[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8640 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8640
To provide for the establishment of a National Interagency Seed and
Restoration Center, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 5, 2024
Mr. Quigley introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on
Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker,
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the
jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the establishment of a National Interagency Seed and
Restoration Center, 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 ``National Interagency Seed and
Restoration Center Establishment Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Center.--The term ``Center'' means the National
Interagency Seed and Restoration Center established under
section 3(a)(1).
(2) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the
Department of the Interior.
(3) Ecoregion.--The term ``ecoregion'' means a land area
varying in size and having a unified climate, geology,
topography, soil, potential natural vegetation, and predominant
land use.
(4) Federal interagency partner.--The term ``Federal
interagency partner'' means--
(A) the Secretary of Agriculture;
(B) the Secretary of Transportation; and
(C) the Secretary of Defense.
(5) Genetically appropriate.--The term ``genetically
appropriate plant'', with respect to a plant, means--
(A) a native plant species that is locally adapted
to target site conditions, such as a plant with
effective establishment, vigor, and reproductive
capabilities;
(B) a native plant species that is sufficiently
genetically diverse to respond and adapt to changing
climate and environment conditions;
(C) a native plant species that is unlikely--
(i) to cause genetic contamination; and
(ii) to undermine--
(I) local adaptations;
(II) community interactions; and
(III) the function of native
species within the ecosystem;
(D) a plant that is not likely--
(i) to become an invasive species; and
(ii) to displace other native species;
(E) a plant that is not likely to be a source of
nonnative invasive pathogens; and
(F) a plant that is likely to maintain critical
connections with pollinators.
(6) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' means any
Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village,
or community individually identified (including
parenthetically) in the list published most recently as of the
date of enactment of this Act pursuant to section 104 of the
Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C.
5131).
(7) Invasive species.--The term ``invasive species'', with
respect to a particular ecosystem, means a non-native organism,
including the seed, spores, or other biological material of the
organism, the introduction of which causes or is likely to
cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human, animal,
or plant health.
(8) Locally adapted.--The term ``locally adapted'', with
respect to a plant, means a plant from an area geographically
near a planting site that is environmentally adapted and likely
to establish and persist.
(9) National seed strategy.--The term ``National Seed
Strategy'' means--
(A) the National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation
and Restoration 2015-2020; and
(B) the National Seed Strategy Business Plan 2015-
2020.
(10) Native hawaiian organization.--The term ``Native
Hawaiian organization'' has the meaning given the term in
section 2 of the Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (25 U.S.C. 3001).
(11) Native plant species.--The term ``native plant
species'' means a plant species that occurs naturally in a
particular region, State, Tribal land ecosystem, or habitat
without direct or indirect human action.
(12) Noxious weed.--The term ``noxious weed'' means any
plant or plant product that can directly or indirectly injure
or cause damage to crops (including nursery stock or plant
products), livestock, poultry, or other interests of
agriculture, irrigation, navigation, the natural resources of
the United States, public health, or the environment.
(13) Plant conservation alliance.--The term ``Plant
Conservation Alliance'' means the public-private collaboration
established in 1994 among Federal agency members and non-
Federal cooperators that share the objective of protecting
native plant species by ensuring that native plant species
populations and communities are maintained, enhanced, and
restored.
(14) Plant material.--The term ``plant material'' means a
seed, spore, part of a plant, or whole plant, including
seedlings and container stock.
(15) Plant material specialist.--The term ``plant material
specialist'' includes a plant ecologist, botanist, geneticist,
seed scientist, or restoration practitioner or ecologist with
relevant expertise, including local, Indigenous, and
traditional ecological knowledge, qualified to develop and
recommend revegetation, rehabilitation, and restoration plans,
including site preparation, species and source selection, and
seeding and planting specifications and monitoring protocols.
(16) Rehabilitation.--The term ``rehabilitation'' means the
reparation of ecosystem processes, productivity, and services
based on functioning preexisting or existing ecosystems that
allow for adaptation of sites to specific current or future
uses.
(17) Restoration.--The term ``restoration'' means assisting
the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged,
or destroyed, including the reestablishment of the preexisting
biotic integrity in terms of species composition and community
structure.
(18) Revegetation.--The term ``revegetation'' means the
reestablishment of plants on a site.
