardship agriculture research. 

Sec. 107. Conservation technical assistance. 

Sec. 108. Rural Energy for America Program. 

Sec. 109. Local Agriculture Market Program. 

Sec. 110. Soil health equipment grant program. 

Sec. 111. Farm and ranch stress assistance network. 

Sec. 112. Assistance for community food projects. 

TITLE II—FORESTS 

Sec. 201. Reforestation Trust Fund. 

Sec. 202. Reforest America Grant Program. 

Sec. 203. Funding for the community forest and open space conservation program. 

Sec. 204. Forest Stewardship Practice Program. 

Sec. 205. Urban wood programs. 

Sec. 206. Stewardship Corps. 

TITLE III—COASTAL WETLAND 

Sec. 301. Definitions. 

Sec. 302. Coastal and Estuary Resilience Grant Program. 

Sec. 303. Data collection. 

Sec. 304. Outreach and technical assistance. 

Sec. 305. Annual restoration and funding. 

Sec. 306. Prevailing wage requirement. 

Sec. 307. Department of the Interior coastal wetland restoration; funding. 

3 TITLE I—AGRICULTURE 

4 SEC. 101. CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM. 

5 (a) CONSERVATION RESERVE.—Section 1231 of the 

6 Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831) is amend7 ed— 

8 (1) in subsection (d)— 

9 (A) in paragraph (1)— 


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1 (i) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

2 ‘‘25,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘28,000,000’’; 

3 (ii) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

4 ‘‘25,500,000 acres; and’’ and inserting 

5 ‘‘30,500,000 acres;’’; 

6 (iii) in subparagraph (E), by striking 

7 ‘‘27,000,000 acres.’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘33,000,000 acres;’’; and 

9 (iv) by adding at the end the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(F) fiscal year 2024, not more than 

12 34,000,000 acres; 

13 ‘‘(G) fiscal year 2025, not more than 

14 35,000,000 acres; 

15 ‘‘(H) fiscal year 2026, not more than 

16 36,000,000 acres; 

17 ‘‘(I) fiscal year 2027, not more than 

18 37,000,000 acres; 

19 ‘‘(J) fiscal year 2028, not more than 

20 38,000,000 acres; 

21 ‘‘(K) fiscal year 2029, not more than 

22 39,000,000 acres; and 

23 ‘‘(L) fiscal year 2030, not less than 

24 40,000,000 acres.’’; 

25 (B) in paragraph (2)(A)— 


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1 (i) in clause (i)— 

2 (I) by striking ‘‘2,000,000’’ and 

3 inserting ‘‘4,600,000’’; and 

4 (II) by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in5 serting ‘‘2030’’; and 

6 (ii) in clause (ii)— 

7 (I) in subclause (II), by striking 

8 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

9 (II) in subclause (III), by strik10 ing ‘‘through 2023, 2,000,000 acres.’’ 

11 and inserting ‘‘and 2022, 2,000,000 

12 acres;’’; and 

13 (III) by adding at the end the 

14 following: 

15 ‘‘(IV) fiscal year 2023, 2,500,000 

16 acres; 

17 ‘‘(V) fiscal year 2024, 2,800,000 

18 acres; 

19 ‘‘(VI) fiscal year 2025, 3,100,000 

20 acres; 

21 ‘‘(VII) fiscal year 2026, 

22 3,400,000 acres; 

23 ‘‘(VIII) fiscal year 2027, 

24 3,700,000 acres; 


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1 ‘‘(IX) fiscal year 2028, 

2 4,000,000 acres; 

3 ‘‘(X) fiscal year 2029, 4,300,000 

4 acres; and 

5 ‘‘(XI) fiscal year 2030, not less 

6 than 4,600,000 acres.’’; and 

7 (C) in paragraph (6)(B)— 

8 (i) in clause (i)— 

9 (I) by striking ‘‘8,600,000’’ and 

10 inserting ‘‘17,700,000’’; and 

11 (II) by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in12 serting ‘‘2030’’; and 

13 (ii) in clause (ii)— 

14 (I) in subclause (III), by striking 

15 ‘‘8,500,000 acres; and’’ and inserting 

16 ‘‘10,000,000 acres;’’; and 

17 (II) by striking subclause (IV) 

18 and inserting the following: 

19 ‘‘(IV) fiscal year 2022, 

20 12,500,000 acres; 

21 ‘‘(V) fiscal year 2023, 

22 14,500,000 acres; 

23 ‘‘(VI) fiscal year 2024, 

24 15,500,000 acres; 


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1 ‘‘(VII) fiscal year 2025, 

2 16,500,000 acres; 

3 ‘‘(VIII) fiscal year 2026, 

4 17,500,000 acres; 

5 ‘‘(IX) fiscal year 2027, 

6 18,500,000 acres; 

7 ‘‘(X) fiscal year 2028, 

8 19,500,000 acres; and 

9 ‘‘(XI) fiscal years 2029 and 

10 2030, 20,000,000 acres.’’; 

11 (2) in subsection (e)(1), by striking ‘‘, nor more 

12 than 15,’’; and 

13 (3) in subsection (h)— 

14 (A) by striking paragraph (2); and 

15 (B) by striking ‘‘CONSIDERATION.—’’ in 

16 the subsection heading and all that follows 

17 through ‘‘On the’’ in paragraph (1) and insert18 ing ‘‘CONSIDERATION.—On the’’. 

19 (b) CONSERVATION RESERVE ENHANCEMENT PRO20 GRAM.—Section 1231A(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Food Security 

21 Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831a(b)(2)(A)(i)) is amended by 

22 inserting ‘‘, including reducing agricultural greenhouse 

23 gas emissions or increasing carbon sequestration,’’ after 

24 ‘‘concerns’’. 


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1 SEC. 102. ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES PRO2 GRAM. 

3 (a) PURPOSES.—Section 1240(3) of the Food Secu4 rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa(3)) is amended— 

5 (1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

6 the end; 

7 (2) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

8 the end; and 

9 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(D) reducing agricultural greenhouse gas 

11 emissions; 

12 ‘‘(E) increasing carbon sequestration; and 

13 ‘‘(F) adapting to, or mitigating against, in14 creasing weather volatility; and’’. 

15 (b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 1240A of the Food Secu16 rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–1) is amended— 

17 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through 

18 (10) as paragraphs (2) through (11), respectively; 

19 and 

20 (2) by inserting before paragraph (2) (as so re21 designated) the following: 

22 ‘‘(1) CLIMATE STEWARDSHIP PRACTICE.—The 

23 term ‘climate stewardship practice’ means any of the 

24 following practices: 

25 ‘‘(A) Alley cropping. 

26 ‘‘(B) Biochar incorporation. 


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1 ‘‘(C) Compost application. 

2 ‘‘(D) Conservation activity plans. 

3 ‘‘(E) Conservation cover. 

4 ‘‘(F) Conservation crop rotation. 

5 ‘‘(G) Contour buffer strips. 

6 ‘‘(H) Contour farming. 

7 ‘‘(I) Cover crops. 

8 ‘‘(J) Critical area planting. 

9 ‘‘(K) Cross wind trap strips. 

10 ‘‘(L) Field borders. 

11 ‘‘(M) Filter strips. 

12 ‘‘(N) Forage and biomass planting, includ13 ing the use of native prairie and seed mixtures. 

14 ‘‘(O) Forest stand improvements. 

15 ‘‘(P) Grassed waterways. 

16 ‘‘(Q) Hedgerow planting. 

17 ‘‘(R) Herbaceous wind barriers. 

18 ‘‘(S) Irrigation water management. 

19 ‘‘(T) Mulching to improve soil health. 

20 ‘‘(U) Multistory cropping. 

21 ‘‘(V) Nutrient management. 

22 ‘‘(W) Pollinator or beneficial insect or 

23 monarch habitat establishment. 

24 ‘‘(X) Prescribed grazing. 

25 ‘‘(Y) Range planting. 


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1 ‘‘(Z) Residue and tillage management with 

2 no till. 

3 ‘‘(AA) Residue and tillage management 

4 with reduced till. 

5 ‘‘(BB) Riparian forest buffers. 

6 ‘‘(CC) Riparian herbaceous buffers. 

7 ‘‘(DD) Silvopasture establishment. 

8 ‘‘(EE) Stripcropping. 

9 ‘‘(FF) Tree and shrub establishment. 

10 ‘‘(GG) Upland wildlife habitat. 

11 ‘‘(HH) Vegetative barriers. 

12 ‘‘(II) Wetland restoration. 

13 ‘‘(JJ) Windbreak renovation. 

14 ‘‘(KK) Windbreaks and shelterbelts. 

15 ‘‘(LL) Woody residue treatment. 

16 ‘‘(MM) Any other highly effective vegeta17 tive or management practice that significantly 

18 reduces agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, 

19 increases carbon sequestration, or assists pro20 ducers in adapting to, or mitigating against, in21 creasing weather volatility, as determined by 

22 the Secretary.’’. 

23 (c) ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION.—Sec24 tion 1240B of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 

25 3839aa–2) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (d)(3)— 

2 (A) in subparagraph (F), by striking ‘‘or’’ 

3 at the end; 

4 (B) in subparagraph (G), by striking the 

5 period at the end and inserting a semicolon; 

6 and 

7 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(H) reductions in agricultural greenhouse 

9 gas emissions; or 

10 ‘‘(I) long-term carbon sequestration.’’; and 

11 (2) in subsection (j)— 

12 (A) in paragraph (2)— 

13 (i) in subparagraph (A)— 

14 (I) in clause (i)— 

15 (aa) by striking ‘‘mainte16 nance of incentive practices’’ and 

17 inserting the following: ‘‘mainte18 nance of— 

19 ‘‘(I) incentive practices’’; and 

20 (bb) in subclause (I) (as so 

21 designated), by striking the pe22 riod at the end and inserting the 

23 following: ‘‘; or 

24 ‘‘(II) 1 or more climate steward25 ship practices.’’; and 


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1 (II) in clause (ii)— 

2 (aa) in subclause (I), by in3 serting ‘‘, or climate stewardship 

4 practices to attain increased lev5 els of carbon sequestration and 

6 reduced agricultural greenhouse 

7 gas emissions,’’ after ‘‘conserva8 tion’’; and 

9 (bb) in subclause (II), by in10 serting ‘‘or a climate stewardship 

11 practice’’ after ‘‘incentive prac12 tice’’; and 

13 (ii) in subparagraph (C)— 

14 (I) by redesignating clauses (i) 

15 and (ii) as subclauses (I) and (II), re16 spectively, and indenting appro17 priately; 

18 (II) in the matter preceding sub19 clause (I) (as so redesignated), by 

20 striking ‘‘Notwithstanding section 

21 1240C’’ and inserting the following: 

22 ‘‘(i) INCENTIVE PRACTICES.—Not23 withstanding section 1240C, in the case of 

24 applications for contracts under subpara25 graph (A)(i)(I)’’; and 


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1 (III) by adding at the end the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(ii) CLIMATE STEWARDSHIP PRAC4 TICES.—Notwithstanding section 1240C, 

5 in the case of applications for contracts 

6 under subparagraph (A)(i)(II), the Sec7 retary shall give priority to applications 

8 that contain the greatest number of cli9 mate stewardship practices.’’; and 

10 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

11 (i) in the paragraph heading, by in12 serting ‘‘AND CLIMATE STEWARDSHIP

13 PRACTICE’’ after ‘‘INCENTIVE PRACTICE’’; 

14 (ii) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 

15 ‘‘or climate stewardship practices’’ after 

16 ‘‘incentive practices’’ each place it appears; 

17 (iii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting 

18 ‘‘or climate stewardship practice’’ after 

19 ‘‘incentive practice’’ each place it appears; 

20 and 

21 (iv) in subparagraph (C)(ii), by insert22 ing ‘‘or a climate stewardship practice’’ 

23 after ‘‘incentive practice’’. 


