Title: To ensure opportunities for Department of Defense participation in wildlife conservation banking programs, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
This bill directs the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to ensure opportunities for participation by the Department of Defense in wildlife conservation banking programs, to issue regulations that establish objectives, measurable performance standards, and criteria for use with respect to such programs. Mitigation banking is a method of offsetting the effects of development on a species, or habitat of such species, that is endangered, threatened, or otherwise at risk.
The bill requires the regulatory standards and criteria, to the extent practicable, to maximize available credits and opportunities for mitigation, provide flexibility for characteristics of various species, and apply equivalent standards and criteria to all mitigation banks.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8263 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8263

  To ensure opportunities for Department of Defense participation in 
    wildlife conservation banking programs, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 15, 2020

  Mr. Wittman (for himself and Ms. Haaland) introduced the following 
     bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To ensure opportunities for Department of Defense participation in 
    wildlife conservation banking programs, 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. OBJECTIVES, PERFORMANCE STANDARDS, AND CRITERIA FOR USE OF 
              WILDLIFE CONSERVATION BANKING PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--To ensure opportunities for Department of Defense 
participation in wildlife conservation banking programs pursuant to 
section 2694c of title 10, United States Code, the Secretary of the 
Interior, acting through the Director of the United States Fish and 
Wildlife Service, shall issue regulations of general applicability 
establishing objectives, measurable performance standards, and criteria 
for use, consistent with the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 
seq.), for mitigation banking offsetting effects on a species, or 
habitat of such species, that is endangered, threatened, a candidate 
for listing, or otherwise at risk under such Act. To the maximum extent 
practicable, the regulatory standards and criteria shall maximize 
available credits and opportunities for mitigation, provide flexibility 
for characteristics of various species, and apply equivalent standards 
and criteria to all mitigation banks.
    (b) Deadline for Regulations.--The Secretary of the Interior, 
acting through the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife 
Service, shall publish an advance notice of proposed rulemaking for the 
regulations required by subsection (a) by not later than one year after 
the date of the enactment of this Act.
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