(19) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(20) Seed transfer guidelines.--The term ``seed transfer
guidelines'' means recommendations for protecting the integrity
of the natural pattern of adaptive variation of wild
populations by restricting seed transfers to areas within which
seeds may be moved about freely with the expectation that the
seeds would--
(A) grow and reproduce successfully; and
(B) produce no adverse genetic effects.
(21) Tribal land.--The term ``Tribal land'' means--
(A) land located within the exterior boundaries of
an Indian reservation;
(B) land to which title is held by a dependent
Indian community; and
(C) land held in trust for Native Hawaiians by the
State of Hawaii pursuant to the Hawaiian Homes
Commission Act, 1920 (42 Stat. 108, chapter 42) or
section 4 of Public Law 86-3 (73 Stat. 5) (commonly
known as the ``Hawaii Statehood Admissions Act,
1959'').
SEC. 3. NATIONAL INTERAGENCY SEED AND RESTORATION CENTER.
(a) Establishment.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary, in coordination with the
Federal interagency partners, the Plant Conservation Alliance,
Indian Tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations, shall
establish a National Interagency Seed and Restoration Center to
provide leadership and oversight with respect to--
(A) the research, development, coordination, and
distribution of native plant species; and
(B) the conduct of ecological restoration,
revegetation, and rehabilitation projects across
ecoregions throughout the United States.
(2) Purpose.--The purpose of the Center is to facilitate
the national coordination of all aspects of native plant
species plant materials development process, including
ecological restoration, by--
(A) enhancing research on--
(i) the development and use of native plant
seeds and native plants for native plant
species community restoration, including for
use as food and medicine;
(ii) the restoration of native plant
species communities--
(I) in response to natural
disasters; or
(II) as part of mitigation of
noxious weed and invasive species
removals or treatments to prevent and
deter further invasion or for other
purposes;
(iii) the propagation and storage and
distribution of native plant materials; and
(iv) any other research needs identified by
the National Seed Strategy;
(B) providing land managers with--
(i) appropriate, locally adapted or
genetically appropriate plant materials in a
timely, efficient, and cost-effective manner;
and
(ii) the guidance, tools, and training
necessary for the reclamation, restoration, and
rehabilitation of landscapes using native plant
species;
(C) creating resilient native plant species
communities to withstand multiple uses and climate
change;
(D) enhancing interagency coordination to implement
the National Seed Strategy through the Federal
Committee of the Plant Conservation Alliance; and
(E) coordinating shared use and enhancement of
infrastructure for native plant material development.
(b) Interagency Coordination.--
(1) In general.--In coordinating activities of the Center
with the Federal interagency partners, the Center shall focus
on the coordination of activities relating to--
(A) wildland seed and plant material collection and
storage, including long-term germplasm or
cryopreservation to preserve wild genomes;
(B) native plant materials research, development,
and production;
(C) providing ecoregional liaisons, including
agricultural producers and natural resource managers,
with native plant materials;
(D) the assessment, improvement, and delivery of
incentive programs and risk management tools to
encourage production of native plant seed and native
plant materials on private land and Tribal land;
(E) the development and coordination of seed
procurement mechanisms, such as forward contracting,
blanket purchase agreements, or other procurement
vehicles for seed production across ecoregions;
(F) coordination with State seed testing and seed
certification agency partners;
(G) revegetation, restoration, and rehabilitation
of landscapes and reporting results of the
revegetation, restoration, and rehabilitation to the
Center;
(H) fostering and improving communication,
education, information sharing, and training, including
any employment, training, or related services that
serve Tribally determined goals consistent with the
policy of self-determination;
(I) information technology and geospatial
coordination;
(J) restoring native plant species communities
critical to Indigenous foodways and Indigenous
medicines pursuant to Tribal and Native Hawaiian
organization direction; and
(K) ensuring adequate budget and contracting with
respect to the conduct of activities described in
subparagraphs (A) through (J).
