Tribal Wildlife Corridors Act of 2019

Bill: 116-s-2891
Sponsor: Sen. Udall, Tom [D-NM]
Introduced: 2019-11-19 in the Senate
Policy area: Native Americans
Subjects: Federal-Indian relations
Government information and archives
Indian lands and resources rights
Land use and conservation
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Summary:
action_date: 2019-11-19
text: 

Tribal Wildlife Corridors Act of 2019

 
This bill authorizes the use of wildlife corridors on Indian land to provide habitat or ecological connectivity and allow for fish, wildlife, or plant movement on such land.
 
Specifically, the bill permits an Indian tribe to nominate a corridor within the land of such tribe as a tribal wildlife corridor. The Department of the Interior must establish criteria for determining whether such a corridor qualifies as a tribal wildlife corridor, including criteria for restoring historical habitat. 
 
Interior must provide tribes with technical assistance to establish, manage, or expand a tribal wildlife corridor. Such assistance must include support with accessing wildlife data and working with private landowners to access programs for facilitating connectivity on nonfederal land.
 
Additionally, Interior must (1) establish a program to award grants to tribes to increase connectivity through tribal wildlife corridors, and (2) consult with tribes to determine whether a tribal wildlife corridor may be expanded into public lands or otherwise benefit connectivity between public lands and such corridor.
 
The bill also permits the Department of Agriculture to give priority under certain conservation programs to those projects that enhance connectivity by expanding a tribal wildlife corridor.

action_date: 2020-12-09
text: 

Tribal Wildlife Corridors Act of 2019

 
This bill authorizes the use of wildlife corridors on Indian land to provide habitat or ecological connectivity and allow for fish, wildlife, or plant movement on such land.
 
Specifically, the bill permits an Indian tribe to nominate a corridor within the land of such tribe as a tribal wildlife corridor. The Department of the Interior must establish criteria for determining whether such a corridor qualifies as a tribal wildlife corridor, including criteria for restoring historical habitat. 
 
Interior must provide tribes with technical assistance to establish, manage, or expand a tribal wildlife corridor. Such assistance must include support with accessing wildlife data and working with private landowners to access programs for facilitating connectivity on nonfederal land.
 
Additionally, Interior must (1) establish a program to award grants to tribes to increase connectivity through tribal wildlife corridors, and (2) consult with tribes to determine whether a tribal wildlife corridor may be expanded into public lands or otherwise benefit connectivity between public lands and such corridor.
 
The bill also permits the Department of Agriculture to give priority under certain conservation programs to those projects that enhance connectivity by expanding a tribal wildlife corridor.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-12-09
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 605.
action_date: 2020-12-09
text: Committee on Indian Affairs. Reported by Senator Hoeven without amendment. With written report No. 116-305.
action_date: 2020-12-09
text: Committee on Indian Affairs. Reported by Senator Hoeven without amendment. With written report No. 116-305.
action_date: 2020-07-29
text: Committee on Indian Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
action_date: 2020-03-04
text: Committee on Indian Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 116-198.
action_date: 2019-11-19
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
action_date: 2019-11-19
text: Introduced in Senate