The Protect the West Act of 2023 creates a $60 billion fund to pay for restoration projects across the western United States. The money will be split between two main programs: $20 billion for grants to states, local governments, tribes, and nonprofits to plan and carry out restoration work, and $40 billion for the federal government to directly manage restoration projects on public lands and partner with private landowners.

The bill focuses on four main types of restoration: improving forest health, restoring grasslands and rangelands, fixing damaged watersheds, and protecting wildlife habitats. A key priority is reducing wildfire risk, especially in areas where homes and forests meet. The law emphasizes using the best available science and working collaboratively with local communities, tribes, and different interest groups—including agriculture, oil and gas, outdoor recreation, and conservation organizations.

To receive grants, eligible organizations must show how their projects will create or maintain jobs, work with multiple stakeholders, and align with state and tribal plans. The bill also includes protections, such as prohibiting projects in wilderness areas or old-growth forests, and requires annual reports to Congress on how the money is being spent and what results it's achieving. Additionally, the law allows federal agencies to streamline their approval processes and waive certain matching fund requirements for communities that have fewer resources or less experience applying for federal grants.

Protect the West Act of 2023

Bennet, Michael F.

Protect the West Act of 2023 This bill establishes and provides funding for the Restoration and Resilience Grant Program and the Restoration and Resilience Partnership Program. Specifically, the bill establishes in the Treasury an Outdoor and Watershed Restoration Fund to provide funding for such programs. The bill establishes a Restoration Fund Advisory Council to provide recommendations to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) respecting the disbursement of amounts from the fund for the grant program, priority setting for landscapes, and evaluation and monitoring for restoration and resilience project success. The grant program shall provide grants or pay-for-performance contracts to eligible entities (e.g., a state agency, a unit of local government, or a tribal government) for <ul> <li>increasing the capacity for planning, coordinating, and monitoring restoration and resilience projects on nonfederal land and providing support for collaboration and monitoring on federal land; and</li> <li>supporting, on nonfederal land, restoration and resilience projects, efforts to improve wildfire resistive construction and reduce risks within the home ignition zone, and projects to expand equitable outdoor access.</li> </ul> Under the Restoration and Resilience Partnership Program, USDA shall carry out restoration and resilience projects that reduce wildfire potential, improve community resilience in the wildland-urban interface, or restore wildlife habitat.