(2) Existing networks.--In coordinating activities of the
Center with the Federal interagency partners, the Secretary
shall leverage programs and expertise through existing networks
such as--
(A) the Federal Committee of the Plant Conservation
Alliance;
(B) Plant Conservation Alliance non-Federal
cooperators;
(C) the Bureau of Land Management Plant
Conservation and Restoration Program and the
interagency Ecoregional Native Plant Programs;
(D) the United States Geological Survey Climate
Adaptation Science Centers and Water Science Centers;
(E) the Department of Agriculture Climate Hubs,
Plant Materials Centers, and Germplasm Resources
Information Network of the Department of Agriculture;
(F) the Indigenous SeedKeepers Network of the
Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance;
(G) the National Academies of Sciences,
Engineering, and Medicine;
(H) the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
National Seed Strategy Implementation Team and Center
for Pollinator Conservation;
(I) the Office of Wildland Fire of the Department;
and
(J) the Inventory and Monitoring Networks, Invasive
Plant Management Teams, and ecoregional plant hubs of
the National Park Service.
(c) Research.--
(1) In general.--To support the activities of the Center,
the Secretary, in coordination with the Federal Committee of
the Plant Conservation Alliance and other Federal interagency
partners, Native Hawaiian organizations, and Indian Tribes,
shall support a robust and dedicated program of intramural and
extramural botanical science research that is relevant and
appropriate to the native seed development process, including
collection, germination, agricultural production, genetics,
seed banking, seed storage, equipment for planting,
distribution, and restoration techniques to support the land
management responsibilities of the Federal Government.
(2) Areas of emphasis.--Research activities authorized
under this subsection shall focus on the following:
(A) Effective approaches to restoring ecosystems
that incorporate the use of appropriate locally adapted
native plant materials.
(B) Effective methods for developing--
(i) locally adapted and genetically
appropriate native seed and plant materials;
and
(ii) seed transfer guidelines for native
plant species and land management activities.
(C) Effective restoration strategies for using
native seed and plant species--
(i) to reduce--
(I) the risk of wildfire; and
(II) the likelihood of wildfire
affecting native ecosystems not adapted
to fire;
(ii) to manage invasive species and noxious
weeds, including restoration activities to
prevent reintroduction of invasive species;
(iii) to rehabilitate, restore, and
revegetate ecosystems after catastrophic
events, such as wildfires, flooding, drought
events, or hurricanes; and
(iv) to restore degraded native ecosystems
following habitat modification, such as
hazardous substances releases or introduction
of invasive species.
(D) Effective methods to use native seed and native
plant materials in response to the impacts of long- and
medium-term environmental changes, such as changes in--
(i) moisture levels;
(ii) temperature;
(iii) landscape fragmentation;
(iv) invasive species;
(v) human activity; and
(vi) other features due to climate change.
(E) Effective methods to use native seed and native
plant materials to restore habitat and promote the
recovery of threatened and endangered native plant
species and animal species.
(F) Economic or social issues relating to effective
methods for collaborating with private and commercial
sector partners to increase the availability of native
plant material such as native seed grower incentives.
(G) Restoration of native plant species communities
critical to Indigenous foodways, Indigenous foods, and
Indigenous medicines, including the protection of
intellectual property of Tribal and Indigenous seeds
pursuant to Indigenous requests.
(H) Addressing the feasibility of seed banking and
storage of native species--
(i) to support ex situ collections; and
(ii) to provide robust seed supply for
habitat restoration.
(I) Monitoring strategies for efficacy of
treatment.
(3) Extramural research.--As determined to be appropriate
by the Secretary, in coordination with the Federal interagency
partners, research conducted under this subsection may be
carried out through competitively awarded grants, contracts,
contracts established under the Indian Self-Determination and
Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.) or
cooperative agreements, to be awarded in accordance with
applicable requirements established by the Secretary.
(d) Use of Existing Seed Infrastructure.--The Center shall
coordinate the use of existing seed infrastructure of the Department
and the Department of Agriculture for the purpose of carrying out this
Act.
(e) Ecoregional Hubs.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary, in coordination with the
Federal interagency partners, Native Hawaiian organizations,
and Indian Tribes, shall, using and based on existing Bureau of
Land Management Ecoregional Native Plant Programs, establish
interagency ecoregional hubs available to each State and
territory of the United States that consist of--
(A) an Ecoregional Native Plant Coordinator;
(B) Tribal, Native Hawaiian organization, and other
plant material specialists;
(C) regional seed collection teams;
(D) seed and plant material warehouses for local
storage and seed cleaning facilities;
(E) plant production centers; and
(F) any other necessary subject matter experts
placed at offices throughout the applicable region to
support the ecoregional hub.
