Natural Infrastructure and Resilience Act

Bill: 116-hr-5871
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Malinowski, Tom [D-NJ-7]
Introduced: 2020-02-12
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Atmospheric science and weather

Emergency planning and evacuation

Floods and storm protection

Infrastructure development

Roads and highways

Transportation programs funding
Latest action: action_date: 2020-02-13
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.

Summaries:
action_date: 2020-02-12
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Natural Infrastructure and Resilience Act</b></p> <p>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.</p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 5871 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.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Natural Infrastructure and Resilience Act . 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. .