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1 (d) LIMITATION ON PAYMENTS.—Section 1240G of 

2 the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–7) is 

3 amended— 

4 (1) by striking ‘‘2018, or’’ and inserting 

5 ‘‘2018,’’; and 

6 (2) by inserting ‘‘the period of fiscal years 2024 

7 through 2028, or the period of fiscal years 2029 

8 through 2033,’’ before ‘‘regardless’’. 

9 (e) CONSERVATION INNOVATION GRANTS AND PAY10 MENTS.—Section 1240H(c) of the Food Security Act of 

11 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–8(c)) is amended— 

12 (1) in paragraph (1)(B)(i)— 

13 (A) in subclause (VI), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

14 the end; and 

15 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(VIII) practices that signifi17 cantly increase carbon sequestration, 

18 reduce agricultural greenhouse gas 

19 emissions, or assist producers to 

20 adapt to, or mitigate against, increas21 ing weather volatility; and’’; 

22 (2) in paragraph (2), in the matter preceding 

23 subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘through 2023’’ and 

24 inserting ‘‘and 2020, and $200,000,000 of the funds 


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1 of the Commodity Credit Corporation for each of fis2 cal years 2021 through 2030’’; and 

3 (3) in paragraph (7), in the matter preceding 

4 subparagraph (A)— 

5 (A) by inserting ‘‘not less than 

6 $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 

7 through 2030 of the’’ after ‘‘Using’’; and 

8 (B) by striking ‘‘a soil’’ and inserting ‘‘an 

9 ongoing soil’’. 

10 SEC. 103. CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM. 

11 (a) SUPPLEMENTAL PAYMENTS FOR CLIMATE STEW12 ARDSHIP PRACTICES.—Section 1240L(d) of the Food Se13 curity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(d)) is amend14 ed— 

15 (1) in the subsection heading, by striking ‘‘RO16 TATIONS AND ADVANCED GRAZING MANAGEMENT’’ 

17 and inserting ‘‘ROTATIONS, ADVANCED GRAZING

18 MANAGEMENT, AND CLIMATE STEWARDSHIP PRAC19 TICES’’; 

20 (2) in paragraph (1)— 

21 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) 

22 and (C) as subparagraphs (C) and (D), respec23 tively; and 

24 (B) by inserting after subparagraph (A) 

25 the following: 


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1 ‘‘(B) CLIMATE STEWARDSHIP PRACTICE.— 

2 The term ‘climate stewardship practice’ means 

3 any of the following practices and enhance4 ments associated with the following practices: 

5 ‘‘(i) Alley cropping. 

6 ‘‘(ii) Biochar incorporation. 

7 ‘‘(iii) Compost application. 

8 ‘‘(iv) Conservation activity plans. 

9 ‘‘(v) Conservation cover. 

10 ‘‘(vi) Conservation crop rotation. 

11 ‘‘(vii) Contour buffer strips. 

12 ‘‘(viii) Contour farming. 

13 ‘‘(ix) Cover crops. 

14 ‘‘(x) Critical area planting. 

15 ‘‘(xi) Cross wind trap strips. 

16 ‘‘(xii) Field borders. 

17 ‘‘(xiii) Filter strips. 

18 ‘‘(xiv) Forage and biomass planting, 

19 including the use of native prairie seed 

20 mixtures. 

21 ‘‘(xv) Forest stand improvements. 

22 ‘‘(xvi) Grassed waterways. 

23 ‘‘(xvii) Hedgerow planting. 

24 ‘‘(xviii) Herbaceous wind barriers. 

25 ‘‘(xix) Irrigation water management. 


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1 ‘‘(xx) Mulching to improve soil health. 

2 ‘‘(xxi) Multistory cropping. 

3 ‘‘(xxii) Nutrient management, includ4 ing nitrogen stewardship activities. 

5 ‘‘(xxiii) Pollinator or beneficial insect 

6 or monarch habitat establishment. 

7 ‘‘(xxiv) Prescribed grazing. 

8 ‘‘(xxv) Range planting. 

9 ‘‘(xxvi) Residue and tillage manage10 ment with no till. 

11 ‘‘(xxvii) Residue and tillage manage12 ment with reduced till. 

13 ‘‘(xxviii) Riparian forest buffers. 

14 ‘‘(xxix) Riparian herbaceous buffers. 

15 ‘‘(xxx) Silvopasture establishment. 

16 ‘‘(xxxi) Stripcropping. 

17 ‘‘(xxxii) Tree and shrub establish18 ment, including planting for a high rate of 

19 carbon sequestration. 

20 ‘‘(xxxiii) Upland wildlife habitat. 

21 ‘‘(xxxiv) Vegetative barriers. 

22 ‘‘(xxxv) Wetland restoration. 

23 ‘‘(xxxvi) Windbreak renovation. 

24 ‘‘(xxxvii) Windbreaks and shelterbelts. 

25 ‘‘(xxxviii) Woody residue treatment. 


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1 ‘‘(xxxix) Any other vegetative or man2 agement conservation activity that signifi3 cantly— 

4 ‘‘(I) reduces greenhouse gas 

5 emissions; 

6 ‘‘(II) increases carbon sequestra7 tion; or 

8 ‘‘(III) enhances resilience to in9 creased weather volatility.’’; 

10 (3) in paragraph (2)— 

11 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘or’’ 

12 at the end; 

13 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the 

14 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

15 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(C) conservation activities relating to cli17 mate stewardship practices.’’; and 

18 (4) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘rotations or 

19 advanced grazing management’’ and inserting ‘‘rota20 tions, advanced grazing management, or conserva21 tion activities relating to climate stewardship prac22 tices’’. 

23 (b) PAYMENT LIMITATIONS.—Section 1240L(f) of 

24 the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(f)) 

25 is amended by striking ‘‘fiscal years 2019 through 2023’’ 


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1 and inserting ‘‘the period of fiscal years 2019 through 

2 2023, the period of fiscal years 2024 through 2028, or 

3 the period of fiscal years 2029 through 2033’’. 

4 SEC. 104. FUNDING. 

5 (a) ANNUAL FUNDING.—Section 1241(a) of the Food 

6 Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(a)) is amended— 

7 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 

8 striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2030’’; 

9 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

10 (A) in subparagraph (E), by striking 

11 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

12 (B) in subparagraph (F), by striking 

13 ‘‘through 2023.’’ and inserting ‘‘and 2020; 

14 and’’; and 

15 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(G) $900,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

17 2021 through 2030.’’; and 

18 (3) in paragraph (3)— 

19 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 

20 (i) in clause (iii), by striking 

21 ‘‘$1,800,000,000’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘$3,800,000,000’’; 

23 (ii) in clause (iv)— 

24 (I) by striking ‘‘$1,850,000,000’’ 

25 and inserting ‘‘$4,850,000,000’’; and 


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1 (II) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

2 (iii) in clause (v), by striking 

3 ‘‘$2,025,000,000’’ and inserting 

4 ‘‘$6,025,000,000’’; and 

5 (iv) by adding at the end the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(vi) $7,000,000,000 for each of fiscal 

8 years 2024 through 2030; and’’; and 

9 (B) in subparagraph (B)— 

10 (i) in clause (iii), by striking 

11 ‘‘$750,000,000’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘$2,750,000,000’’; 

13 (ii) in clause (iv)— 

14 (I) by striking ‘‘$800,000,000’’ 

15 and inserting ‘‘$3,800,000,000’’; and 

16 (II) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

17 (iii) in clause (v)— 

18 (I) by striking ‘‘$1,000,000,000’’ 

19 and inserting ‘‘$5,000,000,000’’; and 

20 (II) by striking the period at the 

21 end and inserting a semicolon; and 

22 (iv) by adding at the end the fol23 lowing: 

24 ‘‘(vi) $6,000,000,000 for fiscal year 

25 2024; and 


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1 ‘‘(vii) $7,000,000,000 for each of fis2 cal years 2025 through 2030.’’. 

3 (b) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Section 1241(b) of 

4 the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(b)) is 

5 amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2030’’. 

6 (c) FUNDING FOR CLIMATE STEWARDSHIP PRAC7 TICES.—Section 1241 of the Food Security Act of 1985 

8 (16 U.S.C. 3841) is amended by adding at the end the 

9 following: 

10 ‘‘(k) FUNDING FOR CLIMATE STEWARDSHIP PRAC11 TICES.— 

12 ‘‘(1) ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES

13 PROGRAM.— 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Of the funds made 

15 available under subsection (a)(3)(A), the Sec16 retary shall set aside the following amounts to 

17 be used exclusively for climate stewardship 

18 practices (as defined in section 1240A) under 

19 contracts under section 1240B(j)(2)(A)(i)(II): 

20 ‘‘(i) $2,000,000,000 for fiscal year 

21 2021. 

22 ‘‘(ii) $3,000,000,000 for fiscal year 

23 2022. 

24 ‘‘(iii) $4,000,000,000 for fiscal year 

25 2023. 


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1 ‘‘(iv) $5,000,000,000 for each of fiscal 

2 years 2024 through 2030. 

3 ‘‘(B) NONAPPLICABILITY OF ALLOCATION

4 OF FUNDING.—Section 1240B(f) shall not 

5 apply to amounts set aside under subparagraph 

6 (A). 

7 ‘‘(2) CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PRO8 GRAM.—Of the funds made available under sub9 section (a)(3)(B), the Secretary shall set aside the 

10 following amounts to be used exclusively to enroll in 

11 the conservation stewardship program contracts 

12 comprised predominantly of conservation activities 

13 relating to climate stewardship practices (as defined 

14 in section 1240L(d)(1)) or bundles of practices com15 prised predominantly of conservation activities relat16 ing to climate stewardship practices (as so defined): 

17 ‘‘(A) $2,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2021. 

18 ‘‘(B) $3,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2022. 

19 ‘‘(C) $4,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2023. 

20 ‘‘(D) $5,000,000,000 for each of fiscal 

21 years 2024 through 2030. 

22 ‘‘(3) SET-ASIDES FOR SOCIALLY DISADVAN23 TAGED AND BEGINNING FARMERS AND RANCH24 ERS.—Of the funds set aside under each of para25 graphs (1) and (2), the Secretary shall allocate— 


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1 ‘‘(A) 5 percent to provide assistance to so2 cially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers (as 

3 defined in section 2501(a) of the Food, Agri4 culture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 

5 (7 U.S.C. 2279(a))); and 

6 ‘‘(B) 5 percent to provide assistance to be7 ginning farmers and ranchers (as defined in 

8 that section (7 U.S.C. 2279(a))).’’. 

9 SEC. 105. REGIONAL CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP PRO10 GRAM. 

11 Section 1271D of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

12 U.S.C. 3871d) is amended by striking subsection (a) and 

13 inserting the following: 

14 ‘‘(a) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Of the funds of the 

15 Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall use to 

16 carry out the program— 

17 ‘‘(1) $300,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 

18 through 2023; 

19 ‘‘(2) $500,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 

20 through 2025; 

21 ‘‘(3) $750,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 

22 through 2027; and 

23 ‘‘(4) $1,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

24 2028 through 2030.’’. 


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1 SEC. 106. FUNDING FOR CLIMATE STEWARDSHIP AGRI2 CULTURE RESEARCH. 

