[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2891 Reported in Senate (RS)]
<DOC>
Calendar No. 605
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2891
[Report No. 116-305]
To require the Secretary of the Interior to establish Tribal Wildlife
Corridors, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
November 19, 2019
Mr. Udall (for himself, Mr. Booker, Ms. Harris, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr.
Sanders, Mr. Tester, Ms. Smith, and Ms. Warren) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Indian Affairs
December 9, 2020
Reported by Mr. Hoeven, without amendment
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of the Interior to establish Tribal Wildlife
Corridors, 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 ``Tribal Wildlife Corridors Act of
2019''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Connectivity.--The term ``connectivity'' means the
degree to which the landscape or seascape facilitates native
species movement.
(2) Corridor.--The term ``corridor'' means a distinct
component of a landscape or seascape that--
(A) provides habitat or ecological connectivity;
and
(B) allows for fish, wildlife, or plant movement.
(3) Indian land.--The term ``Indian land'' means land of an
Indian tribe, or an Indian individual, that is--
(A) held in trust by the United States; or
(B) subject to a restriction against alienation
imposed by the United States.
(4) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian tribe'' has the
meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
(5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United
States Fish and Wildlife Service, in consultation with the
Bureau of Indian Affairs.
(6) Tribal wildlife corridor.--The term ``Tribal Wildlife
Corridor'' means a corridor established by the Secretary under
section 3(a).
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF TRIBAL WILDLIFE CORRIDORS.
(a) In General.--
(1) Nominations.--An Indian tribe may nominate a corridor
within Indian land of the Indian tribe as a Tribal Wildlife
Corridor by submitting to the Secretary an application at such
time, in such manner, and containing such information as the
Secretary may require.
(2) Determination.--Not later than 90 days after the date
on which the Secretary receives an application under paragraph
(1), the Secretary shall determine whether the nominated Tribal
Wildlife Corridor described in the application meets the
criteria established under subsection (b).
(3) Publication.--On approval of an application under
paragraph (2), the Secretary shall publish in the Federal
Register a notice of the establishment of the Tribal Wildlife
Corridor, which shall include a map and legal description of
the land designated as a Tribal Wildlife Corridor.
(b) Criteria.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 540 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish criteria
for determining whether a corridor nominated by an Indian tribe
under subsection (a)(1) qualifies as a Tribal Wildlife
Corridor.
(2) Inclusions.--The criteria established under paragraph
(1) shall include, at a minimum, the following:
(A) The restoration of historical habitat for the
purposes of facilitating connectivity.
(B) The management of land for the purposes of
facilitating connectivity.
(C) The management of land to prevent the
imposition of barriers that may hinder current or
future connectivity.
(c) Removal.--
(1) In general.--An Indian tribe may elect to remove the
designation of a Tribal Wildlife Corridor on the Indian land of
the Indian tribe by notifying the Secretary.
(2) Effect of removal.--An Indian tribe that elects to
remove a designation under paragraph (1) may not receive
assistance under section 5 or 6.
SEC. 4. COORDINATION OF LAND USE PLANS.
Section 202 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976
(43 U.S.C. 1712) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)--
(A) by striking ``Indian tribes by'' and inserting
the following: ``Indian tribes--
``(1) by'';
(B) in paragraph (1) (as so designated), by
striking the period at the end and inserting ``; and'';
and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(2) for the purposes of determining whether the land use
plans for land in the National Forest System would provide
additional connectivity to benefit the purposes of a Tribal
Wildlife Corridor established under section 3(a) of the Tribal
Wildlife Corridors Act of 2019.''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(g) Tribal Wildlife Corridors.--On the establishment of a Tribal
Wildlife Corridor under section 3(a) of the Tribal Wildlife Corridors
Act of 2019, the Secretary shall conduct a meaningful consultation with
the Indian tribe that administers the Tribal Wildlife Corridor to
determine whether, through the revision of one or more existing land
use plans, the Tribal Wildlife Corridor can--
``(1) be expanded into public lands; or
``(2) otherwise benefit connectivity (as defined in section
2 of that Act) between public lands and the Tribal Wildlife
Corridor.''.
SEC. 5. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.
The Secretary shall provide to Indian tribes technical assistance
relating to the establishment, management, and expansion of a Tribal
Wildlife Corridor, including assistance with accessing wildlife data
and working with private landowners to access Federal and State
programs to improve wildlife habitat and connectivity on non-Federal
land.
SEC. 6. AVAILABILITY OF ASSISTANCE.
(a) Conservation Programs Priority.--
(1) In general.--In evaluating applications under
conservation programs described in paragraph (2), the Secretary
of Agriculture may give priority to an application for a
project that would enhance connectivity through the expansion
of a Tribal Wildlife Corridor.
(2) Programs described.--The conservation programs referred
to in paragraph (1) are any of the following conservation
programs administered by the Secretary of Agriculture:
(A) The conservation reserve program established
under subchapter B of chapter 1 of subtitle D of title
XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831 et
seq.).
(B) The environmental quality incentives program
established under subchapter A of chapter 4 of subtitle
D of title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16
U.S.C. 3839aa et seq.).
(C) The conservation stewardship program
established under subchapter B of chapter 4 of subtitle
D of title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16
U.S.C. 3839aa-21 et seq.).
(D) The agricultural conservation easement program
established under subtitle H of title XII of the Food
Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865 et seq.).
(b) Wildlife Movements Grant Program.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a Tribal
Wildlife Corridor grant program to encourage wildlife movement
in accordance with this Act.
(2) Grants.--Beginning not later than 3 years after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall make grants
under the program established under paragraph (1) to one or
more Indian tribes to increase connectivity through Tribal
Wildlife Corridors.
SEC. 7. SAVINGS CLAUSE.
Nothing in this Act authorizes or affects the use of private
property or Indian land.
Calendar No. 605
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2891
[Report No. 116-305]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of the Interior to establish Tribal Wildlife
Corridors, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
December 9, 2020
Reported without amendment