Land Restoration and Resiliency Act of 2023

To require the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to enter into an agreement with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to establish the Community Resilience and Restoration Fund. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Land Restoration and Resiliency Act of 2023 2. Establishment of Community Resilience and Restoration Fund (a) Establishment Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall enter into a cooperative agreement with the Foundation to establish the Community Resilience and Restoration Fund at the Foundation to— (1) improve community safety in the face of climactic extremes through conservation and protection of restoration and resilience lands; (2) to protect, conserve, and restore restoration and resilience lands in order to help communities respond and adapt to natural threats, including wildfire, drought, extreme heat, and other threats posed or exacerbated by the impacts of global climate; (3) to build the resilience of restoration and resilience lands to adapt to, recover from, and withstand natural threats, including wildfire, drought, extreme heat, and other threats posed or exacerbated by the impacts of global climate change; (4) to protect and enhance the biodiversity of wildlife populations across restoration and resilience lands; (5) to support the health of restoration and resilience lands for the benefit of present and future generations; (6) to foster innovative, nature-based solutions that help meet the goals of this section; and (7) to enhance the Nation’s natural carbon sequestration capabilities and help communities strengthen natural carbon sequestration capacity where applicable. (b) Management of the Fund The Foundation shall manage the Fund— (1) pursuant to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act ( 16 U.S.C. 3701 et seq. (2) in such a manner that, to the greatest extent practicable and consistent with the purposes for which the Fund is established— (A) ensures that amounts made available through the Fund are accessible to historically underserved communities, including Tribal communities, communities of color, and rural communities; and (B) avoids project selection and funding overlap with those projects and activities that could otherwise receive funding under— (i) the National Oceans and Coastal Security Fund, established under the National Oceans and Coastal Security Act ( 16 U.S.C. 7501 (ii) other coastal management focused programs. (c) Competitive grants (1) In general To the extent amounts are available in the Fund, the Foundation shall award grants to eligible entities through a competitive grant process in accordance with procedures established pursuant to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act ( 16 U.S.C. 3701 et seq. (2) Proposals The Foundation, in coordination with the Secretary, shall establish requirements for proposals for competitive grants under this section. (d) Use of Amounts in the Fund (1) Planning Not less than 8 percent of amounts appropriated annually to the Fund may be used to plan eligible projects and activities, including capacity building. (2) Administrative costs Not more than 4 percent of amounts appropriated annually to the Fund may be used by the Foundation for administrative expenses of the Fund or administration of competitive grants offered under the Fund. (3) Priority Not less than 10 percent of the funds appropriated in a fiscal year to the Fund or $10,000,000 (whichever is the lesser amount) shall be awarded in such fiscal year to support eligible projects and activities for Indian Tribes. (4) Coordination The Secretary and Foundation shall ensure, to the greatest extent practicable and through meaningful consultation, that input from Indian Tribes, including traditional ecological knowledge, is incorporated in the planning and execution of eligible projects and activities. (e) Reports (1) Annual Reports Beginning at the end the first full fiscal year after the date of enactment of this section, and not later than 60 days after the end of each fiscal year in which amounts are deposited into the Fund, the Foundation shall submit to the Secretary a report on the operation of the Fund including— (A) an accounting of expenditures made under the Fund, including leverage and match where applicable; (B) an accounting of any grants made under the Fund, including a list of recipients and a brief description of each project and its purposes and goals; and (C) measures and metrics to track benefits created by grants administered under the Fund, including enhanced biodiversity, water quality, natural carbon sequestration, and resilience. (2) 5-Year Reports Not later than 90 days after the end of the fifth full fiscal year after the date of enactment of this section, and not later than 90 days after the end every fifth fiscal year thereafter, the Foundation shall submit to the Secretary a report containing— (A) a description of any socioeconomic, biodiversity, community resilience, or climate resilience or mitigation (including natural carbon sequestration), impacts generated by projects funded by grants awarded by the Fund, including measures and metrics illustrating these impacts; (B) a description of land health benefits derived from projects funded by grants awarded by the Fund, including an accounting of— (i) lands treated for invasive species; (ii) lands treated for wildfire threat reduction, including those treated with controlled burning or other natural fire-management techniques; and (iii) lands restored either from wildfire or other forms or degradation, including over-grazing and sedimentation; (C) key findings for Congress, including any recommended changes to the authorization or purposes of the Fund; (D) best practices for other Federal agencies in the administration of funds intended for land and habitat restoration; (E) information on the use and outcome of funds specifically set aside for planning and capacity building pursuant to section 6; and (F) any other information that the Foundation considers relevant. (3) Submission of Reports to Congress Not later than 10 days after receiving a report under this section, the Secretary shall submit the report to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate. (4) Authorization of Appropriations There is hereby authorized to be appropriated to the Fund $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2029 to carry out this section. (f) Definitions For purposes of this section: (1) The term eligible entity (2) The term eligible projects and activities (3) The term Foundation 16 U.S.C. 3701 et seq. (4) The term Fund (5) The term Indian Tribe 25 U.S.C. 5131(a) (6) The term restoration and resilience lands (7) The term public lands (8) The term Secretary (9) The term State

Summary: Land Restoration and Resiliency Act of 2023 This bill directs the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to enter into cooperative agreements with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to establish the Community Resilience and Restoration Fund at the foundation, for purposes including to improve community safety in the face of climactic extremes through conservation and protection of restoration and resilience lands; protect, conserve, and restore restoration and resilience lands in order to help communities respond and adapt to natural threats, including wildfire, drought, extreme heat, and other threats posed or exacerbated by the impacts of global climate; and protect and enhance the biodiversity of wildlife populations across restoration and resilience lands. The bill defines restoration and resilience lands as fish, wildlife, and plant habitats, and other important natural areas in the United States, on public lands, private land (after obtaining proper consent from the landowner), or land of Indian tribes, including grasslands, shrublands, prairies, chaparral lands, forest lands, deserts, and riparian or wetland areas within or adjacent to these ecosystems. To the extent amounts are available in the fund, the foundation shall award grants to eligible entities (e.g., a federal agency, a unit of local government, an Indian tribe, or a nonprofit organization) through a competitive grant process to carry out eligible projects and activities.