3 (a) AGRICULTURE AND FOOD RESEARCH INITIA4 TIVE.—Subsection (b) of the Competitive, Special, and 

5 Facilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C. 3157(b)) is 

6 amended— 

7 (1) in paragraph (2), by adding at the end the 

8 following: 

9 ‘‘(G) CLIMATE STEWARDSHIP.—Climate 

10 change mitigation through— 

11 ‘‘(i) reducing greenhouse gas emis12 sions and increasing resilience in the agri13 cultural sector; 

14 ‘‘(ii) increasing carbon sequestration; 

15 ‘‘(iii) improving soil health; and 

16 ‘‘(iv) increasing soil carbon levels.’’; 

17 and 

18 (2) in paragraph (11)— 

19 (A) by striking the paragraph heading and 

20 inserting ‘‘FUNDING.—’’; 

21 (B) in subparagraph (A)— 

22 (i) in the matter preceding clause (i), 

23 by striking ‘‘There is’’ and all that follows 

24 through ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘On the 

25 first October 1 after the date of enactment 

26 of the Climate Stewardship Act of 2021, 


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1 and on each October 1 thereafter through 

2 October 1, 2029, out of any funds in the 

3 Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the 

4 Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer to 

5 the Secretary to carry out this subsection 

6 $830,000,000, to remain available until ex7 pended’’; 

8 (ii) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

9 the end; 

10 (iii) in clause (ii), by striking the pe11 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

12 (iv) by adding at the end the fol13 lowing: 

14 ‘‘(iii) not less than 50 percent for 

15 each fiscal year shall be used to address 

16 the priority area described in paragraph 

17 (2)(G).’’; and 

18 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(C) RECEIPT AND ACCEPTANCE.—The 

20 Secretary shall be entitled to receive, shall ac21 cept, and shall use to carry out this subsection 

22 the funds transferred under subparagraph (A), 

23 without further appropriation.’’. 

24 (b) AGRICULTURE RESEARCH SERVICE CLIMATE

25 STEWARDSHIP FUNDING.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Of the funds of the Com2 modity Credit Corporation, the Secretary of Agri3 culture shall use $100,000,000 for each of fiscal 

4 years 2021 through 2030 to carry out, through the 

5 Administrator of the Agricultural Research Service, 

6 the research mission of the Department of Agri7 culture with respect to the issues described in 

8 clauses (i) through (iv) of subparagraph (G) of sub9 section (b)(2) of the Competitive, Special, and Fa10 cilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C. 3157(b)(2)). 

11 (2) SET-ASIDE.—The Secretary of Agriculture 

12 shall set aside 25 percent of the amounts made 

13 available by paragraph (1) for research relating to 

14 pulse crops, other legumes, and high-biomass crops. 

15 (c) FOUNDATION FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE RE16 SEARCH.—Section 7601 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 

17 (7 U.S.C. 5939) is amended— 

18 (1) in subsection (c)(1)(D), by inserting after 

19 ‘‘environment’’ the following: ‘‘, including— 

20 ‘‘(i) reducing greenhouse gas emis21 sions and increasing resilience in the agri22 cultural sector; 

23 ‘‘(ii) increasing carbon sequestration; 

24 ‘‘(iii) improving soil health; and 


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1 ‘‘(iv) increasing soil carbon levels’’; 

2 and 

3 (2) in subsection (g)(1)(A), by adding at the 

4 end the following: 

5 ‘‘(iii) CLIMATE STEWARDSHIP FUND6 ING.—On the date of enactment of the Cli7 mate Stewardship Act of 2021, and each 

8 fiscal year thereafter through fiscal year 

9 2030, of the funds of the Commodity Cred10 it Corporation, the Secretary shall transfer 

11 to the Foundation $40,000,000 to advance 

12 the research mission of the Department 

13 with respect to the issues described in 

14 clauses (i) through (iv) of subsection 

15 (c)(1)(D), to remain available until ex16 pended.’’. 

17 (d) SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE RESEARCH AND

18 EXTENSION PROJECTS.—Section 1621 of the Food, Agri19 culture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 

20 5811) is amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (a)— 

22 (A) in paragraph (1)(C), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

23 at the end; 

24 (B) in paragraph (2)(E), by striking the 

25 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 


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1 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

2 ‘‘(3) facilitate— 

3 ‘‘(A) reducing greenhouse gas emissions 

4 and increasing resilience in the agricultural sec5 tor; 

6 ‘‘(B) increasing carbon sequestration; 

7 ‘‘(C) improving soil health; and 

8 ‘‘(D) increasing soil carbon levels.’’; and 

9 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(j) FUNDS.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In addition to amounts ap12 propriated under section 1624, on the first October 

13 1 after the date of enactment of the Climate Stew14 ardship Act of 2021, and on each October 1 there15 after through October 1, 2029, out of any funds in 

16 the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the Sec17 retary of the Treasury shall transfer to the Sec18 retary to carry out this section $74,000,000, to re19 main available until expended. 

20 ‘‘(2) RECEIPT AND ACCEPTANCE.—The Sec21 retary shall be entitled to receive, shall accept, and 

22 shall use to carry out this section the funds trans23 ferred under paragraph (1), without further appro24 priation. 


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1 ‘‘(3) CLIMATE STEWARDSHIP.—Of the funds 

2 made available under paragraph (1), the Secretary 

3 shall use not less than 50 percent to conduct 

4 projects described in subsection (a)(3).’’. 

5 (e) ORGANIC AGRICULTURE RESEARCH AND EXTEN6 SION INITIATIVE.—Section 1672B of the Food, Agri7 culture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 

8 5925b) is amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (a)— 

10 (A) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

11 the end; 

12 (B) in paragraph (8), by striking the pe13 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

14 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(9)(A) reducing greenhouse gas emissions and 

16 increasing resilience in the agricultural sector; 

17 ‘‘(B) increasing carbon sequestration; 

18 ‘‘(C) improving soil health; and 

19 ‘‘(D) increasing soil carbon levels.’’; and 

20 (2) in subsection (f)— 

21 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

22 (i) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

23 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

24 (ii) in subparagraph (E), by adding 

25 ‘‘and’’ at the end after the semicolon; 


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1 (iii) by striking subparagraphs (F) 

2 and (G); and 

3 (iv) by adding at the end the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(F) on the first October 1 after the date 

6 of enactment of the Climate Stewardship Act of 

7 2021, and on each October 1 thereafter through 

8 October 1, 2029, $100,000,000.’’; and 

9 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(4) CLIMATE STEWARDSHIP.—Of the funds 

11 made available under paragraph (1)(F), the Sec12 retary shall use not less than 50 percent to support 

13 activities under this section for the purposes de14 scribed in subsection (a)(9).’’. 

15 (f) APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER FOR

16 RURAL AREAS PROGRAM.—Section 310B(i) of the Con17 solidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

18 1932(i)) is amended— 

19 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

20 (A) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

21 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

22 (B) in subparagraph (D), by striking the 

23 period at the end and inserting a semicolon; 

24 and 

25 (C) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(E) reduce greenhouse gas emissions and 

2 increase resilience in the agricultural sector; 

3 ‘‘(F) increase carbon sequestration; 

4 ‘‘(G) improve soil health; and 

5 ‘‘(H) increase soil carbon levels.’’; and 

6 (2) by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the 

7 following: 

8 ‘‘(4) FUNDING.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—On the first October 1 

10 after the date of enactment of the Climate 

11 Stewardship Act of 2021, and on each October 

12 1 thereafter through October 1, 2029, out of 

13 any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appro14 priated, the Secretary of the Treasury shall 

15 transfer to the Secretary to carry out this sub16 section $5,600,000, to remain available until 

17 expended. 

18 ‘‘(B) RECEIPT AND ACCEPTANCE.—The 

19 Secretary shall be entitled to receive, shall ac20 cept, and shall use to carry out this subsection 

21 the funds transferred under subparagraph (A), 

22 without further appropriation. 

23 ‘‘(C) CLIMATE STEWARDSHIP.—Of the 

24 funds made available under subparagraph (A), 

25 the Secretary shall use not less than 50 percent 


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1 to provide assistance described in subpara2 graphs (E) through (H) of paragraph (2).’’. 

3 (g) RESEARCH UNDER HATCH ACT.—The Hatch Act 

4 of 1887 is amended by inserting after section 3 (7 U.S.C. 

5 361c) the following: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 3A. MANDATORY FUNDING. 

7 ‘‘(a) FUNDING.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In addition to any amounts 

9 authorized to be appropriated under section 3, on 

10 the first October 1 after the date of enactment of 

11 the Climate Stewardship Act of 2021, and on each 

12 October 1 thereafter through October 1, 2029, out 

13 of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appro14 priated, the Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer 

15 to the Secretary to carry out this Act $518,000,000, 

16 to remain available until expended. 

17 ‘‘(2) RECEIPT AND ACCEPTANCE.—The Sec18 retary shall be entitled to receive, shall accept, and 

19 shall use to carry out this Act the funds transferred 

20 under paragraph (1), without further appropriation. 

21 ‘‘(b) CLIMATE STEWARDSHIP.—Of the funds made 

22 available under subsection (a)(1), not less than 50 percent 

23 shall be used for research relating to— 

24 ‘‘(1) reducing greenhouse gas emissions and in25 creasing resilience in— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the agricultural sector; and 

2 ‘‘(B) communities; 

3 ‘‘(2) increasing carbon sequestration; 

4 ‘‘(3) improving soil health; and 

5 ‘‘(4) increasing soil carbon levels.’’. 

6 (h) ACTIVITIES UNDER SMITH-LEVER ACT.—The 

7 Smith-Lever Act is amended by inserting after section 3 

8 (7 U.S.C. 343) the following: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 3A. MANDATORY FUNDING. 

10 ‘‘(a) FUNDING.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In addition to any amounts 

12 authorized to be appropriated under section 3, on 

13 the first October 1 after the date of enactment of 

14 the Climate Stewardship Act of 2021, and on each 

15 October 1 thereafter through October 1, 2029, out 

16 of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appro17 priated, the Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer 

18 to the Secretary to carry out this Act $649,400,000, 

19 to remain available until expended. 

20 ‘‘(2) 1994 INSTITUTIONS.—Of the funds trans21 ferred under paragraph (1), $19,400,000 shall be 

22 for payment on behalf of the 1994 Institutions (as 

23 defined in section 532 of the Equity in Educational 

24 Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note; 

25 Public Law 103–382)) for the purposes described in 


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1 section 2, to be distributed in accordance with the 

2 process described in section 3(b)(3). 

3 ‘‘(3) RECEIPT AND ACCEPTANCE.—The Sec4 retary shall be entitled to receive, shall accept, and 

5 shall use to carry out this Act the funds transferred 

6 under paragraph (1), without further appropriation. 

7 ‘‘(b) CLIMATE STEWARDSHIP.—Of the funds made 

8 available under subsection (a)(1), and of the funds des9 ignated for 1994 Institutions under subsection (a)(2), not 

10 less than 50 percent shall be used for activities relating 

11 to— 

12 ‘‘(1) reducing greenhouse gas emissions and in13 creasing resilience in— 

14 ‘‘(A) the agricultural sector; and 

15 ‘‘(B) communities; 

16 ‘‘(2) increasing carbon sequestration; 

17 ‘‘(3) improving soil health; and 

18 ‘‘(4) increasing soil carbon levels.’’. 

19 (i) EXTENSION AT 1890 LAND-GRANT COLLEGES, 

20 INCLUDING TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY AND THE UNIVER21 SITY OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.—Section 1444 of 

22 the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3221) 

23 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

24 ‘‘(g) MANDATORY FUNDING.— 

25 ‘‘(1) FUNDING.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In addition to any 

2 amounts authorized to be appropriated under 

3 subsection (a), on the first October 1 after the 

4 date of enactment of the Climate Stewardship 

5 Act of 2021, and on each October 1 thereafter 

6 through October 1, 2029, out of any funds in 

7 the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the 

8 Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer to the 

9 Secretary to carry out this section 

10 $200,000,000, to remain available until ex11 pended. 

12 ‘‘(B) RECEIPT AND ACCEPTANCE.—The 

13 Secretary shall be entitled to receive, shall ac14 cept, and shall use to carry out this section the 

15 funds transferred under subparagraph (A), 

16 without further appropriation. 

