# Plain Language Summary: Land Restoration and Resiliency Act of 2022

This bill creates a new fund called the Community Resilience and Restoration Fund to help protect and restore natural lands across the country. The fund would be managed by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization that works with the government on conservation projects. The basic idea is to give money to communities, tribes, nonprofits, and government agencies so they can work on projects that make their local lands healthier and better able to handle climate-related disasters like wildfires, droughts, and extreme heat.

The fund would support a wide range of land restoration work. This includes treating forests to reduce wildfire risk, removing invasive plants that damage ecosystems, restoring areas damaged by wildfires or overgrazing, protecting wildlife habitats, and improving water quality. The bill also emphasizes nature-based solutions that help store carbon naturally in the soil and plants, which can help fight climate change. Projects could happen on public lands, private property (with owner permission), or tribal lands. The bill specifically requires that money be made available to historically underserved communities, including tribal nations, communities of color, and rural areas that might otherwise struggle to fund these projects on their own.

To make this work, the bill would provide $100 million per year for six years (2023-2028). At least $10 million of that would go each year specifically to support tribal projects, and at least 8 percent would be reserved for planning and building capacity in communities. The bill limits administrative costs to just 4 percent, meaning most money goes directly to actual restoration work. The foundation would run a competitive grant process where eligible organizations apply for funding, and the bill requires annual reports to Congress showing what projects were funded, how much land was treated, and what benefits were created for communities and wildlife.

Land Restoration and Resiliency Act of 2022

Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2]

Land Restoration and Resiliency Act of 2022 This bill directs the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to enter into cooperative agreements with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to establish the Community Resilience and Restoration Fund at the foundation, for purposes including to <ul> <li>improve community safety in the face of climactic extremes through conservation and protection of restoration and resilience lands;</li> <li> protect, conserve, and restore restoration and resilience lands in order to help communities respond and adapt to natural threats, including wildfire, drought, extreme heat, and other threats posed or exacerbated by the impacts of global climate; and </li> <li>protect and enhance the biodiversity of wildlife populations across restoration and resilience lands. </li> </ul> The bill defines restoration and resilience lands as fish, wildlife, and plant habitats, and other important natural areas in the United States, on public lands, private land (after obtaining proper consent from the landowner), or land of Indian tribes, including grasslands, shrublands, prairies, chaparral lands, forest lands, deserts, and riparian or wetland areas within or adjacent to these ecosystems. To the extent amounts are available in the fund, the foundation shall award grants to eligible entities (e.g., a federal agency, a unit of local government, an Indian tribe, or a nonprofit organization) through a competitive grant process to carry out eligible projects and activities.