I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 3407
To assist in the conservation of keystone species throughout the world.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
NOVEMBER 16, 1999
Mr. SAXTON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Resources
A BILL
To assist in the conservation of keystone species throughout
the world.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Keystone Species Con-
servation Act of 1999’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:
(1) Numerous species of fauna have continued
to decline to the point that the long-term survival of
those species in the wild is in serious jeopardy.
(2) Many of those species are listed under sec-
tion 4 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16
U.S.C. 1533) or in Appendix I, II, or III of the Con-
vention on International Trade in Endangered Spe-
cies of Wild Fauna and Flora.
(3) There are insufficient resources available
for addressing the threats facing those species,
which will require the joint commitment and effort
of countries within the range of those species, the
United States and other countries, and the private
sector.
(4) The grant programs established by the Con-
gress for tigers, rhinoceroses, Asian elephants, and
African elephants have proven to be extremely suc-
cessful, provide Federal funds for conservation
projects in an efficient and expeditious manner, and
encourage additional support for conservation in
countries where those species exist in the wild.
(5) A new grant program modeled on the exist-
ing programs for tigers, rhinoceroses, and elephants
would provide an effective means to assist in the
conservation of keystone species for which there are
no existing grant programs.
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to conserve
keystone species of fauna throughout the world, and the
ecosystems on which those species depend, by supporting
the conservation programs for those species and the
CITES Secretariat, promoting partnerships between the
public and private sectors, and providing financial re-
sources for those programs and partnerships.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) ACCOUNT.—The term ‘‘Account’’ means the
Keystone Species Conservation Account established
by section 5.
(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means
the Secretary of the Interior.
(3) CITES.—The term ‘‘CITES’’ means the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, done at Wash-
ington March 3, 1973 (27 UST 1087; TIAS 8249),
including its appendices and amendments.
(4) CONSERVATION.—The term ‘‘conservation’’
means the use of methods and procedures necessary
to bring a keystone species to the point at which
there are sufficient populations in the wild to ensure
that the species does not become extinct, including—
(A) protection and management of popu-
lations of a keystone species;
(B) maintenance, management, protection,
and restoration of habitat of a keystone species;
(C) research and monitoring;
(D) law enforcement; and
(E) community outreach and education.
(5) FISH
OR
WILDLIFE.—The term ‘‘fish or
wildlife’’ means any member of the animal kingdom,
including any mammal, fish, bird, amphibian, rep-
tile, mollusk, crustacean, arthropod, or other inverte-
brate.
(6) KEYSTONE SPECIES.—The term ‘‘keystone
species’’—
(A) subject to subparagraph (B), means a
species of fish or wildlife—
(i) that is listed as an endangered
species or threatened species under section
4 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973
(16 U.S.C. 1533) or that is listed in Ap-
pendix I, II, or III of CITES; and
(ii) whose range is partially or wholly
outside of the United States; and
(B) does not include African elephants,
Asian elephants, rhinoceros, and tigers.
SEC. 4. KEYSTONE SPECIES CONSERVATION ASSISTANCE.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of
funds, the Secretary shall use amounts in the Account to
provide financial assistance for projects for the conserva-
tion of that keystone species throughout the world, for
which project proposals are approved by the Secretary in
accordance with this section.
(b) PROJECT PROPOSALS.—
(1) ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS.—A proposal for a
project for the conservation of a keystone species
may be submitted to the Secretary by—
(A) any relevant wildlife management au-
thority of a country that has within its bound-
aries any part of the range of a keystone spe-
cies, if the agency has authority over fish or
wildlife and the activities of the agency directly
or indirectly affect the species;
(B) the CITES Secretariat; or
(C) any person with demonstrated exper-
tise in the conservation of that keystone species.