17 ‘‘(2) CLIMATE STEWARDSHIP.—Of the funds 

18 made available under paragraph (1)(A), not less 

19 than 50 percent shall be used for programs and ac20 tivities relating to— 

21 ‘‘(A) reducing greenhouse gas emissions 

22 and increasing resilience in the agricultural sec23 tor; 

24 ‘‘(B) increasing carbon sequestration; 

25 ‘‘(C) improving soil health; and 


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•HR 2534 IH

1 ‘‘(D) increasing soil carbon levels.’’. 

2 (j) AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AT 1890 LAND3 GRANT COLLEGES, INCLUDING TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY

4 AND THE UNIVERSITY OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.— 

5 Section 1445 of the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 

6 (7 U.S.C. 3222) is amended by adding at the end the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘(i) MANDATORY FUNDING.— 

9 ‘‘(1) FUNDING.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In addition to any 

11 amounts authorized to be appropriated under 

12 subsection (a), on the first October 1 after the 

13 date of enactment of the Climate Stewardship 

14 Act of 2021, and on each October 1 thereafter 

15 through October 1, 2029, out of any funds in 

16 the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the 

17 Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer to the 

18 Secretary to carry out this section 

19 $250,000,000, to remain available until ex20 pended. 

21 ‘‘(B) RECEIPT AND ACCEPTANCE.—The 

22 Secretary shall be entitled to receive, shall ac23 cept, and shall use to carry out this section the 

24 funds transferred under subparagraph (A), 

25 without further appropriation. 


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1 ‘‘(2) CLIMATE STEWARDSHIP.—Of the funds 

2 made available under paragraph (1)(A), not less 

3 than 50 percent shall be used for research relating 

4 to— 

5 ‘‘(A) reducing greenhouse gas emissions 

6 and increasing resilience in the agricultural sec7 tor; 

8 ‘‘(B) increasing carbon sequestration; 

9 ‘‘(C) improving soil health; and 

10 ‘‘(D) increasing soil carbon levels.’’. 

11 (k) NONLAND-GRANT COLLEGES OF AGRICULTURE

12 PROGRAM.—Section 1473F of the Food and Agriculture 

13 Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3319i) is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (a)(1)(A), by inserting after 

15 ‘‘agriculture’’ the following: ‘‘, including— 

16 ‘‘(i) reducing greenhouse gas emis17 sions and increasing resilience in the agri18 cultural sector; 

19 ‘‘(ii) increasing carbon sequestration; 

20 ‘‘(iii) improving soil health; and 

21 ‘‘(iv) increasing soil carbon levels;’’; 

22 and 

23 (2) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 

24 following: 

25 ‘‘(b) FUNDS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Of the funds of the Com2 modity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall use 

3 to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of fis4 cal years 2021 through 2030, to remain available 

5 until expended. 

6 ‘‘(2) CLIMATE STEWARDSHIP.—Of the funds 

7 made available under paragraph (1), the Secretary 

8 shall use not less than 50 percent to conduct the ac9 tivities described in clauses (i) through (iv) of sub10 section (a)(1)(A).’’. 

11 (l) MCINTIRE-STENNIS.— 

12 (1) FUNDS.—Public Law 87–788 (commonly 

13 known as the ‘‘McIntire-Stennis Cooperative For14 estry Act’’) is amended by inserting after section 3 

15 (16 U.S.C. 582a–2) the following: 

16 ‘‘SEC. 3A. MANDATORY FUNDING. 

17 ‘‘(a) FUNDING.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In addition to any amounts 

19 authorized to be appropriated under section 3, on 

20 the first October 1 after the date of enactment of 

21 the Climate Stewardship Act of 2021, and on each 

22 October 1 thereafter through October 1, 2029, out 

23 of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appro24 priated, the Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer 


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1 to the Secretary to carry out this Act $72,000,000, 

2 to remain available until expended. 

3 ‘‘(2) RECEIPT AND ACCEPTANCE.—The Sec4 retary shall be entitled to receive, shall accept, and 

5 shall use to carry out this Act the funds transferred 

6 under paragraph (1), without further appropriation. 

7 ‘‘(b) CLIMATE STEWARDSHIP.—Of the funds made 

8 available under subsection (a)(1), not less than 50 percent 

9 shall be used for activities relating to— 

10 ‘‘(1) reducing greenhouse gas emissions and in11 creasing resilience in the agricultural sector; 

12 ‘‘(2) increasing carbon sequestration; 

13 ‘‘(3) improving soil health; and 

14 ‘‘(4) increasing soil carbon levels.’’. 

15 (m) 1994 INSTITUTIONS RESEARCH.—Section 536 of 

16 the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 

17 (7 U.S.C. 301 note; Public Law 103–382) is amended by 

18 adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(d) MANDATORY FUNDING.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In addition to any amounts 

21 authorized to be appropriated under subsection (c), 

22 on the first October 1 after the date of enactment 

23 of the Climate Stewardship Act of 2021, and on 

24 each October 1 thereafter through October 1, 2029, 

25 out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise apVerDate Sep 11 2014 16:46 Jun 08, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00038 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2534.IH H2534

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1 propriated, the Secretary of the Treasury shall 

2 transfer to the Secretary to carry out this section 

3 $11,400,000, to remain available until expended. 

4 ‘‘(2) RECEIPT AND ACCEPTANCE.—The Sec5 retary shall be entitled to receive, shall accept, and 

6 shall use to carry out this section the funds trans7 ferred under paragraph (1), without further appro8 priation. 

9 ‘‘(3) CLIMATE STEWARDSHIP.—Of the funds 

10 made available under paragraph (1), not less than 

11 50 percent shall be used for activities relating to— 

12 ‘‘(A) reducing greenhouse gas emissions 

13 and increasing resilience in the agricultural sec14 tor; 

15 ‘‘(B) increasing carbon sequestration; 

16 ‘‘(C) improving soil health; and 

17 ‘‘(D) increasing soil carbon levels.’’. 

18 SEC. 107. CONSERVATION TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. 

19 Section 6 of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Al20 lotment Act (16 U.S.C. 590f) is amended— 

21 (1) by striking the section designation and 

22 heading and all that follows through ‘‘There is’’ in 

23 subsection (a) and inserting the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 6. FUNDING; CONSERVATION TECHNICAL ASSIST2 ANCE FUND. 

3 ‘‘(a) FUNDING.— 

4 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Of the funds of 

5 the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary of 

6 Agriculture shall use to carry out this Act 

7 $2,100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 

8 through 2030. 

9 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

10 There are’’; 

11 (2) in the undesignated matter following para12 graph (2) (as so designated) of subsection (a), by 

13 striking ‘‘Appropriations’’ and inserting the fol14 lowing: 

15 ‘‘(3) AVAILABILITY OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR

16 NURSERY STOCK.—Appropriations’’; and 

17 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(c) PRIORITY FOR SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED

19 FARMERS AND RANCHERS.—In using amounts made 

20 available by subsection (a)(1) for conservation technical 

21 assistance under this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture 

22 shall give priority to socially disadvantaged farmers and 

23 ranchers (as defined in section 2501(a) of the Food, Agri24 culture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 

25 2279(a))).’’. 


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1 SEC. 108. RURAL ENERGY FOR AMERICA PROGRAM. 

2 Section 9007 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest3 ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8107) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (c)— 

5 (A) in paragraph (1)(A)— 

6 (i) in clause (i)(II), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

7 at the end; 

8 (ii) in clause (ii)(III), by striking the 

9 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; 

10 and 

11 (iii) by adding at the end the fol12 lowing: 

13 ‘‘(iii) loan guarantees and grants to 

14 agricultural producers, rural small busi15 nesses, and farmer-owned cooperatives to 

16 carry out solar projects that include the 

17 creation of pollinator habitat.’’; 

18 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) 

19 through (4) as paragraphs (3) through (5), re20 spectively; 

21 (C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 

22 following: 

23 ‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—In providing loan guarantees 

24 and grants under paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary 

25 shall give priority to solar projects that include the 

26 creation of pollinator habitat.’’; and 


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1 (D) in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (4) 

2 (as so redesignated)— 

3 (i) by striking ‘‘The amount’’ and in4 serting the following: 

5 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as pro6 vided in clause (ii), the amount’’; and 

7 (ii) by adding at the end the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(ii) SOLAR PROJECTS.—The amount 

10 of a grant under paragraph (1)(A)(iii) 

11 shall not exceed 60 percent of the cost of 

12 the activity carried out using funds from 

13 the grant, including the cost of the cre14 ation of a pollinator habitat.’’; and 

15 (2) in subsection (f)— 

16 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

17 (i) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

18 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

19 (ii) in subparagraph (E), by striking 

20 ‘‘for fiscal’’ and all that follows through 

21 the period at the end and inserting ‘‘for 

22 each of fiscal years 2014 through 2020;’’; 

23 and 

24 (iii) by adding at the end the fol25 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(F) $500,000,000 for fiscal year 2021; 

2 ‘‘(G) $1,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2022; 

3 ‘‘(H) $2,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2023; 

4 and 

5 ‘‘(I) $3,000,000,000 for each of fiscal 

6 years 2024 through 2030.’’; and 

7 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(4) SET-ASIDES FOR SOCIALLY DISADVAN9 TAGED AND BEGINNING FARMERS AND RANCH10 ERS.—Of the funds made available under paragraph 

11 (1) for each fiscal year, the Secretary shall allo12 cate— 

13 ‘‘(A) 5 percent to provide assistance under 

14 this section to socially disadvantaged farmers 

15 and ranchers (as defined in section 2501(a) of 

16 the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade 

17 Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 2279(a))); and 

18 ‘‘(B) 5 percent to provide assistance under 

19 this section to beginning farmers and ranchers 

20 (as defined in that section (7 U.S.C. 

21 2279(a))).’’. 

22 SEC. 109. LOCAL AGRICULTURE MARKET PROGRAM. 

23 Section 210A(i)(1) of the Agricultural Marketing Act 

24 of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1627c(i)(1)) is amended by striking 


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•HR 2534 IH

1 ‘‘$50,000,000 for fiscal year 2019’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘$500,000,000 for fiscal year 2021’’. 

3 SEC. 110. SOIL HEALTH EQUIPMENT GRANT PROGRAM. 

4 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

5 (1) ELIGIBLE LAND.—The term ‘‘eligible land’’ 

6 means land on which agricultural commodities, live7 stock, or forest-related products are produced. 

8 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

9 the Secretary of Agriculture. 

10 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall establish 

11 a program under which the Secretary shall award grants 

12 to agricultural producers to acquire equipment for the 

13 purpose of implementing climate stewardship practices (as 

14 defined in section 1240A of the Food Security Act of 1985 

15 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–1)) on eligible land to increase soil 

16 health. 

17 (c) PRIORITY.—In providing grants under subsection 

18 (b), the Secretary shall give priority to equipment for— 

19 (1) projects to carry out nonchemical termi20 nation of cover crops; and 

21 (2) on-farm composting facilities. 

22 (d) FUNDING.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 

24 appropriated to carry out this section $100,000,000 

25 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2030. 


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1 (2) SET-ASIDES FOR SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED

2 AND BEGINNING FARMERS AND RANCHERS.—Of the 

3 amount made available under paragraph (1), the 

4 Secretary shall set aside— 

5 (A) 5 percent to provide assistance to so6 cially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers (as 

7 defined in section 2501(a) of the Food, Agri8 culture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 

9 (7 U.S.C. 2279(a))); and 

10 (B) 5 percent to provide assistance to be11 ginning farmers and ranchers (as defined in 

12 that section (7 U.S.C. 2279(a))). 

13 SEC. 111. FARM AND RANCH STRESS ASSISTANCE NET14 WORK. 

15 Section 7522 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy 

16 Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 5936) is amended by striking sub17 section (d) and inserting the following: 

18 ‘‘(d) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Of the funds of the 

19 Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall use to 

20 carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

21 2021 through 2030.’’. 

