Native Plant Species Pilot Program Act of 2022
Bill: S.557 | Sponsor: Sen. Collins, Susan M. (R-ME)
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Native Plant Species Pilot Program Act of 2022
This bill establishes a pilot program for native plant species.
The National Park Service (NPS) shall establish a pilot program to prioritize the use of native plant species within geographically diverse units of the National Park System and public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
The Department of the Interior shall, in carrying out the pilot program, coordinate activities with

To establish a pilot program for native plant species, and for other 
                               purposes.

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

<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    This Act may be cited as the ``Native Plant Species Pilot 
Program Act of 2021''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 2. FINDINGS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Congress finds that--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) the United States has a significant interest 
        in--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) preserving the worldwide system of 
                richly varied habitats;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) protecting native plant biodiversity 
                and the ecosystems that support that biodiversity; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) protecting the quality of life of 
                people in the United States;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) native plants are an inseparable part of the 
        natural beauty of the landscape of the United States, which 
        must be preserved;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) the extensive root systems of native plants 
        control erosion, moderate floods, filter water to improve water 
        quality, decrease the amount of water needed for landscape 
        maintenance, and sequester carbon to combat climate 
        change;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) native plants provide food and habitat for 
        pollinators and wildlife;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) native plants supply an important genetic 
        record for future food, agriculture, and plant-derived 
        products;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (6) native plant communities are important 
        components of cultural landscapes;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (7) the use of native plant materials for 
        restoration or enhancement contributes to the preservation of 
        cultural landscapes;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (8) the use of native plant species in 
        revegetation efforts after construction activities and adjacent 
        to roadways increases habitat for a variety of pollinators and 
        other native animal species;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (9) supporting native plant communities within or 
        adjacent to agricultural areas provides important wildlife 
        habitat that would not otherwise be available;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (10) the use of native plants in landscaping can 
        reduce the need for herbicides and water use; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (11) of the 20,000 known native plant species in 
        North America, it has been estimated that nearly 25 to 30 
        percent are at risk of extinction as a result of factors such 
        as habitat loss, invasive species, temperature shifts, and 
        pesticide use.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    In this Act:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) Control.--The term ``control'' means, with 
        respect to invasive species, containing, suppressing, or 
        reducing populations of invasive species.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Eradicate.--The term ``eradicate'' means, with 
        respect to invasive species, removing or destroying an entire 
        population of invasive species.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Invasive species.--The term ``invasive 
        species'' means, with respect to a particular ecosystem, a 
        nonnative organism, the introduction of which causes or is 
        likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to 
        human, animal, or plant health.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) Locally adapted.--The term ``locally adapted'' 
        means, with respect to plants, plants that--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) originate from an area that is 
                geographically proximate to a planting area; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) are environmentally adapted to and 
                likely to become established and persist in that 
                planting area.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) National park service region.--The term 
        ``National Park Service region'' means each of the following 
        unified Interior regions designated by the Secretary of the 
        Interior:</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) Alaska.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) Arkansas-Rio Grande-Texas-
                Gulf.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) Columbia-Pacific Northwest.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (D) California-Great Basin.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (E) Great Lakes.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (F) Lower Colorado-Basin.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (G) Mississippi-Basin.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (H) Missouri-Basin.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (I) North Atlantic-Appalachian.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (J) Pacific Islands.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (K) South Atlantic-Gulf.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (L) Upper Colorado-Basin.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (6) Native plant species.--The term ``native plant 
        species'' means, with respect to a particular ecosystem, a 
        species that, other than as a result of an introduction, 
        historically occurred or currently occurs in that 
        ecosystem.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (7) Nonnative or alien.--The term ``nonnative or 
        alien'' means, with respect to a particular ecosystem, an 
        organism, including the seeds, eggs, spores, or other 
        biological material of the organism capable of propagating that 
        species, that occurs outside of the natural range of the 
        organism.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (8) Plant material.--The term ``plant material'' 
        means a plant or the seeds, eggs, spores, or other biological 
        material of a plant capable of propagating the species of the 
        plant.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (9) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the 
        Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the 
        National Park Service.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 4. PILOT PROGRAM FOR NATIVE PLANT SPECIES.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a pilot program 
in 2 or more National Park Service regions to promote the use of native 
plant materials.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Implementation.--In carrying out land management 
activities on Federal land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary, 
including maintenance and restoration in response to degradation caused 
by human activity or natural events (such as fire, flood, or 
infestation), the Secretary shall--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) to the extent practicable, give preference to 
        the use of locally adapted native plant materials;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) incorporate efforts to prevent, control, or 
        eradicate the spread of invasive species; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) identify situations in which the use of 
        nonnative or alien plant materials may be warranted, including 
        situations in which--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) emergency conditions require the 
                protection of basic resource values;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) an interim nonpersistent measure is 
                needed to aid in the reestablishment of a native plant 
                species;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) native plant materials are not 
                reasonably available; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (D) the plant community subject to a land 
                management activity has been permanently 
                altered.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (c) Coordination.--To accelerate the adoption of native 
plants throughout programs of the Department of the Interior, the 
Secretary shall, in carrying out the pilot program, coordinate 
activities with--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) the National Seed Strategy of the Bureau of 
        Land Management;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) the Plant Conservation Alliance; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) the Plant Materials Centers of the Natural 
        Resources Conservation Service.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (d) Duration.--The authority to carry out the pilot 
program terminates on the date that is 5 years after the date on which 
the pilot program is established under subsection (a).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (e) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date on which 
the authority to carry out the pilot program terminates under 
subsection (d), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report 
describing the results of the pilot program.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized 
to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this 
Act.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 5. STUDY ON COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF USING NATIVE PLANT 
              MATERIALS IN CARRYING OUT LAND MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES ON 
              FEDERAL LAND.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) In General.--As soon as practicable after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall, consistent with section 4, 
conduct a study to review existing data to determine the cost-
effectiveness of using native plant materials in land management 
activities on Federal land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary or 
other Federal land management agencies.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural 
Resources of the House of Representatives a report describing the 
results of the study required under subsection (a).</DELETED>

