Title: To authorize new grants for research into riparian forest genetics and climate adaptation.
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
This bill requires the Department of the Interior to establish a grant program for plant genetics and genomics research related to (1) making riparian forests (e.g., forests on river banks) become more resilient to climate change and invasive species; and (2) providing critical habitat for animals and plants that are suffering from lost, degraded, or threatened habitat.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5145 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5145

To authorize new grants for research into riparian forest genetics and 
                          climate adaptation.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            August 31, 2021

Mr. O'Halleran introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize new grants for research into riparian forest genetics and 
                          climate adaptation.

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

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) because most native plant species are genetically 
        adapted to their local environment, climate change and invasive 
        species result in plants no longer being locally adapted;
            (2) to promote restoration success, a network of integrated 
        field trials (also known as provenance trials or common 
        gardens) is crucial to determine which populations of dominant 
        plants can survive current and projected future conditions, 
        which in turn will enable the development of precision models 
        to forecast climate change impacts on key native riparian 
        forest species and the species that depend upon them for their 
        survival; and
            (3) riparian systems are integral to and essential to 
        wetland health and preservation, research into, and efforts to 
        restore and protect the health of riparian ecosystems is 
        essential.

SEC. 2. RESEARCH GRANTS FOR PROJECTS RELATED TO RIPARIAN FOREST 
              GENETICS AND CLIMATE ADAPTATION.

    The Secretary of the Interior shall establish a grant program for 
eligible entities to carry out projects that involve long-term research 
into plant genetics and genomics to make riparian forests and streams 
more resilient to climate change and invasive species and to provide 
critical habitat for birds, native fish, endangered species and other 
animals and plants that are suffering from lost, degraded, or 
threatened habitat. The Secretary shall determine entities eligible to 
receive such grants, projects eligible for such grants, application and 
approval procedures for such grants, and any limitations on the amount 
and uses of such grants, and any other terms and conditions the 
Secretary determines appropriate.

SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF RIPARIAN FOREST.

    As used in this Act, the term ``riparian forest'' means any 
riparian area and includes all plant, animal, insect, and microbial 
communities in such areas.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the 
Interior $13,000,000 for each of fiscals years 2022 through 2031 to 
carry out the grant program established under section 2.
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