22 SEC. 112. ASSISTANCE FOR COMMUNITY FOOD PROJECTS. 

23 Section 25 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 

24 (7 U.S.C. 2034) is amended— 

25 (1) in subsection (b)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘includ2 ing amounts made available under subsection 

3 (i) to carry out this section,’’ after ‘‘Act,’’; and 

4 (B) in paragraph (2)(D), by striking 

5 ‘‘$5,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$25,000,000’’; 

6 (2) in subsection (d)— 

7 (A) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘or’’ at 

8 the end; 

9 (B) in paragraph (5)(C), by striking the 

10 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

11 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(6) address food security in urban low-income 

13 communities by making those communities more cli14 mate resilient through the creation or expansion of 

15 urban farms, community gardens, and rooftop gar16 dens that grow produce for personal use or for local 

17 sale through farm stands, farmers’ markets, commu18 nity supported agriculture subscriptions, and other 

19 delivery methods.’’; and 

20 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(i) FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Commodity 

22 Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall use to carry out 

23 this section $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 

24 through 2030, to remain available until expended.’’. 


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1 TITLE II—FORESTS 

2 SEC. 201. REFORESTATION TRUST FUND. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 303 of Public Law 96– 

4 451 (16 U.S.C. 1606a) is amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (b)— 

6 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Subject 

7 to’’ and all that follows through ‘‘the Sec8 retary’’ and inserting ‘‘The Secretary’’; 

9 (B) by striking paragraph (2); and 

10 (C) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 

11 paragraph (2); 

12 (2) in subsection (d)— 

13 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph 

14 (1)— 

15 (i) by striking the subsection designa16 tion and all that follows through ‘‘The Sec17 retary’’ and inserting the following: 

18 ‘‘(d) REFORESTATION BY SECRETARY OF AGRI19 CULTURE.—The Secretary’’; and 

20 (ii) by striking ‘‘for’’; 

21 (B) in paragraph (1)— 

22 (i) by inserting ‘‘for’’ before ‘‘reforest23 ation’’; and 

24 (ii) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 


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1 (C) by redesignating paragraph (2) as 

2 paragraph (7); 

3 (D) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 

4 following: 

5 ‘‘(2) to the Chief of the Forest Service to refor6 est, in accordance with subsection (f), National For7 est System land— 

8 ‘‘(A)(i) that was subject to a mortality 

9 event caused by a high-intensity wildfire, pest 

10 infestation, invasive species, disease, or drought 

11 or other extreme weather event; or 

12 ‘‘(ii) to reclaim abandoned mine land, an 

13 orphaned oil or gas well, or a decommissioned 

14 logging road or landing; and 

15 ‘‘(B) that is determined to be in need of 

16 active reforestation based on field surveys as17 sessing regeneration potential; 

18 ‘‘(3) to carry out the Reforest America Grant 

19 Program established under section 6 of the Coopera20 tive Forestry Assistance Act of 1978; 

21 ‘‘(4) to carry out the Forest Stewardship Prac22 tice Program established under section 7B of the 

23 Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978; 


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1 ‘‘(5) to carry out the urban wood programs es2 tablished under section 21 of the Cooperative For3 estry Assistance Act of 1978; 

4 ‘‘(6) to operate the Stewardship Corps estab5 lished under section 206 of the Climate Stewardship 

6 Act of 2021; and’’; and 

7 (E) in paragraph (7) (as so redesignated), 

8 by inserting ‘‘for’’ before ‘‘properly’’; and 

9 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(e) REFORESTATION BY SECRETARY OF THE INTE11 RIOR.—The Secretary of the Interior shall obligate from 

12 amounts in the Trust Fund not more than $250,000,000 

13 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2030, as necessary 

14 to reforest, in accordance with subsection (f)— 

15 ‘‘(1) land— 

16 ‘‘(A)(i) that was subject to a mortality 

17 event caused by a high-intensity wildfire, pest 

18 infestation, invasive species, disease, or drought 

19 or other extreme weather event; or 

20 ‘‘(ii) to reclaim abandoned mine land, an 

21 orphaned oil or gas well, or a decommissioned 

22 logging road or landing; and 

23 ‘‘(B) that is determined to be in need of 

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1 sessing regeneration potential and is managed 

2 by the Bureau of Land Management; and 

3 ‘‘(2) land that is determined to be in need of 

4 active reforestation and is managed by the Bureau 

5 of Indian Affairs, by planting— 

6 ‘‘(A) to the maximum extent practicable, 

7 12,500,000 trees in each of calendar years 

8 2021 and 2022; 

9 ‘‘(B) to the maximum extent practicable, 

10 25,000,000 trees in each of calendar years 

11 2023 and 2024; 

12 ‘‘(C) to the maximum extent practicable, 

13 37,500,000 trees in each of calendar years 

14 2025 and 2026; and 

15 ‘‘(D) to the maximum extent practicable, 

16 50,000,000 trees in— 

17 ‘‘(i) each of calendar years 2027 

18 through 2029; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) the period beginning on January 

20 1, 2030, and ending on September 30, 

21 2030. 

22 ‘‘(f) REFORESTATION.— 

23 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION OF CONNECTIVITY.—In this 

24 subsection, the term ‘connectivity’ means the degree 


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1 to which the landscape facilitates native species 

2 movement. 

3 ‘‘(2) REFORESTATION.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Reforestation under 

5 subsections (d)(2) and (e) shall consist of eco6 logically based site preparation, tree planting, 

7 and subsequent management using practices 

8 that— 

9 ‘‘(i) are informed by climate change 

10 science and the importance of spatial pat11 tern; 

12 ‘‘(ii) enhance forest health, resilience, 

13 and biodiversity; and 

14 ‘‘(iii) reduce vulnerability to future 

15 forest mortality and catastrophic wildfire. 

16 ‘‘(B) POST-WILDFIRE REFORESTATION.— 

17 In the case of reforestation under subsections 

18 (d)(2) and (e), sums available in the Trust 

19 Fund shall not be used for post-wildfire salvage 

20 logging. 

21 ‘‘(3) PRIORITY.—In carrying out reforestation 

22 under subsections (d)(2) and (e), the Chief of the 

23 Forest Service and the Secretary of the Interior, as 

24 applicable, shall give priority to planting— 


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1 ‘‘(A) that will restore and maintain resil2 ient landscapes; 

3 ‘‘(B) on land on which the planting pro4 vides increased habitat connectivity for wildlife; 

5 and 

6 ‘‘(C) that will provide the largest potential 

7 long-term increase in carbon sequestration. 

8 ‘‘(g) MANDATORY FUNDING.—To carry out para9 graphs (2) through (6) of subsection (d) and subsection 

10 (e), the Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer from the 

11 general fund of the Treasury into the Trust Fund 

12 $5,500,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 

13 2030.’’. 

14 (b) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 180 days after 

15 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agri16 culture and the Secretary of the Interior shall issue regu17 lations necessary to carry out the amendments made by 

18 this section. 

19 SEC. 202. REFOREST AMERICA GRANT PROGRAM. 

20 The Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 is 

21 amended by inserting after section 5 (16 U.S.C. 2103a) 

22 the following: 

23 ‘‘SEC. 6. REFOREST AMERICA GRANT PROGRAM. 

24 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 ‘‘(1) COMMUNITY OF COLOR.—The term ‘com2 munity of color’ means, in a State, a census block 

3 group in an urban area for which the aggregate per4 centage of residents who identify as Black, African5 American, Asian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic, Latino, 

6 other nonwhite race, or linguistically isolated is— 

7 ‘‘(A) not less than 50 percent; or 

8 ‘‘(B) is significantly higher than the State 

9 average. 

10 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE COST.—The term ‘eligible cost’ 

11 means, with respect to a project of an eligible entity 

12 under the Program— 

13 ‘‘(A) the cost of implementing a reforest14 ation project, including by— 

15 ‘‘(i) planning and designing the refor16 estation activity, including considering rel17 evant science; 

18 ‘‘(ii) establishing tree nurseries; 

19 ‘‘(iii) purchasing trees; and 

20 ‘‘(iv) ecologically based site prepara21 tion, including the labor and cost associ22 ated with the use of machinery; 

23 ‘‘(B) the cost of maintaining and moni24 toring planted trees for a period of up to 3 


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1 years to ensure successful establishment of the 

2 trees; 

3 ‘‘(C) with respect to reforestation in an 

4 urban area under subsection (e) in a low in5 come community that has an existing tree can6 opy cover of not more than 20 percent, not 

7 more than 50 percent of the cost of the mainte8 nance of any nearby tree canopy; and 

9 ‘‘(D) any other relevant cost, as deter10 mined by the Secretary. 

11 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en12 tity’ means— 

13 ‘‘(A) a State agency; 

14 ‘‘(B) a local governmental entity; 

15 ‘‘(C) an Indian Tribe; and 

16 ‘‘(D) a nonprofit organization. 

17 ‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE LAND.— 

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

19 land’ means— 

20 ‘‘(i) land owned in fee simple by an el21 igible entity— 

22 ‘‘(I)(aa) for which, at the time of 

23 application to the Program under sub24 section (c), the forest stocking level of 

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1 gional norms for forest properties 

2 with comparable tree species and soil 

3 characteristics; and 

4 ‘‘(bb) that is in need of active re5 forestation due to events such as— 

6 ‘‘(AA) high-intensity wild7 fire; 

8 ‘‘(BB) pest infestation; 

9 ‘‘(CC) invasive species; and 

10 ‘‘(DD) drought and other 

11 extreme weather; or 

12 ‘‘(II) that was formerly forest 

13 land and has been abandoned or in14 completely reclaimed from mining, 

15 commercial development, clearing for 

16 agriculture, or other nonforest use; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(ii) with respect to reforestation in 

19 an urban area under subsection (e), land 

20 in that urban area that is owned in fee 

21 simple by an eligible entity. 

22 ‘‘(B) EXCLUSION.—The term ‘eligible land’ 

23 does not include land on which the eligible enti24 ty conducted a timber harvest— 


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1 ‘‘(i) not later than 5 years before the 

2 date on which the eligible entity submits 

3 an application under subsection (c); and 

4 ‘‘(ii) that resulted in a forest stocking 

5 level described in subparagraph 

6 (A)(i)(I)(aa). 

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

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

9 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

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

11 ‘‘(6) LOCAL GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY.—The 

12 term ‘local governmental entity’ means any munic13 ipal government or county government with jurisdic14 tion over local land use decisions. 

15 ‘‘(7) LOW INCOME COMMUNITY.—The term ‘low 

16 income community’ means any census block group in 

17 an urban area in which not less than 30 percent of 

18 the population lives below the poverty line (as de19 fined in section 673 of the Community Services 

20 Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902)). 

21 ‘‘(8) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The term 

22 ‘nonprofit organization’ means an organization 

23 that— 

24 ‘‘(A) is described in section 170(h)(3) of 

25 the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) operates in accordance with 1 or 

2 more of the purposes described in section 

3 170(h)(4)(A) of that Code. 

4 ‘‘(9) PROGRAM.—The term ‘Program’ means 

5 the Reforest America Grant Program established 

6 under subsection (b)(1). 

7 ‘‘(10) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ 

8 means the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through 

9 the Chief of the Forest Service. 

10 ‘‘(11) URBAN AREA.—The term ‘urban area’ 

11 means an area identified by the Bureau of the Cen12 sus as an ‘urban area’ in the most recent census. 

13 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab15 lish a program, to be known as the ‘Reforest Amer16 ica Grant Program’, under which the Secretary shall 

17 award grants to eligible entities to conduct projects 

18 to reforest eligible land in accordance with this sec19 tion. 

