Native Plant Species Pilot Program Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.1548 | Sponsor: Rep. Cartwright, Matt (D-PA)
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Native Plant Species Pilot Program Act of 2021
This bill establishes a pilot program for native plant species and a study on the cost-effectiveness of using native plant materials to carry out land management activities on federal lands.
The National Park Service (NPS) shall establish a pilot program in at least two NPS regions to promote the use of native plant materials.
The NPS shall conduct a study to determine the cost-effectiveness of using native plant materials in land management activities on federal lands under the jurisdiction of the NPS or other federal land management agencies.

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,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

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

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the United States has a significant interest in--
                    (A) preserving the worldwide system of richly 
                varied habitats;
                    (B) protecting native plant biodiversity and the 
                ecosystems that support that biodiversity; and
                    (C) protecting the quality of life of people in the 
                United States;
            (2) native plants are an inseparable part of the natural 
        beauty of the landscape of the United States, which must be 
        preserved;
            (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;
            (4) native plants provide food and habitat for pollinators 
        and wildlife;
            (5) native plants supply an important genetic record for 
        future food, agriculture, and plant-derived products;
            (6) native plant communities are important components of 
        cultural landscapes;
            (7) the use of native plant materials for restoration or 
        enhancement contributes to the preservation of cultural 
        landscapes;
            (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;
            (9) supporting native plant communities within or adjacent 
        to agricultural areas provides important wildlife habitat that 
        would not otherwise be available;
            (10) the use of native plants in landscaping can reduce the 
        need for herbicides and water use; and
            (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.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Control.--The term ``control'' means, with respect to 
        invasive species, containing, suppressing, or reducing 
        populations of invasive species.
            (2) Eradicate.--The term ``eradicate'' means, with respect 
        to invasive species, removing or destroying an entire 
        population of invasive species.
            (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.
            (4) Locally adapted.--The term ``locally adapted'' means, 
        with respect to plants, plants that--
                    (A) originate from an area that is geographically 
                proximate to a planting area; and
                    (B) are environmentally adapted to and likely to 
                become established and persist in that planting area.
            (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:
                    (A) Alaska.
                    (B) Arkansas-Rio Grande-Texas-Gulf.
                    (C) Columbia-Pacific Northwest.
                    (D) California-Great Basin.
                    (E) Great Lakes.
                    (F) Lower Colorado-Basin.
                    (G) Mississippi-Basin.
                    (H) Missouri-Basin.
                    (I) North Atlantic-Appalachian.
                    (J) Pacific Islands.
                    (K) South Atlantic-Gulf.
                    (L) Upper Colorado-Basin.
            (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.
            (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.
            (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.
            (9) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National 
        Park Service.

SEC. 4. PILOT PROGRAM FOR NATIVE PLANT SPECIES.

    (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.
    (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--
            (1) to the extent practicable, give preference to the use 
        of locally adapted native plant materials;
            (2) incorporate efforts to prevent, control, or eradicate 
        the spread of invasive species; and
            (3) identify situations in which the use of nonnative or 
        alien plant materials may be warranted, including situations in 
        which--
                    (A) emergency conditions require the protection of 
                basic resource values;
                    (B) an interim nonpersistent measure is needed to 
                aid in the reestablishment of a native plant species;
                    (C) native plant materials are not reasonably 
                available; and
                    (D) the plant community subject to a land 
                management activity has been permanently altered.
    (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--
            (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) 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).
    (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.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this Act.

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

    (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.
    (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).
                                 <all>