I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2682 

To establish an Outdoor Restoration Fund for restoration and resilience 

projects, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 20, 2021 

Mr. CROW (for himself and Mr. SIMPSON) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the 

Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 

as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To establish an Outdoor Restoration Fund for restoration 

and resilience projects, and for other purposes. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Outdoor Restoration 

5 Partnership Act of 2021’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 


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

2 Restoration Fund Advisory Council established by 

3 section 4(a). 

4 (2) COVERED AUTHORITY.—The term ‘‘covered 

5 authority’’ means— 

6 (A) the good neighbor authority estab7 lished by section 8206 of the Agricultural Act 

8 of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a); 

9 (B) the Water Source Protection Program 

10 under section 303 of the Healthy Forests Res11 toration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6542); 

12 (C) the Watershed Condition Framework 

13 established under section 304 of the Healthy 

14 Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 

15 6543); 

16 (D) the stewardship end result contracting 

17 program under section 604 of the Healthy For18 ests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 

19 6591c); 

20 (E) the Cooperative Forestry Assistance 

21 Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2101 et seq.); 

22 (F) the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restora23 tion Partnership program; 

24 (G) the Watershed Protection and Flood 

25 Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.); 


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1 (H) the Collaborative Forest Landscape 

2 Restoration Program established under section 

3 4003 of Public Law 111–11 (16 U.S.C. 7303); 

4 (I) the legacy roads and trails program of 

5 the Department of Agriculture; 

6 (J) the working lands for wildlife program 

7 of the Department of Agriculture; and 

8 (K) a conservation program under title XII 

9 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 

10 3801 et seq.), including the Regional Conserva11 tion Partnership program under subtitle I of 

12 that title (16 U.S.C. 3871 et seq.). 

13 (3) ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY.—The term ‘‘eco14 logical integrity’’ has the meaning given the term in 

15 section 219.19 of title 36, Code of Federal Regula16 tions (as in effect on the date of enactment of this 

17 Act). 

18 (4) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti19 ty’’ means— 

20 (A) a State agency; 

21 (B) a unit of local government; 

22 (C) a Tribal government; 

23 (D) a regional organization; 

24 (E) a special district; or 

25 (F) a nonprofit organization. 


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1 (5) FUND.—The term ‘‘Fund’’ means the Out2 door Restoration Fund established by section 3(a). 

3 (6) GRANT PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘grant pro4 gram’’ means the restoration and resilience grant 

5 program established by section 5(b). 

6 (7) RESTORATION.—The term ‘‘restoration’’ 

7 has the meaning given the term in section 219.19 of 

8 title 36, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on 

9 the date of enactment of this Act). 

10 (8) RESTORATION AND RESILIENCE

11 PROJECT.—The term ‘‘restoration and resilience 

12 project’’ means a project designed in accordance 

13 with the best available science to conduct restoration 

14 that improves— 

15 (A) forest conditions; 

16 (B) rangeland health; 

17 (C) watershed function; or 

18 (D) wildlife habitat. 

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

20 the Secretary of Agriculture. 

21 (10) WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE.—The term 

22 ‘‘wildland-urban interface’’ has the meaning given 

23 the term in section 101 of the Healthy Forests Res24 toration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6511). 


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1 SEC. 3. OUTDOOR RESTORATION FUND. 

2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 

3 Treasury an Outdoor Restoration Fund. 

4 (b) USE.—Amounts in the Fund shall be used by the 

5 Secretary— 

6 (1) in coordination with the Council, to carry 

7 out the grant program; and 

8 (2) to carry out the Restoration and Resilience 

9 Partnership Program under section 6. 

10 (c) SAVINGS PROVISIONS.— 

11 (1) COMPLEMENTARY PROGRAMS.—Activities 

12 carried out under this Act shall complement, not du13 plicate or replace, existing Federal conservation, res14 toration, and resilience programs. 