20 ‘‘(2) REFORESTATION.—In carrying out the 

21 Program, the Secretary shall, to the maximum ex22 tent practicable, award sufficient grants each year to 

23 plant— 

24 ‘‘(A) 50,000,000 trees in each of calendar 

25 years 2021 and 2022; 


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1 ‘‘(B) 100,000,000 trees in each of calendar 

2 years 2023 and 2024; 

3 ‘‘(C) 150,000,000 trees in each of calendar 

4 years 2025 and 2026; and 

5 ‘‘(D) 250,000,000 trees in— 

6 ‘‘(i) each of calendar years 2027 

7 through 2029; and 

8 ‘‘(ii) the period beginning on January 

9 1, 2030, and ending on September 30, 

10 2030. 

11 ‘‘(c) APPLICATIONS.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that 

13 seeks to receive a grant under the Program shall 

14 submit an application at such time, in such form, 

15 and containing such information as the Secretary 

16 may require, including the information described in 

17 paragraph (2), to— 

18 ‘‘(A) the State forester or equivalent offi19 cial of the State in which the eligible entity is 

20 located; or 

21 ‘‘(B) in the case of an eligible entity that 

22 is an Indian Tribe, an official of the governing 

23 body of the Indian Tribe. 

24 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—An application submitted 

25 under paragraph (1) shall include— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the reason that the forest stocking 

2 level of the land is less than 25 percent of re3 gional norms for forest properties with com4 parable tree species and soil characteristics, if 

5 applicable; 

6 ‘‘(B) the natural, economic, and environ7 mental benefits of returning the eligible land to 

8 forested condition; 

9 ‘‘(C) an estimate of the annual carbon se10 questration that will be achieved by the re11 planted forests, using processes determined by 

12 the Secretary; 

13 ‘‘(D) a reforestation plan that includes— 

14 ‘‘(i) a list of expected eligible costs; 

15 ‘‘(ii) a description of the site prepara16 tion and the tree species to be planted; 

17 ‘‘(iii) a description of the manner in 

18 which the design of the project is informed 

19 by climate change science and will enhance 

20 forest health, resilience, and biodiversity; 

21 ‘‘(iv) an explanation of the manner in 

22 which the land will be maintained for 36 

23 months after planting to ensure successful 

24 establishment; and 


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1 ‘‘(v) an explanation of the manner in 

2 which the land will be managed later than 

3 36 months after planting, including wheth4 er that management shall include a timber 

5 harvest; 

6 ‘‘(E) in the case of an application for an 

7 urban reforestation project under subsection 

8 (e)— 

9 ‘‘(i) a description of the manner in 

10 which the tree planting shall address dis11 parities in local environmental quality, 

12 such as lower tree canopy cover; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) a description of the anticipated 

14 community and stakeholder engagement in 

15 the project; and 

16 ‘‘(F) any other relevant information re17 quired by the Secretary. 

18 ‘‘(3) APPLICATIONS TO SECRETARY.—Each offi19 cial that receives an application under paragraph (1) 

20 shall submit the application to the Secretary with a 

21 description of the application and any other relevant 

22 information that the Secretary may require. 

23 ‘‘(d) PRIORITY.— 

24 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION OF CONNECTIVITY.—In this 

25 subsection, the term ‘connectivity’ means the degree 


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1 to which the landscape facilitates native species 

2 movement. 

3 ‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under the 

4 Program, the Secretary shall give priority— 

5 ‘‘(A) to projects that provide the largest 

6 potential increase in carbon sequestration per 

7 dollar; 

8 ‘‘(B) to projects that provide increased 

9 habitat connectivity for wildlife; 

10 ‘‘(C) to projects under which an eligible 

11 entity will enter into a contract or cooperative 

12 agreement with 1 or more qualified youth or 

13 conservation corps (as the term is defined in 

14 section 203 of Public Law 91–378 (commonly 

15 known as the ‘Youth Conservation Corps Act of 

16 1970’) (16 U.S.C. 1722)); and 

17 ‘‘(D) in the case of urban reforestation 

18 projects under subsection (e), to projects that— 

19 ‘‘(i) are located in a community of 

20 color or a low-income community; 

21 ‘‘(ii) are located in a neighborhood 

22 with poor local environmental quality, in23 cluding lower tree canopy cover and higher 

24 maximum daytime summer temperatures; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) are located in a neighborhood 

2 with high amounts of senior citizens or 

3 children; 

4 ‘‘(iv) are located immediately adjacent 

5 to large numbers of residents; 

6 ‘‘(v) will collaboratively engage neigh7 bors and community members that will be 

8 closely affected by the tree planting in as 

9 many aspects of project development and 

10 implementation as possible; and 

11 ‘‘(vi) will employ a substantial per12 centage of the workforce locally, with a 

13 focus on engaging unemployed and under14 employed persons in communities of color 

15 and low-income communities. 

16 ‘‘(e) URBAN REFORESTATION.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the Pro18 gram, the Secretary shall award sufficient grants 

19 each year to projects carried out in urban areas to 

20 plant, to the maximum extent practicable— 

21 ‘‘(A) 5,000,000 trees in each of calendar 

22 years 2021 through 2023; 

23 ‘‘(B) 10,000,000 trees in each of calendar 

24 years 2024 through 2027; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) 15,000,000 trees in each of calendar 

2 years 2028 through 2030. 

3 ‘‘(2) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Secretary shall 

4 award a grant to an eligible entity under the Pro5 gram to conduct a reforestation project in an urban 

6 area in an amount equal to not more than 90 per7 cent of the cost of reforesting the eligible land, as 

8 determined by the Secretary. 

9 ‘‘(3) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—As a condi10 tion of receiving a grant described in paragraph (2), 

11 an eligible entity shall provide, in cash or through 

12 in-kind contributions from non-Federal sources, 

13 matching funds in an amount equal to not less than 

14 10 percent of the cost of reforesting the eligible 

15 land, as determined by the Secretary. 

16 ‘‘(f) PROHIBITED CONVERSION TO NONFOREST

17 USE.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraphs (2) 

19 and (3), an eligible entity that receives a grant 

20 under the Program shall not sell or convert land 

21 that was reforested under the Program to nonforest 

22 use. 

23 ‘‘(2) REIMBURSEMENT OF FUNDS.—An eligible 

24 entity that receives a grant under this Program and 

25 sells or converts land that was reforested under the 


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1 Program to nonforest use shall pay to the Federal 

2 Government an amount equal to the greater of— 

3 ‘‘(A) the amount of the grant; and 

4 ‘‘(B) the current appraised value of timber 

5 stocks on that land. 

6 ‘‘(3) LOSS OF ELIGIBILITY.—An eligible entity 

7 that receives a grant under this Program and sells 

8 or converts land that was reforested under the Pro9 gram to nonforest use shall not be eligible for addi10 tional grants under the Program. 

11 ‘‘(g) COSTS.— 

12 ‘‘(1) FEDERAL SHARE.—Unless otherwise pro13 vided under this section, the Secretary shall award 

14 a grant to an eligible entity under the Program in 

15 an amount equal to not more than 75 percent of the 

16 cost of reforesting the eligible land, as determined by 

17 the Secretary. 

18 ‘‘(2) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—Unless other19 wise provided under this section, as a condition of 

20 receiving a grant under the Program, an eligible en21 tity shall provide, in cash or through in-kind con22 tributions from non-Federal sources, matching funds 

23 in an amount equal to not less than 25 percent of 

24 the cost of reforesting the eligible land, as deter25 mined by the Secretary. 


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1 ‘‘(h) PLANTING SURVIVAL.—An eligible entity that 

2 receives a grant under the Program shall— 

3 ‘‘(1) not later than 36 months after planting 

4 has been completed using the grant funds, submit to 

5 the responsible State or Tribal official, as applicable, 

6 a monitoring report that describes project implemen7 tation, including the survival rate of all plantings 

8 made under the grant; and 

9 ‘‘(2) if the survival rate reported in the moni10 toring report under paragraph (1) is, after 36 

11 months, less than the required minimum survival 

12 rate for the geographic area in which the planting 

13 is located, as determined by a State forester or 

14 equivalent State or Tribal official, as applicable, re15 plant tree seedlings in a quantity equivalent to half 

16 of the original planting, using comparable means to 

17 the original planting. 

18 ‘‘(i) PREVAILING WAGE REQUIREMENT.—Any con19 tractor or subcontractor entering into a service contract 

20 in connection with a project under the Program shall— 

21 ‘‘(1) be treated as a Federal contractor or sub22 contractor for purposes of chapter 67 of title 41, 

23 United States Code (commonly known as the 

24 ‘McNamara-O’Hara Service Contract Act of 1965’); 

25 and 


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1 ‘‘(2) pay each class of employee employed by 

2 the contractor or subcontractor wages and fringe 

3 benefits at rates in accordance with prevailing rates 

4 for the class in the locality, or, where a collective5 bargaining agreement covers the employee, in ac6 cordance with the rates provided for in the agree7 ment, including prospective wage increases provided 

8 for in the agreement. 

9 ‘‘(j) REPORT.—The Secretary shall annually submit 

10 to the relevant committees of Congress a report that de11 scribes the activities of the Program, including the total 

12 amount of carbon sequestered by replanted forests during 

13 the year covered by the report. 

14 ‘‘(k) FUNDING.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Of the funds of the Refor16 estation Trust Fund established under section 303 

17 of Public Law 96–451 (16 U.S.C. 1606a), the Sec18 retary shall use such sums as are necessary to carry 

19 out the Program. 

20 ‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS AND TECHNICAL

21 ASSISTANCE.—Of the funds used under paragraph 

22 (1), the Secretary shall allocate not more than 10 

23 percent for each fiscal year to State foresters or 

24 equivalent officials, including equivalent officials of 


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1 Indian Tribes, for administrative costs and technical 

2 assistance under the Program.’’. 

3 SEC. 203. FUNDING FOR THE COMMUNITY FOREST AND 

4 OPEN SPACE CONSERVATION PROGRAM. 

5 In addition to amounts otherwise made available, of 

6 the funds of the Reforestation Trust Fund established 

7 under section 303 of Public Law 96–451 (16 U.S.C. 

8 1606a), the Secretary of Agriculture shall use 

9 $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2030 

10 to carry out the community forest and open space con11 servation program established under section 7A of the Co12 operative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 

13 2103d). 

14 SEC. 204. FOREST STEWARDSHIP PRACTICE PROGRAM. 

15 The Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 is 

16 amended by inserting after section 7A (16 U.S.C. 2103d) 

17 the following: 

18 ‘‘SEC. 7B. FOREST STEWARDSHIP PRACTICE PROGRAM. 

19 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 

20 Forest Stewardship Practice Program (referred to in this 

21 section as the ‘program’) to provide funding to carry out 

22 forest practices determined by the Secretary to increase 

23 carbon sequestration and storage on private forest land, 

24 including extended timber harvest rotations. 


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1 ‘‘(b) PRACTICES AND PAYMENT RATES.—The Sec2 retary shall— 

3 ‘‘(1) establish a schedule of eligible forest prac4 tices and payment rates under the program, cali5 brated to forest type and other relevant consider6 ations; and 

7 ‘‘(2) update the schedule established under 

8 paragraph (1) annually with statistical sampling of 

9 projects funded under the program. 

10 ‘‘(c) PRIORITY.—In awarding funding under the pro11 gram, the Secretary shall give priority to projects that 

12 incentivize the largest quantity of carbon sequestration 

13 and storage by— 

14 ‘‘(1) increasing timber harvest intervals; and 

15 ‘‘(2) removing less carbon during timber har16 vest operations. 

17 ‘‘(d) FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Reforestation 

18 Trust Fund established under section 303 of Public Law 

19 96–451 (16 U.S.C. 1606a), the Secretary shall use not 

20 more than $1,000,000,000 for each fiscal year to carry 

21 out this section.’’. 

