Bill > HR1459

This bill establishes the Outdoor and Watershed Restoration Fund, a $60 billion initiative designed to support ecological restoration and resilience projects across the United States. The fund will be administered by the Secretary of Agriculture and will create two primary programs: a restoration and resilience grant program ($20 billion) and a Restoration and Resilience Partnership Program ($40 billion). The bill aims to improve forest conditions, rangeland health, watershed function, and wildlife habitat by providing funding to various eligible entities including state agencies, local governments, Tribal governments, and nonprofit organizations. A newly established Restoration Fund Advisory Council will provide recommendations on fund disbursement, landscape priorities, and project evaluation. The bill prioritizes projects that create jobs, involve collaborative processes, address shared priorities, and support lower-capacity or underserved communities. Key focus areas include wildfire risk reduction, ecological restoration, and improving outdoor access, with specific emphasis on projects in high-wildfire-potential areas and the wildland-urban interface. The bill explicitly requires that these funds supplement, not replace, existing conservation programs and mandates annual reporting to Congress on the fund's use and outcomes.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1459/all-info