Bill Summary
This proposed bill, titled the "Native Plant Species Pilot Program Act of 2020," aims to establish a pilot program in 2 or more National Park Service regions to promote the use of native plant materials in land management activities on federal land. It also requires the Secretary of the Interior to give preference to locally adapted native plant materials and incorporate efforts to prevent, control, and eradicate the spread of invasive species. The bill also calls for a study to determine the cost-effectiveness of using native plant materials in land management activities on federal land. The pilot program will be in effect for 5 years and will be evaluated and reported to Congress. The bill authorizes necessary funds for its implementation.
Possible Impacts
1. The pilot program for native plant species could provide job opportunities for people working in the field of conservation or natural resource management.
2. The use of native plant materials in landscaping can reduce the need for herbicides and water use, leading to cost savings for individuals and businesses.
3. The study on cost-effectiveness of using native plant materials could inform future land management decisions and potentially save the government and taxpayers money.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6024 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6024
To establish a pilot program for native plant species, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 28, 2020
Mr. Cartwright (for himself, Ms. Stefanik, Mr. Morelle, Ms. Speier, Mr.
Hill of Arkansas, and Mr. McGovern) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
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,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Native Plant Species Pilot Program
Act of 2020''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) the United States has a significant interest in--
(A) preserving the worldwide system of richly
varied habitats;
(B) protecting native plant biodiversity and the
ecosystems that support that biodiversity; and
(C) protecting the quality of life of people in the
United States;
(2) native plants are an inseparable part of the natural
beauty of the landscape of the United States, which must be
preserved;
(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;
(4) native plants provide food and habitat for pollinators
and wildlife;
(5) native plants supply an important genetic record for
future food, agriculture, and plant-derived products;
(6) native plant communities are important components of
cultural landscapes;
(7) the use of native plant materials for restoration or
enhancement contributes to the preservation of cultural
landscapes;
(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;
(9) supporting native plant communities within or adjacent
to agricultural areas provides important wildlife habitat that
would not otherwise be available;
(10) the use of native plants in landscaping can reduce the
need for herbicides and water use; and
(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.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Control.--The term ``control'' means, with respect to
invasive species, containing, suppressing, or reducing
populations of invasive species.
(2) Eradicate.--The term ``eradicate'' means, with respect
to invasive species, removing or destroying an entire
population of invasive species.
(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.
(4) Locally adapted.--The term ``locally adapted'' means,
with respect to plants, plants that--
(A) originate from an area that is geographically
proximate to a planting area; and
(B) are environmentally adapted to and likely to
become established and persist in that planting area.
(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:
(A) Alaska.
(B) Arkansas-Rio Grande-Texas-Gulf.
(C) Columbia-Pacific Northwest.
(D) California-Great Basin.
(E) Great Lakes.
(F) Lower Colorado-Basin.
(G) Mississippi-Basin.
(H) Missouri-Basin.
(I) North Atlantic-Appalachian.
(J) Pacific Islands.
(K) South Atlantic-Gulf.
(L) Upper Colorado-Basin.
(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.
(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.
(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.
(9) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National
Park Service.
SEC. 4. PILOT PROGRAM FOR NATIVE PLANT SPECIES.
(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.
(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--
(1) to the extent practicable, give preference to the use
of locally adapted native plant materials;
(2) incorporate efforts to prevent, control, or eradicate
the spread of invasive species; and
(3) identify situations in which the use of nonnative or
alien plant materials may be warranted, including situations in
which--
(A) emergency conditions require the protection of
basic resource values;
(B) an interim nonpersistent measure is needed to
aid in the reestablishment of a native plant species;
(C) native plant materials are not reasonably
available; and
(D) the plant community subject to a land
management activity has been permanently altered.
(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--
(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) 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).
(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.
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this Act.
SEC. 5. STUDY ON COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF USING NATIVE PLANT MATERIALS IN
CARRYING OUT LAND MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES ON FEDERAL LAND.
(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.
(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).
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