15 (2) APPLICABLE LAW.—A restoration and resil16 ience project on Federal land or non-Federal land 

17 developed or implemented using amounts provided 

18 under this Act shall be carried out in accordance 

19 with applicable law and available authorities. 

20 (d) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—Amounts pro21 vided under this Act shall supplement, not supplant, any 

22 Federal, State, or other funds otherwise made available 

23 to an eligible entity for activities described in this Act. 

24 (e) OVERSIGHT.—Not later than 180 days after the 

25 date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, 

26 the Inspector General of the Department of Agriculture 


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1 shall prepare and submit to the Committees on Agri2 culture, Nutrition, and Forestry and Appropriations of the 

3 Senate and the Committees on Agriculture, Natural Re4 sources, and Appropriations of the House of Representa5 tives a report describing the use, and any abuse or misuse, 

6 as applicable, of the Fund by the Secretary with respect 

7 to— 

8 (1) the grant program; and 

9 (2) the Restoration and Resilience Partnership 

10 Program established by section 6. 

11 SEC. 4. RESTORATION FUND ADVISORY COUNCIL. 

12 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a Res13 toration Fund Advisory Council to provide advice to the 

14 Secretary with respect to the disbursement of amounts 

15 from the Fund for the grant program. 

16 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Council shall be composed 

17 of— 

18 (1) the Secretary; 

19 (2) 12 members, to be appointed by the Sec20 retary, of whom— 

21 (A) 3 shall be representatives from re22 source-dependent industries, including the agri23 culture, oil and gas, outdoor recreation, or for24 est products industries; 


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1 (B) 3 shall be national experts in the fields 

2 of natural resource restoration, economic devel3 opment, and community and climate resilience; 

4 (C) 3 shall be representatives of conserva5 tion, wildlife, or watershed organizations; 

6 (D) 1 shall be a representative of State 

7 government; 

8 (E) 1 shall be a representative of a unit of 

9 local government; and 

10 (F) 1 shall be a representative of a Tribal 

11 government; and 

12 (3) as determined to be necessary by the Sec13 retary, not more than 3 representatives from other 

14 Federal agencies. 

15 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

16 of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Sec17 retary, in consultation with the Council, shall submit to 

18 Congress a report describing— 

19 (1) the status of any restoration and resilience 

20 projects that received amounts from the Fund, in21 cluding— 

22 (A) environmental benefits; 

23 (B) restoration achievements; 

24 (C) attainment of restoration and habitat 

25 improvement objectives; 


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1 (D) jobs created and retained; 

2 (E) the growth in outdoor industries; and 

3 (F) progress towards State-, Tribal-, and 

4 community-level resilience goals; and 

5 (2) recommendations to improve coordination, 

6 align Federal resources or existing authorities, and 

7 expand workforce capacity in outdoor industries 

8 through legislative and administrative changes. 

9 SEC. 5. RESTORATION AND RESILIENCE GRANT PROGRAM. 

10 (a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section are— 

11 (1) to increase the capacity for planning, co12 ordinating, and monitoring restoration and resilience 

13 projects on Federal land and non-Federal land; and 

14 (2) to support, on non-Federal land, State, 

15 local, and Tribal— 

16 (A) restoration and resilience projects; 

17 (B) projects to reduce the risk of, or miti18 gate damage from, wildfires; and 

19 (C) projects to expand equitable outdoor 

20 access. 

21 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a res22 toration and resilience grant program, to be administered 

23 by the Secretary, with the advice of the Council, to provide 

24 grants from the Fund to eligible entities for the purposes 

25 described in subsection (a). 


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1 (c) REGIONAL COORDINATION.—The Secretary and 

2 the Council shall, to the maximum extent practicable, seek 

3 input from, coordinate with, and support existing State 

4 or regional efforts, initiatives, and partnerships to restore 

5 ecological integrity on Federal land and non-Federal land. 

6 (d) USE OF FUNDS.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall use 

8 amounts in the Fund to provide capacity grants 

9 under paragraph (2) and implementation grants 

10 under paragraph (3). 