22 SEC. 205. URBAN WOOD PROGRAMS. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Cooperative Forestry Assist24 ance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2101 et seq.) is amended 

25 by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 21. URBAN WOOD PROGRAMS. 

2 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

3 ‘‘(1) INNOVATIVE URBAN WOOD PRODUCT.— 

4 The term ‘innovative urban wood product’ means a 

5 wood product that uses wood residues and byprod6 ucts from urban forest management, building 

7 deconstruction, and other related sources of wood 

8 generated in urban areas. 

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

10 the Secretary, acting through the Research and De11 velopment Deputy Area and the State and Private 

12 Forestry Deputy Area of the Forest Service. 

13 ‘‘(3) WOOD PRODUCT.—The term ‘wood prod14 uct’ includes— 

15 ‘‘(A) building material made of wood; 

16 ‘‘(B) a durable home product made of 

17 wood; and 

18 ‘‘(C) a woody residue used for bioenergy. 

19 ‘‘(b) URBAN WOOD RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

20 PROGRAM.— 

21 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—In 

22 this subsection, the term ‘eligible entity’ means— 

23 ‘‘(A) a unit of State, Tribal, or local gov24 ernment; 

25 ‘‘(B) a land-grant college or university (as 

26 defined in section 1404 of the National AgriculVerDate Sep 11 2014 16:46 Jun 08, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00069 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2534.IH H2534

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1 tural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy 

2 Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)) or other institu3 tion of higher education; 

4 ‘‘(C) a nonprofit organization; and 

5 ‘‘(D) any other entity, as determined by 

6 the Secretary. 

7 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es8 tablish a program to facilitate the use of innovative 

9 urban wood products in incorporated cities and 

10 towns in the United States by— 

11 ‘‘(A) conducting performance-driven re12 search and development relating to the potential 

13 sources and uses of urban wood products; 

14 ‘‘(B) providing education and technical as15 sistance to eligible entities relating to the poten16 tial sources and uses of urban wood products; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(C) awarding grants under paragraph 

19 (5). 

20 ‘‘(3) COLLABORATION.—In carrying out the 

21 program established under paragraph (2), the Sec22 retary shall obtain input and guidance from, and 

23 collaborate with— 

24 ‘‘(A) the wood products industry; 

25 ‘‘(B) conservation organizations; 


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1 ‘‘(C) community organizations; and 

2 ‘‘(D) institutions of higher education. 

3 ‘‘(4) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, EDU4 CATION, AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Sec5 retary shall carry out subparagraphs (A) and (B) of 

6 paragraph (2) at the Forest Products Laboratory of 

7 the Department of Agriculture or through the State 

8 and Private Forestry Deputy Area in a manner that 

9 meets the needs of municipalities, private companies, 

10 trade and technical schools, and other entities that 

11 work with urban wood. 

12 ‘‘(5) GRANTS.—After obtaining input and guid13 ance from the entities described in paragraph (3), 

14 the Secretary shall award grants on a competitive 

15 basis to eligible entities to conduct research and de16 velopment and provide education and technical as17 sistance that— 

18 ‘‘(A) increases the use of urban wood; and 

19 ‘‘(B) provides increased employment oppor20 tunities in the urban wood industry and related 

21 fields. 

22 ‘‘(6) PRIORITIES.—In carrying out the program 

23 established under paragraph (2), the Secretary shall 

24 give priority to projects and activities that— 


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1 ‘‘(A)(i) identify new products that can be 

2 created from urban wood; or 

3 ‘‘(ii) improve on existing processes to 

4 produce innovative urban wood products with 

5 greater efficiency and quality; 

6 ‘‘(B) facilitate improved commercialization 

7 of innovative urban wood products; 

8 ‘‘(C) engage unemployed and under9 employed persons in disadvantaged communities 

10 in worker training, full-time employment, and 

11 incubation of new commercial enterprises; and 

12 ‘‘(D) increase the carbon mitigation benefit 

13 of the management of urban wood, as measured 

14 by the lifecycle environmental footprint of a 

15 wood product or production process, beginning 

16 with the collection of raw urban wood materials 

17 and ending with the manufacturing process. 

18 ‘‘(7) TIMEFRAME.—To the maximum extent 

19 practicable, the measurable performance goals for 

20 the research and development, education, and tech21 nical assistance conducted under the program estab22 lished under paragraph (2) shall be achievable with23 in a 10-year timeframe beginning on the date of es24 tablishment of the program. 


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1 ‘‘(c) URBAN WOOD BUILDING COMPETITION.—Be2 ginning in fiscal year 2021, the Secretary shall carry out 

3 an annual competition, in accordance with section 24 of 

4 the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 

5 (15 U.S.C. 3719), for— 

6 ‘‘(1) innovative urban wood products and manu7 facturing processes; or 

8 ‘‘(2) other innovative wood product demonstra9 tions. 

10 ‘‘(d) FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Reforestation 

11 Trust Fund established under section 303 of Public Law 

12 96–451 (16 U.S.C. 1606a), the Secretary shall use 

13 $35,000,000 each fiscal year to carry out this section.’’. 

14 (b) URBAN WOOD INNOVATION GRANTS.—Section 

15 8643 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (7 

16 U.S.C. 7655d) is amended— 

17 (1) in subsection (a)— 

18 (A) by redesignating paragraph (2) as 

19 paragraph (3); and 

20 (B) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 

21 following: 

22 ‘‘(2) INNOVATIVE URBAN WOOD PRODUCT.— 

23 The term ‘innovative urban wood product’ means a 

24 wood product that uses wood residues and byprod25 ucts from urban forest management, building 


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1 deconstruction, and other related sources of wood 

2 generated in urban areas.’’; 

3 (2) in subsection (b)— 

4 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘(Octo5 ber 20, 2015)), may’’ and inserting the fol6 lowing: ‘‘(October 20, 2015))— 

7 ‘‘(A) may’’; 

8 (B) in subparagraph (A) (as so des9 ignated), by striking the period at the end and 

10 inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

11 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(B) shall, to the maximum extent prac13 ticable, award 1 or more wood innovation 

14 grants each year to eligible entities for the pur15 pose of advancing the use of innovative urban 

16 wood products.’’; and 

17 (3) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘under sub18 section (b)(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘for grants under sub19 section (b)(1)(A)’’. 

20 SEC. 206. STEWARDSHIP CORPS. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Agriculture (re22 ferred to in this section as the ‘‘Secretary’’), in consulta23 tion with the Secretary of the Interior, shall establish a 

24 civilian conservation corps, to be known as the ‘‘Steward25 ship Corps’’ (referred to in this section as the ‘‘StewardVerDate Sep 11 2014 16:46 Jun 08, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00074 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2534.IH H2534

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1 ship Corps’’), to provide youth with the academic, voca2 tional, and social skills necessary to pursue long term, pro3 ductive careers in the forest sector and the wetland res4 toration sector. 

5 (b) PRIORITY REQUIREMENT.—To the maximum ex6 tent practicable, the Secretary shall prioritize recruitment 

7 for the Stewardship Corps of youth from— 

8 (1) low-income communities; 

9 (2) indigenous communities; and 

10 (3) communities of color. 

11 (c) REFORESTATION AND RESTORATION ON FED12 ERAL LAND.—To the maximum extent practicable, mem13 bers of the Stewardship Corps shall perform— 

14 (1)(A) in each of calendar years 2021 through 

15 2025, not less than 20 percent of the reforestation 

16 required under subsections (d)(2) and (e) of section 

17 303 of Public Law 96–451 (16 U.S.C. 1606a); and 

18 (B) in calendar years 2026 and each calendar 

19 year thereafter, not less than 40 percent of the re20 forestation described in subparagraph (A); and 

21 (2)(A) in each of calendar years 2021 through 

22 2025, not less than 20 percent of the wetlands res23 toration required under section 307; and 


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1 (B) in calendar year 2026 and each calendar 

2 year thereafter, not less than 40 percent of the wet3 lands restoration described in subparagraph (A). 

4 (d) DURATION OF PARTICIPATION.—An individual 

5 shall serve in the Stewardship Corps for not more than 

6 2 years. 

7 (e) HOUSING AND CARE.—The Secretary shall pro8 vide to each member of the Stewardship Corps housing, 

9 subsistence, clothing, medical attention (including hos10 pitalization), transportation, and a cash allowance, as de11 termined necessary by the Secretary. 

12 (f) COMPENSATION.—Members of the Stewardship 

13 Corps shall be paid at a rate in accordance with the pre14 vailing rate for a similar class of Federal employees in the 

15 locality. 

16 (g) JOB PLACEMENT.—The Secretary shall assist 

17 members of the Stewardship Corps with obtaining employ18 ment in the forest sector and the wetlands restoration sec19 tor on the completion of service under the Stewardship 

20 Corps. 

21 TITLE III—COASTAL WETLAND 

22 SEC. 301. DEFINITIONS. 

23 In this title: 

24 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis25 trator’’ means the Under Secretary of Commerce for 


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1 Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of the 

2 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

3 (2) COASTAL WETLAND.—The term ‘‘coastal 

4 wetland’’ means estuarine vegetated coastal habitat, 

5 including salt marsh, seagrass, mangrove, and other 

6 vegetated marine habitats. 

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

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

9 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

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

11 (4) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

12 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

13 meaning given that term in section 101 of the High14 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

15 (5) NATURAL INFRASTRUCTURE.—The term 

16 ‘‘natural infrastructure’’ means infrastructure 

17 that— 

18 (A) uses, restores, or emulates natural eco19 logical processes; and 

20 (B)(i) is created through the action of nat21 ural physical, geological, biological, and chem22 ical processes over time; 

23 (ii) is created by human design, engineer24 ing, and construction to emulate or act in con25 cert with natural processes; or 


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1 (iii) involves the use of plants, soils, and 

2 other natural features, including through the 

3 creation, restoration, or preservation of vege4 tated areas using materials appropriate to the 

5 area. 

6 (6) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The term 

7 ‘‘nonprofit organization’’ means an organization that 

8 is described in section 501(c) of the Internal Rev9 enue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under sec10 tion 501(a) of such Code. 

11 (7) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘Program’’ means 

12 the Coastal and Estuary Resilience Grant Program 

13 as established by section 302. 

14 (8) RESTORATION.—The term ‘‘restoration’’ 

15 means renewing, enhancing, or replacing degraded, 

16 damaged, vulnerable, or destroyed wetlands to im17 prove the ecosystem function and resilience through 

18 active human intervention and action, such as— 

19 (A) improving hydrological conditions 

20 (such as by removing tidal barriers, improving 

21 connectivity, or changing water levels); 

22 (B) altering sediment supply (such as 

23 through the beneficial use of dredge material, 

24 thin-layer spraying, or reconnecting river sedi25 ment); 


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1 (C) changing salinity characteristics; 

2 (D) improving water quality (such as by 

3 reducing excess nutrients, sedimentation, or 

4 contaminants); 

5 (E) planting of native plants, removal of 

6 invasive species, and other improved manage7 ment practices; 

8 (F) controlling erosion of wetland edges; 

9 and 

10 (G) enabling future inland migration as 

11 sea levels rise, including through the enhance12 ment of adjacent fresh water wetlands. 

13 (9) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means a State, 

14 the District of Columbia, or any territory or posses15 sion of the United States. 

16 SEC. 302. COASTAL AND ESTUARY RESILIENCE GRANT PRO17 GRAM. 

18 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Commerce 

19 shall establish a program, to be known as the ‘‘Coastal 

20 and Estuary Resilience Grant Program’’, under which the 

21 Secretary awards grants to entities that eligible under 

22 subsection (b) to fund coastal wetland restoration projects 

23 that are eligible under subsection (c). 

24 (b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—An entity is eligible to 

25 apply for a grant under the Program if the entity is an 


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1 institution of higher education, a nonprofit organization, 

2 a State or local government, or an Indian Tribe. 