(2) REQUIRED INFORMATION.—A project pro-
posal shall include—
(A) the name of the individual with pri-
mary responsibility for conducting the project;
(B) a succinct statement of—
(i) the purposes of the project and the
methodology for implementing the project,
including an assessment of the status of
the keystone species that is the subject of
the project; and
(ii) how the project will benefit that
species;
(C) a description of the qualifications of
the individuals who will conduct the project;
(D) an estimate of the funds and time re-
quired to complete the project;
(E) evidence of support for the project by
appropriate governmental entities of countries
in which the project will be conducted, if the
Secretary determines that such support is re-
quired for the success of the project;
(F) information regarding the source and
amount of matching funds available for the
project; and
(G) any other information that the Sec-
retary considers to be necessary for evaluating
the eligibility of the project for funding under
this Act.
(c) PROPOSAL REVIEW AND APPROVAL.—
(1) REQUEST
FOR
ADDITIONAL
INFORMA-
TION.—If, after receiving a project proposal, the
Secretary determines that the project proposal is not
complete, the Secretary may request further infor-
mation from the person that submitted the proposal
before complying with the other provisions of this
subsection.
(2) REQUEST FOR COMMENTS.—The Secretary
shall request written comments, and provide an op-
portunity of not less than 30 days for comments, on
a project proposal from the appropriate govern-
mental authorities of each country in which the
project will be conducted.
(3) DECISION BY THE SECRETARY.—After tak-
ing into consideration any comments received in a
timely manner from governmental authorities under
paragraph (2), the Secretary may approve a project
proposal if the Secretary determines that the project
will promote the conservation of a keystone species.
(4) NOTIFICATION.—Not later than 180 days
after receiving a completed project proposal, the Sec-
retary shall provide written notification of the Sec-
retary’s approval or disapproval of a project proposal
under paragraph (3) to the person that submitted
the proposal.
(d) PRIORITY
GUIDANCE.—In funding approved
project proposals, the Secretary shall give priority to the
following types of projects:
(1) Projects that will enhance programs for the
conservation of keystone species that are most im-
periled, and that are supported by the relevant wild-
life management authority in each country in which
the program will be conducted.
(2) Projects that receive the greatest level of
matching assistance, in cash or in-kind, from non-
Federal sources.
(3) Projects that will enhance local capacity for
the conservation of keystone species.
(e) PROJECT REPORTING.—Each person that re-
ceives assistance under this section for a project shall sub-
mit to the Secretary periodic reports at such intervals as
the Secretary considers necessary, that include all infor-
mation required by the Secretary for evaluating the
progress and success of the project.
(f) GUIDELINES.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after
the date of enactment of this Act, after providing
public notice and opportunity for comment, the Sec-
retary shall develop guidelines to carry out this sec-
tion.
(2) PRIORITIES AND CRITERIA.—The guidelines
shall specify—
(A) how the priorities for funding approved
projects are to be determined; and
(B) criteria for determining which keystone
species are most imperiled and which projects
provide the greatest conservation benefit.
SEC. 5. KEYSTONE SPECIES CONSERVATION ACCOUNT.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the
Multinational Species Conservation Fund of the Treasury
a separate account to be known as the ‘‘Keystone Species
Conservation Account’’, consisting of—
(1) amounts of donations accepted under sub-
section (d);
(2) amounts appropriated to the Account under
section 6; and
(3) any interest earned on investment of
amounts in the Account under subsection (c).
(b) EXPENDITURES FROM ACCOUNT.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2),
the Secretary may expend from the Account, without
further Act of appropriation, such amounts as are
necessary to carry out section 4.
(2) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—An amount
not to exceed 3 percent of the amounts in the Ac-
count shall be available for each fiscal year to pay
the administrative expenses necessary to carry out
this Act.
(c) INVESTMENT OF AMOUNTS.—The Secretary of
the Treasury shall invest such portion of the Account as
is not required to meet current withdrawals. Such invest-
ments may be made only in interest-bearing obligations
of the United States.
(d) ACCEPTANCE AND USE OF DONATIONS.—The
Secretary may accept and use donations to carry out this
Act. Amounts received by the Secretary in the form of do-
nations shall be available until expended, without further
Act of appropriation.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Ac-
count $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2001, 2002,
2003, 2004, and 2005 to carry out this Act, which may
remain available until expended.
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