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Native Plant Species Pilot Program 
Act of 2022''.

SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM FOR NATIVE PLANT SPECIES.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date on which 
funds are made available to carry out this Act, the Secretary of the 
Interior (referred to in this section as the ``Secretary'') shall, in 
accordance with any existing laws and management policies, carry out a 
pilot program to prioritize the use of native plant species within 
geographically diverse units of the National Park System and public 
land administered by the Bureau of Land Management.
    (b) Implementation.--In carrying out the pilot program under 
subsection (a), the Secretary shall, to the extent practicable--
            (1) give preference to the use of locally adapted native 
        plant materials where appropriate;
            (2) incorporate efforts to prevent, control, or eradicate 
        the spread of invasive species;
            (3) incorporate efforts to use native plants in areas that 
        have experienced a recent wildfire event; and
            (4) identify situations in which the use of non-native 
        plants may be warranted.
    (c) Coordination.--The Secretary shall, in carrying out the pilot 
program under subsection (a), coordinate activities with--
            (1) the National Seed Strategy of the Bureau of Land 
        Management;
            (2) the Plant Conservation Alliance; and
            (3) the Plant Materials Centers of the Natural Resources 
        Conservation Service.
    (d) Termination of Authority.--The authority to carry out the pilot 
program under subsection (a) terminates on the date that is 5 years 
after the date on which the pilot program is established under that 
subsection.
    (e) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date on which the 
authority to carry out the pilot program terminates under subsection 
(d), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report describing--
            (1) the results of the pilot program carried out under 
        subsection (a); and
            (2) the cost-effectiveness of using native plants in units 
        of the National Park System and public land administered by the 
        Bureau of Land Management.
                                                       Calendar No. 530

117th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                 S. 557

                          [Report No. 117-179]

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