Title: Natural Infrastructure and Resilience Act
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
Natural Infrastructure and Resilience Act
This bill makes projects that use natural infrastructure alone or in combination with certain projects to enhance resilience of a transportation facility eligible for surface transportation block grant funding.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5871 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5871

    To amend title 23, United States Code, to make certain natural 
infrastructure projects eligible for surface transportation block grant 
                    funding, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 12, 2020

Mr. Malinowski (for himself, Mr. Gaetz, Mr. Rooney of Florida, and Mr. 
    Sires) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend title 23, United States Code, to make certain natural 
infrastructure projects eligible for surface transportation block grant 
                    funding, 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 ``Natural Infrastructure and 
Resilience Act''.

SEC. 2. NATURAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND RESILIENCE.

    (a) In General.--Section 101(a) of title 23, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (17) through (34) as 
        paragraphs (18), (19), (20), (21), (22), (23), (25), (26), 
        (27), (28), (29), (30), (31), (32), (33), (34), and (35), 
        respectively;
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (16) the following:
            ``(17) Natural infrastructure.--The term `natural 
        infrastructure' means infrastructure that uses, restores, or 
        emulates natural ecological processes and--
                    ``(A) is created through the action of natural 
                physical, geological, biological, and chemical 
                processes over time;
                    ``(B) is created by human design, engineering, and 
                construction to emulate or act in concert with natural 
                processes; or
                    ``(C) involves the use of plants, soils, and other 
                natural features, including through the creation, 
                restoration, or preservation of vegetated areas using 
                materials appropriate to the region to manage 
                stormwater and runoff, to attenuate flooding and storm 
                surges, and for other related purposes.'';
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (23) (as so redesignated) 
        the following:
            ``(24) Resilience.--The term `resilience', with respect to 
        a project, means a project with the ability to anticipate, 
        prepare for, or adapt to conditions or withstand, respond to, 
        or recover rapidly from disruptions, including the ability--
                    ``(A)(i) to resist hazards or withstand impacts 
                from weather events and natural disasters; or
                    ``(ii) to reduce the magnitude, duration, or impact 
                of a disruptive weather event or natural disaster to a 
                project; and
                    ``(B) to have the absorptive capacity, adaptive 
                capacity, and recoverability to decrease project 
                vulnerability to weather events or other natural 
                disasters.''; and
            (4) in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (32) (as so 
        redesignated)--
                    (A) by striking the period at the end and inserting 
                ``; and'';
                    (B) by striking ``through the implementation'' and 
                inserting the following: ``through--
                            ``(i) the implementation''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(ii) the consideration of incorporating 
                        natural infrastructure.''.
    (b) Surface Transportation Block Grant Program.--Section 133(b) of 
title 23, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (4) through (15) as 
        paragraphs (5) through (16), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
            ``(4) Projects that use natural infrastructure alone or in 
        combination with other eligible projects to enhance resilience 
        of a transportation facility otherwise eligible for assistance 
        under this section.''.
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