[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 557 Reported in Senate (RS)]
<DOC>
Calendar No. 530
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 557
[Report No. 117-179]
To establish a pilot program for native plant species, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 3, 2021
Ms. Collins (for herself and Ms. Cantwell) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources
October 18, 2022
Reported under authority of the order of the Senate of October 14,
2022, by Mr. Manchin, with an amendment
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed
in italic]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a pilot program for native plant species, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>
<DELETED> This Act may be cited as the ``Native Plant Species Pilot
Program Act of 2021''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 2. FINDINGS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> Congress finds that--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) the United States has a significant interest
in--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) preserving the worldwide system of
richly varied habitats;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) protecting native plant biodiversity
and the ecosystems that support that biodiversity;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) protecting the quality of life of
people in the United States;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) native plants are an inseparable part of the
natural beauty of the landscape of the United States, which
must be preserved;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) the extensive root systems of native plants
control erosion, moderate floods, filter water to improve water
quality, decrease the amount of water needed for landscape
maintenance, and sequester carbon to combat climate
change;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) native plants provide food and habitat for
pollinators and wildlife;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) native plants supply an important genetic
record for future food, agriculture, and plant-derived
products;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (6) native plant communities are important
components of cultural landscapes;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (7) the use of native plant materials for
restoration or enhancement contributes to the preservation of
cultural landscapes;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (8) the use of native plant species in
revegetation efforts after construction activities and adjacent
to roadways increases habitat for a variety of pollinators and
other native animal species;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (9) supporting native plant communities within or
adjacent to agricultural areas provides important wildlife
habitat that would not otherwise be available;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (10) the use of native plants in landscaping can
reduce the need for herbicides and water use; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (11) of the 20,000 known native plant species in
North America, it has been estimated that nearly 25 to 30
percent are at risk of extinction as a result of factors such
as habitat loss, invasive species, temperature shifts, and
pesticide use.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> In this Act:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) Control.--The term ``control'' means, with
respect to invasive species, containing, suppressing, or
reducing populations of invasive species.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Eradicate.--The term ``eradicate'' means, with
respect to invasive species, removing or destroying an entire
population of invasive species.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Invasive species.--The term ``invasive
species'' means, with respect to a particular ecosystem, a
nonnative organism, the introduction of which causes or is
likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to
human, animal, or plant health.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) Locally adapted.--The term ``locally adapted''
means, with respect to plants, plants that--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) originate from an area that is
geographically proximate to a planting area;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) are environmentally adapted to and
likely to become established and persist in that
planting area.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) National park service region.--The term
``National Park Service region'' means each of the following
unified Interior regions designated by the Secretary of the
Interior:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) Alaska.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) Arkansas-Rio Grande-Texas-
Gulf.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) Columbia-Pacific Northwest.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) California-Great Basin.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (E) Great Lakes.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (F) Lower Colorado-Basin.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (G) Mississippi-Basin.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (H) Missouri-Basin.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (I) North Atlantic-Appalachian.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (J) Pacific Islands.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (K) South Atlantic-Gulf.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (L) Upper Colorado-Basin.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (6) Native plant species.--The term ``native plant
species'' means, with respect to a particular ecosystem, a
species that, other than as a result of an introduction,
historically occurred or currently occurs in that
ecosystem.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (7) Nonnative or alien.--The term ``nonnative or
alien'' means, with respect to a particular ecosystem, an
organism, including the seeds, eggs, spores, or other
biological material of the organism capable of propagating that
species, that occurs outside of the natural range of the
organism.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (8) Plant material.--The term ``plant material''
means a plant or the seeds, eggs, spores, or other biological
material of a plant capable of propagating the species of the
plant.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (9) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the
Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the
National Park Service.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 4. PILOT PROGRAM FOR NATIVE PLANT SPECIES.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a pilot program
in 2 or more National Park Service regions to promote the use of native
plant materials.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Implementation.--In carrying out land management
activities on Federal land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary,
including maintenance and restoration in response to degradation caused
by human activity or natural events (such as fire, flood, or
infestation), the Secretary shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) to the extent practicable, give preference to
the use of locally adapted native plant materials;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) incorporate efforts to prevent, control, or
eradicate the spread of invasive species; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) identify situations in which the use of
nonnative or alien plant materials may be warranted, including
situations in which--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) emergency conditions require the
protection of basic resource values;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) an interim nonpersistent measure is
needed to aid in the reestablishment of a native plant
species;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) native plant materials are not
reasonably available; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) the plant community subject to a land
management activity has been permanently
altered.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (c) Coordination.--To accelerate the adoption of native
plants throughout programs of the Department of the Interior, the
Secretary shall, in carrying out the pilot program, coordinate
activities with--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) the National Seed Strategy of the Bureau of
Land Management;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) the Plant Conservation Alliance; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) the Plant Materials Centers of the Natural
Resources Conservation Service.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (d) Duration.--The authority to carry out the pilot
program terminates on the date that is 5 years after the date on which
the pilot program is established under subsection (a).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (e) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date on which
the authority to carry out the pilot program terminates under
subsection (d), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report
describing the results of the pilot program.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this
Act.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 5. STUDY ON COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF USING NATIVE PLANT
MATERIALS IN CARRYING OUT LAND MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES ON
FEDERAL LAND.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) In General.--As soon as practicable after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall, consistent with section 4,
conduct a study to review existing data to determine the cost-
effectiveness of using native plant materials in land management
activities on Federal land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary or
other Federal land management agencies.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural
Resources of the House of Representatives a report describing the
results of the study required under subsection (a).</DELETED>
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Native Plant Species Pilot Program
Act of 2022''.
SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM FOR NATIVE PLANT SPECIES.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date on which
funds are made available to carry out this Act, the Secretary of the
Interior (referred to in this section as the ``Secretary'') shall, in
accordance with any existing laws and management policies, carry out a
pilot program to prioritize the use of native plant species within
geographically diverse units of the National Park System and public
land administered by the Bureau of Land Management.
(b) Implementation.--In carrying out the pilot program under
subsection (a), the Secretary shall, to the extent practicable--
(1) give preference to the use of locally adapted native
plant materials where appropriate;
(2) incorporate efforts to prevent, control, or eradicate
the spread of invasive species;
(3) incorporate efforts to use native plants in areas that
have experienced a recent wildfire event; and
(4) identify situations in which the use of non-native
plants may be warranted.
(c) Coordination.--The Secretary shall, in carrying out the pilot
program under subsection (a), coordinate activities with--
(1) the National Seed Strategy of the Bureau of Land
Management;
(2) the Plant Conservation Alliance; and
(3) the Plant Materials Centers of the Natural Resources
Conservation Service.
(d) Termination of Authority.--The authority to carry out the pilot
program under subsection (a) terminates on the date that is 5 years
after the date on which the pilot program is established under that
subsection.
(e) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date on which the
authority to carry out the pilot program terminates under subsection
(d), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report describing--
(1) the results of the pilot program carried out under
subsection (a); and
(2) the cost-effectiveness of using native plants in units
of the National Park System and public land administered by the
Bureau of Land Management.
Calendar No. 530
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 557
[Report No. 117-179]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a pilot program for native plant species, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
October 18, 2022
Reported under authority of the order of the Senate of October 14,
2022, with an amendment