11 (2) CAPACITY GRANTS.— 

12 (A) IN GENERAL.—Capacity grants shall 

13 be made available to eligible entities for the 

14 purpose described in subsection (a)(1). 

15 (B) APPLICATION.— 

16 (i) IN GENERAL.—A grant under this 

17 paragraph may only be made to an eligible 

18 entity that submits to the Secretary an ap19 plication at such time, in such manner, 

20 and containing or accompanied by such ad21 ditional information as the Secretary, in 

22 consultation with the Council, may require, 

23 including the information required under 

24 clause (ii). 


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1 (ii) CONTENTS.—An application sub2 mitted under clause (i) shall contain— 

3 (I) a clear and concise expression 

4 of interest; 

5 (II) an explanation for how funds 

6 would complement existing Federal 

7 funds; and 

8 (III) an estimate of the number 

9 and duration of jobs that would be 

10 created, or sustained, with the funds. 

11 (3) IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS.— 

12 (A) IN GENERAL.—Implementation grants 

13 shall be made available to eligible entities for 

14 the purpose described in subsection (a)(2). 

15 (B) APPLICATION.—A grant under this 

16 paragraph may be made only to an eligible enti17 ty that submits to the Secretary an application 

18 at such time, in such manner, and containing 

19 or accompanied by such information as the Sec20 retary, in consultation with the Council, may 

21 require. 

22 (e) PRIORITY.—In carrying out the grant program, 

23 the Secretary, in consultation with the Council, shall give 

24 priority to projects that— 


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1 (1) create or sustain jobs, employ local or re2 gional labor, or expand the outdoor workforce 

3 through training and education programs; 

4 (2) are developed through a collaborative proc5 ess with multiple stakeholders representing diverse 

6 interests; 

7 (3) would address shared priorities for Federal 

8 and non-Federal partners; 

9 (4) advance State, local, and Tribal plans relat10 ing to forests, water, or wildlife; or 

11 (5) improve long-term economic security or via12 bility in the geographic region, particularly in geo13 graphic regions transitioning from fossil-fuel extrac14 tion. 

15 (f) AUTHORITIES.—Eligible entities may use existing 

16 authorities when carrying out a restoration and resilience 

17 project, including a covered authority. 

18 SEC. 6. RESTORATION AND RESILIENCE PARTNERSHIP 

19 PROGRAM. 

20 (a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section are— 

21 (1) to restore and improve the ecological integ22 rity of forest, grassland, and rangeland ecosystems 

23 across the United States in partnership with State, 

24 local, and Tribal governments; 


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1 (2) to create or sustain outdoor jobs by reduc2 ing the backlog of restoration and resilience projects 

3 on Federal land and non-Federal land; 

4 (3) to improve the resilience and carrying ca5 pacity of rangelands in the United States by pre6 venting or mitigating invasive species, such as cheat7 grass, that contribute to rangeland fire; and 

8 (4) to reduce uncharacteristic wildfires in the 

9 highest risk areas of the United States by carrying 

10 out, in accordance with applicable law, restoration 

11 and resilience projects. 

12 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a Res13 toration and Resilience Partnership Program, under which 

14 the Secretary shall carry out restoration and resilience 

15 projects in partnership areas designated under subsection 

16 (c)(1). 

17 (c) DESIGNATION OF PARTNERSHIP AREAS.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after 

19 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

20 shall designate, for the purposes of carrying out res21 toration and resilience projects under subsection (e), 

22 any areas of Federal land and non-Federal land that 

23 the Secretary determines to be appropriate. 

24 (2) SUBMISSION OF PARTNERSHIP AREAS BY

25 STATES AND TRIBES.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Governor of a 

2 State or an authorized representative of an In3 dian Tribe may submit to the Secretary, in 

4 writing, a request to designate certain Federal 

5 land or non-Federal land in the State or Indian 

6 Country, respectively, for restoration and resil7 ience projects under subsection (e). 

8 (B) INCLUSIONS.—A written request sub9 mitted under subparagraph (A) may include 1 

10 or more maps or recommendations. 