(2) Purposes.--The purposes of an ecoregional hub are--
(A) to assess the native plant material needs of
the applicable ecoregion; and
(B) to coordinate and facilitate the use of
appropriate native plant materials in local
restoration, rehabilitation, and reclamation projects.
(3) Hiring.--The Center may hire such staff as are
necessary to carry out the duties of the ecoregional hubs.
(f) Other Partnerships.--The Center shall coordinate with Indian
Tribes, States, territories, units of local government, Alaska Native
organizations, Native Hawaiian organizations, institutions of higher
education, botanic gardens, and local stakeholders to assess, and
provide expertise to address, local community revegetation,
rehabilitation, and restoration needs.
(g) Statement of Policy.--It shall be the policy of the Department
and the Federal interagency partners that--
(1) genetically appropriate plant materials shall be
preferentially used for land revegetation, rehabilitation, and
restoration; and
(2) if the use of genetically appropriate plant materials
is not feasible, as determined by the Secretary or the Federal
interagency partners, as applicable, preference shall be given
to the use of native plant species that meet the requirements
of subparagraphs (C) and (D) of section 2(5).
(h) Additional Activities.--In addition to the coordination and
research activities otherwise authorized under this section, the Center
may carry out the following activities to develop and use native plant
materials:
(1) Identifying, evaluating, and protecting rare plants on
public land managed by the Secretary and the Federal
interagency partners.
(2) Developing an understanding of the effects of human
activity on native plant species and native plant species
communities on public land managed by the Federal interagency
partners.
(3)(A) Supporting efforts to develop genetically
appropriate and locally adapted native plant materials for
restoring, rehabilitating, and revegetating ecosystems.
(B) Monitoring the use and effectiveness of the plant
materials developed under subparagraph (A).
(4) Ensuring that the needs of the Department and the
Federal interagency partners for native plant materials are
met.
(5) Supporting public-private partnerships to conduct
research on the development of seed transfer guidelines.
(6) Supporting public-private partnerships to catalogue and
store plant materials.
(7) Coordinating a national network of seed cleaning
facilities and seed storage warehouses.
(8) Implementing ecological restoration, rehabilitation,
and revegetation on a landscape scale.
(9) Supporting public-private efforts and volunteer efforts
to support native plant species conservation.
(10) Supporting and working with Indian Tribes and Native
Hawaiian organizations on efforts to restore native plant
communities critical to Indigenous foodways, including edible
and medicinal native plant species, and protecting Tribal
intellectual property with respect to Indigenous seeds.
(11) Providing technical assistance (including tools and
training) on selection of appropriate plant materials used for
restoration.
(12) Supporting programs that provide financial and
technical assistance and risk management tools for producers of
native plant materials.
(13) Facilitating native seed needs planning based on
historic and project needs.
(i) Reports.--
(1) Initial report.--Not later than 1 year after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with
the Federal Committee of the Plant Conservation Alliance, 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 identifying--
(A) ecoregional needs and recommendations for the
establishment of ecoregional hubs, including--
(i) recommended locations;
(ii) recommended service areas;
(iii) recommended investments in native
plant materials capacity, including workforce,
infrastructure, and research to support hubs;
and
(iv) estimated budgets (including estimated
budgets for infrastructure and staffing needs)
to carry out this Act;
(B) a list of partners for--
(i) the Center; and
(ii) each ecoregional hub established in
accordance with subparagraph (A); and
(C) scenarios requiring the use of plants that are
not native.
(2) Additional reports.--Not later than 5 years after the
date of enactment of this Act and every 5 years thereafter, the
Secretary, in coordination with the Federal interagency
partners, 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 identifying--
(A) the adequacy of native seed inventories for
post-disaster restoration, rehabilitation, and
revegetation;
(B) the adequacy of native seed collection,
processing, and storage programs in light of current
and anticipated post-disaster restoration,
rehabilitation, and revegetation needs; and
(C) the adequacy of native seed and plant material
capacity and distribution for post-disaster
restoration, rehabilitation, and revegetation.
(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this Act, including
necessary infrastructure, $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025
through 2029.
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