3 (c) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.—A project is eligible for a 

4 grant under the Program if the project is designed to re5 duce net greenhouse gases through one of the following: 

6 (1) The sequestration of additional carbon diox7 ide through— 

8 (A) the active restoration of degraded 

9 coastal wetland; and 

10 (B) the protection of threatened coastal 

11 wetland. 

12 (2) The halting of ongoing carbon dioxide emis13 sions, and the resumption of the natural rate of car14 bon capture, through the restoration of drained 

15 coastal wetland. 

16 (3) The halting of ongoing methane emissions, 

17 and the resumption of the natural rate of carbon 

18 storage, through the restoration of formerly tidal 

19 wetland that has lost tidal connectivity and become 

20 fresh wetland (commonly known as ‘‘impounded wet21 land’’). 

22 (d) GRANT EVALUATION CRITERIA.—In reviewing 

23 applications for grants under the Program, the Secretary 

24 shall give priority to projects that exhibit the highest po25 tential to— 


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1 (1) mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by— 

2 (A) reducing greenhouse gas emissions; or 

3 (B) capturing and storing greenhouse 

4 gases; 

5 (2) reinforce ecosystem resilience and adapta6 tion by— 

7 (A) preparing for sea level rise in order to 

8 reduce vulnerability to sea level rise and ero9 sion; 

10 (B) supporting resilience against flooding 

11 and sea level rise; or 

12 (C) restoring or enhancing ecosystem func13 tion; or 

14 (3) provide economic and social co-benefits by— 

15 (A) reducing the potential impact and 

16 damage of storms on the built environment; 

17 (B) advancing environmental justice by re18 ducing the disproportionate impacts of environ19 mental hazards on communities of color, indige20 nous communities, and low-income commu21 nities; 

22 (C) providing jobs in coastal communities; 

23 (D) including elements of natural infra24 structure; 


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1 (E) incorporating collaborative partner2 ships; or 

3 (F) involving local communities in project 

4 planning and implementation. 

5 (e) MATCHING FUNDS.— 

6 (1) INCLUSION IN APPLICATIONS.—An eligible 

7 entity under subsection (b) may include in an appli8 cation for a grant under the Program a commitment 

9 to provide non-Federal resources (including in-kind 

10 contributions and volunteer hours) to match the 

11 amount of grant. 

12 (2) CONSIDERATION.—In reviewing an applica13 tion for a grant under the Program, the Secretary 

14 may consider the inclusion of a commitment under 

15 paragraph (1) but may not require such a commit16 ment as a condition of receiving a grant. 

17 (f) ELIGIBLE COSTS.—A grant awarded under the 

18 Program shall be available for all phases of the develop19 ment, implementation, and monitoring of projects that are 

20 eligible under subsection (c), including— 

21 (1) preliminary community engagement, plan22 ning, and prioritization; 

23 (2) preliminary design and site assessment, in24 cluding— 

25 (A) assessments of feasibility; 


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1 (B) planning; and 

2 (C) community engagement; 

3 (3) final design and permitting; 

4 (4) restoration and project implementation; and 

5 (5) monitoring, reporting, and stewardship. 

6 (g) REPORTING.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—An entity that receives a 

8 grant under the Program for a project shall— 

9 (A) collect data on the development and 

10 implementation of the project and stewardship 

11 following completion of the project; and 

12 (B) submit that data to the Administrator 

13 for inclusion in the database required by section 

14 303(a). 

15 (2) REPORT AFTER PROJECT COMPLETION.— 

16 Not later than 1 year after the completion of a 

17 project for which a grant is provided under the Pro18 gram, the entity that received the grant shall submit 

19 to the Administrator a report on the outputs, out20 comes, and impacts of the project, including with re21 spect to— 

22 (A) the amount of area restored; 

23 (B) the estimated net climate benefit; 

24 (C) benefits to nearby communities; and 


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1 (D) involvement of partners and commu2 nities. 

3 (h) MONITORING.—The Secretary shall establish 

4 guidelines providing for monitoring a project for which a 

5 grant is provided under the Program for the 10-year pe6 riod after the grant is awarded. 

7 (i) ROLE OF NATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE FOUN8 DATION.—In carrying out the Program, the Secretary may 

9 consult, partner, or otherwise coordinate with the National 

10 Fish and Wildlife Foundation established by section 2(a) 

11 of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establish12 ment Act (16 U.S.C. 3701(a)). 

13 SEC. 303. DATA COLLECTION. 

14 (a) DATABASE.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall 

16 maintain a coastal wetland restoration database to 

17 collect information about projects that receive grants 

18 under the Program. 

19 (2) DESIGN.—The Administrator shall design 

20 the database required by paragraph (1) to collect 

21 performance metrics on the development and imple22 mentation of projects that receive grants under the 

23 Program and stewardship following completion of 

24 such projects to evaluate the success of those 


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1 projects and inform the design of future projects in 

2 an adaptive manner. 

3 (3) INCLUDED METRICS.—The database re4 quired by paragraph (1) shall include standardized 

5 metrics for reporting such as— 

6 (A) acres restored, protected, or created; 

7 (B) habitat type; 

8 (C) restoration technique; 

9 (D) estimated net greenhouse gas reduc10 tion effect; 

11 (E) jobs created; 

12 (F) quantified ecosystem services; and 

13 (G) other metrics selected by the Adminis14 trator. 

15 (4) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Administrator 

16 shall make products of the database publicly avail17 able and disseminate important findings to the pub18 lic. 

19 (5) PRIVACY.—To protect the privacy of private 

20 landowners, the Administrator shall ensure that any 

21 data collected from private landowners under this 

22 section are anonymized before the data are made 

23 publicly available. 

24 (b) INVENTORY OF COASTAL WETLAND.—The Ad25 ministrator shall compile an inventory of coastal wetland. 


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1 SEC. 304. OUTREACH AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. 

2 The Administrator shall establish a technical assist3 ance program to help entities outside of the National Oce4 anic and Atmospheric Administration in all phases of 

5 coastal wetland restoration project work, including out6 reach to potential applicants for grants under section 302. 

7 SEC. 305. ANNUAL RESTORATION AND FUNDING. 

8 (a) ACREAGE REQUIREMENTS.—To the maximum ex9 tent practicable, the Secretary of Commerce shall award 

10 grants under the Program to conduct coastal wetland res11 toration on 1,500,000 acres over 10 years, as follows: 

12 (1) On 50,000 acres in each of fiscal years 

13 2021 and 2022. 

14 (2) On 100,000 acres in each of fiscal years 

15 2023 and 2024. 

16 (3) On 150,000 acres in each of fiscal years 

17 2025 and 2026. 

18 (4) On 225,000 acres in each of fiscal years 

19 2027 through 2030. 

20 (b) FUNDING.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—On October 1 of each fiscal 

22 year, out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise 

23 appropriated, the Secretary of the Treasury shall 

24 transfer to the Secretary of Commerce to provide 

25 grants under the Program, to remain available until 

26 expended— 


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1 (A) $1,250,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

2 2021 and 2022; 

3 (B) $2,500,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

4 2023 and 2024; 

5 (C) $3,750,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

6 2025 and 2026; and 

7 (D) $5,625,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

8 2027 through 2030. 

9 (2) RECEIPT AND ACCEPTANCE.—The Sec10 retary of Commerce shall be entitled to receive, shall 

11 accept, and shall use to provide grants under the 

12 Program in accordance with paragraph (1) the funds 

13 transferred under that paragraph, without further 

14 appropriation. 

15 (c) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—The amount au16 thorized to be appropriated by subsection (a) shall supple17 ment and not supplant other amounts available to the Sec18 retary of Commerce. 

19 SEC. 306. PREVAILING WAGE REQUIREMENT. 

20 Any contractor or subcontractor entering into a serv21 ice contract in connection with a project under the Pro22 gram shall— 

23 (1) be treated as a Federal contractor or sub24 contractor for purposes of chapter 67 of title 41, 

25 United States Code (commonly known as the 


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1 ‘‘McNamara-O’Hara Service Contract Act of 

2 1965’’); and 

3 (2) pay each class of employee employed by the 

4 contractor or subcontractor wages and fringe bene5 fits at rates in accordance with prevailing rates for 

6 the class in the locality, or, where a collective-bar7 gaining agreement covers the employee, in accord8 ance with the rates provided for in the agreement, 

9 including prospective wage increases provided for in 

10 the agreement. 

11 SEC. 307. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR COASTAL WET12 LAND RESTORATION; FUNDING. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior shall 

14 conduct coastal wetland restoration on land managed by 

15 the Secretary of the Interior to achieve at least 1 of the 

16 following: 

17 (1) The sequestration of additional carbon diox18 ide through— 

19 (A) the active restoration of degraded 

20 coastal wetland; and 

21 (B) the protection of threatened coastal 

22 wetland. 

23 (2) The halting of ongoing carbon dioxide emis24 sions, and the resumption of the natural rate of carVerDate Sep 11 2014 16:46 Jun 08, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00088 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2534.IH H2534

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1 bon capture, through the restoration of drained 

2 coastal wetland. 

3 (3) The halting of ongoing methane emissions, 

4 and the resumption of the natural rate of carbon 

5 storage, through the restoration of formerly tidal 

6 wetland that has lost tidal connectivity and become 

7 fresh wetland (commonly known as ‘‘impounded wet8 land’’). 

9 (b) ACREAGE REQUIREMENTS.—To the maximum ex10 tent practicable, the Secretary of the Interior shall con11 duct coastal wetland restoration under subsection (a)— 

12 (1) on land managed by the Director of the 

13 United States Fish and Wildlife Service— 

14 (A) on 10,000 acres in each of fiscal years 

15 2021 and 2022; 

16 (B) on 20,000 acres in each of fiscal years 

17 2023 and 2024; and 

18 (C) on 30,000 acres in fiscal year 2025 

19 and each fiscal year thereafter; and 

20 (2) on land managed by the Director of the Na21 tional Park Service— 

22 (A) on 10,000 acres in each of fiscal years 

23 2021 and 2022; 

24 (B) on 20,000 acres in each of fiscal years 

25 2023 and 2024; 


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1 (C) on 40,000 acres in each of fiscal years 

2 2025 and 2026; 

3 (D) on 80,000 acres in each of fiscal years 

4 2027 and 2028; and 

5 (E) on 160,000 acres in each of fiscal 

6 years 2029 and 2030. 

7 (c) FUNDING.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—On October 1 of each fiscal 

9 year, out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise 

10 appropriated, the Secretary of the Treasury shall 

11 transfer to the Secretary of the Interior to carry out 

12 this section, to remain available until expended— 

13 (A) for coastal wetland restoration on land 

14 managed by the Director of the United States 

15 Fish and Wildlife Service— 

16 (i) $250,000,000 for each of fiscal 

17 years 2021 and 2022; 

18 (ii) $500,000,000 for each of fiscal 

19 years 2023 and 2024; and 

20 (iii) $750,000,000 for each of fiscal 

21 years 2025 through 2030; and 

22 (B) for coastal wetland restoration on land 

23 managed by the Director of the National Park 

24 Service— 


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1 (i) $250,000,000 for each of fiscal 

2 years 2021 and 2022; 

3 (ii) $500,000,000 for each of fiscal 

4 years 2023 and 2024; 

5 (iii) $1,000,000,000 for each of fiscal 

6 years 2025 and 2026; 

7 (iv) $2,000,000,000 for each of fiscal 

8 years 2027 and 2028; and 

9 (v) $4,000,000,000 for each of fiscal 

10 years 2029 and 2030. 

11 (2) RECEIPT AND ACCEPTANCE.—The Sec12 retary of the Interior shall be entitled to receive, 

13 shall accept, and shall use to carry out this section 

14 in accordance with paragraph (1) the funds trans15 ferred under that paragraph, without further appro16 priation. 

Æ 


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