11 (d) REQUIREMENTS.—To be eligible for designation 

12 under subsection (c), an area shall— 

13 (1) have a high or very high wildfire potential 

14 as determined by— 

15 (A) the map of the Forest Service entitled 

16 ‘‘Wildfire Hazard Potential Version 2020’’; or 

17 (B) any other mapping resource or data 

18 source approved by the Secretary that depicts 

19 the risk of wildfires; 

20 (2) have high-priority wildlife habitat urgently 

21 in need of restoration, as determined by the Sec22 retary, in consultation with eligible entities and the 

23 applicable Governor or representative of an Indian 

24 Tribe; or 


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1 (3) in the case of Federal land, be in the 

2 wildland-urban interface. 

3 (e) RESTORATION AND RESILIENCE PROJECTS.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraphs (2) 

5 and (3), the Secretary shall carry out restoration 

6 and resilience projects on land designated under sub7 section (c). 

8 (2) PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall give pri9 ority to restoration and resilience projects that— 

10 (A) focus on the reintroduction of char11 acteristic, low-intensity fire in frequent fire re12 gime ecosystems; 

13 (B) would reduce hazardous fuels by focus14 ing on small-diameter trees, thinning, and stra15 tegic fuel breaks; 

16 (C) maximize the retention of old and 

17 large trees, as appropriate for the forest type; 

18 (D) improve habitat conditions for at-risk 

19 wildlife; and 

20 (E) improve community resilience in the 

21 wildland-urban interface. 

22 (3) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall carry 

23 out restoration and resilience projects under this 

24 subsection— 


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1 (A) on Federal land, in coordination with 

2 the Secretary of the Interior, as applicable; and 

3 (B) on non-Federal land, in coordination 

4 with eligible entities and other relevant stake5 holders, as determined by the Secretary. 

6 (4) REQUIREMENTS.— 

7 (A) IN GENERAL.—A restoration and resil8 ience project shall be carried out in accordance 

9 with— 

10 (i) the management objectives of an 

11 applicable land or resource management 

12 plan; and 

13 (ii) applicable law. 

14 (B) INCLUSIONS.—The Secretary may use 

15 existing authorities when carrying out a res16 toration and resilience project on land des17 ignated under subsection (c), including any cov18 ered authority. 

19 (C) EXCLUSIONS.—A restoration and resil20 ience project may not be carried out— 

21 (i) in a wilderness area or designated 

22 wilderness study area; 

23 (ii) to construct a permanent road or 

24 trail; 


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1 (iii) on any Federal land on which, by 

2 an Act of Congress or Presidential procla3 mation, the removal of vegetation is re4 stricted or prohibited; 

5 (iv) in an inventoried roadless area; or 

6 (v) to remove old growth stands (as 

7 defined in section 102(e)(1) of the Healthy 

8 Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 

9 U.S.C. 6512(e)(1))). 

10 SEC. 7. FUNDING. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is appropriated, out of any 

12 money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, 

13 $60,000,000,000 for the Fund, to remain available until 

14 expended, of which— 

15 (1) $20,000,000,000 shall be for the grant pro16 gram; and 

17 (2) $40,000,000,000 shall be for the Restora18 tion and Resilience Partnership Program under sec19 tion 6, of which not less than $20,000,000,000 shall 

20 be for the conduct of restoration and resilience 

21 projects on Federal land under that section. 

22 (b) WORKFORCE NEEDS AND EXPENSES.—Funds 

23 made available under subsection (a)(2) shall be available 

24 for staffing, salary, and other workforce needs and exVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:21 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2682.IH H2682

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1 penses relating to the administration of the Restoration 

2 and Resilience Partnership Program under section 6. 

Æ 


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