I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5316 

To establish a carbon sequestration pilot program under which the Secretary 

of the Interior may make grants for projects to evaluate methods to 

increase the amount of carbon captured on qualified public lands in 

order to achieve a wide range of benefits, including reductions in greenhouse gases, increased water retention and water quality in watersheds, 

nutrient cycling, reduced erosion, and forage quality. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 24, 2016 

Mr. HUFFMAN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To establish a carbon sequestration pilot program under 

which the Secretary of the Interior may make grants 

for projects to evaluate methods to increase the amount 

of carbon captured on qualified public lands in order 

to achieve a wide range of benefits, including reductions 

in greenhouse gases, increased water retention and water 

quality in watersheds, nutrient cycling, reduced erosion, 

and forage quality. 

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


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Healthy Soils and 

3 Rangelands Solutions Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. CARBON SEQUESTRATION PILOT PROGRAM. 

5 (a) PROGRAM REQUIRED.—Not later than one year 

6 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

7 of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Bureau 

8 of Land Management, shall establish a Carbon Sequestra9 tion Pilot Program to make grants to eligible entities for 

10 projects to carry out eligible activities. 

11 (b) SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD.—As part of the pro12 gram, the Secretary shall establish a science advisory 

13 board to provide analysis and recommendations regard14 ing— 

15 (1) the selection of eligible entities and eligible 

16 activities to receive grants under the program, based 

17 on the best available science; and 

18 (2) appropriate monitoring requirements to be 

19 required under subsection (c). 

20 (c) MONITORING AND REPORTING.—As a condition 

21 of a grant under the program, the grant recipient shall 

22 comply with monitoring and reporting requirements to 

23 quantify project performance and communicate results. 

24 (d) INNOVATION COMPETITION.— 

25 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make 

26 grants, through a challenge competition, to eligible 


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1 entities for projects to carry out innovative ap2 proaches to eligible activities. 

3 (2) LISTING.—The Secretary shall list the chal4 lenge competition under this subsection on 

5 www.challenge.gov (or any successor website of the 

6 Federal Government that lists challenge competi7 tions run by Federal agencies). 

8 (e) OUTREACH, EDUCATION, AND TECHNICAL AS9 SISTANCE.—The Secretary— 

10 (1) may provide technical assistance for eligible 

11 activities; and 

12 (2) shall expand outreach and education with 

13 respect to carbon sequestration and best practices 

14 related to eligible activities. 

15 (f) ACCEPTANCE OF OUTSIDE FUNDS.—The Sec16 retary may accept nonappropriated funds, including funds 

17 from other public sources, private companies, nonprofit or18 ganizations, or foundations, to carry out the program. 

19 (g) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—With respect to each 

20 project administered under the program, not later than 

21 three years after the awarding of the grant, at least every 

22 two years thereafter for the duration of the project, and 

23 not later than 180 days after the completion of the 

24 project, the Secretary, working with grantees and any 


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1 other agencies of jurisdiction shall submit a report to Con2 gress detailing— 

3 (1) the progress and accomplishments of the 

4 project in general; 

5 (2) a detailed summary and estimate of the vol6 ume of carbon sequestered due to project activities; 

7 (3) a summary of education and outreach ef8 forts related to the project; and 

9 (4) a set of recommendations for land manage10 ment best practices based on the outcome of the 

11 project. 

12 (h) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this section: 

13 (1) BIOCHAR.—The term ‘‘biochar’’ means car14 bonized biomass produced by converting feedstock 

15 through reductive thermal processing. 

16 (2) COMPOST.—The term ‘‘compost’’ means a 

17 biologically stable organic material suitable for use 

18 as a amendment that is produced by the controlled 

19 aerobic decomposition of manure or other organic 

20 material, not including sewage sludge or biosolids, 

21 by microorganisms. 

22 (3) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITY.—The term ‘‘eligible 

23 activity’’ means a project for sequestering carbon 

24 through— 

25 (A) grazing practices; 


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1 (B) restoring degraded qualified public 

2 lands; 

3 (C) application of compost on qualified 

4 public lands; or 

5 (D) using biochar as an amendment on 

6 qualified public lands. 

7 (4) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti8 ty’’ means an owner or operator of qualified public 

9 lands, a university, a nongovernmental organization, 

10 or an Indian tribe. 

11 (5) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means 

12 the Carbon Sequestration Pilot Program established 

13 by this section. 

14 (6) QUALIFIED PUBLIC LANDS.—The term 

15 ‘‘qualified public lands’’ means any land and interest 

16 in land owned by the United States within the sev17 eral States and administered by the Secretary of the 

18 Interior through the Bureau of Land Management, 

19 the National Park Service, or the United States 

20 Fish and Wildlife Service, without regard to how the 

21 United States acquired ownership, except lands lo22 cated on the Outer Continental Shelf. 


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1 (7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

2 the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Di3 rector of the Bureau of Land Management. 

Æ 


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