DRIP Act of 2019

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 5100 To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a grant program to remove nonnative plant species that contribute to drought conditions, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NOVEMBER 14, 2019 Mr. O’HALLERAN (for himself and Mr. SCHWEIKERT) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture A BILL To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a grant program to remove nonnative plant species that con- tribute to drought conditions, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Drought Relief 4 through Innovative Projects Act of 2019’’ or the ‘‘DRIP 5 Act of 2019’’. 6 SEC. 2. NONNATIVE PLANT SPECIES REMOVAL GRANT PRO- 7 GRAM. 8 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:18 Nov 26, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5100.IH H5100 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 5100 IH (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti- 1 ty’’ means a partnership between 2 or more entities 2 that— 3 (A) shall include— 4 (i) at least 1 flood control district; 5 and 6 (ii) at least 1 city, county, township, 7 town, borough, parish, village, or other 8 general purpose political subdivision of a 9 State or Indian tribe (as defined in section 10 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and 11 Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 12 5304)); and 13 (B) may include any other entity (such as 14 a nonprofit organization or institution of higher 15 education), as determined by the Secretary. 16 (2) NONNATIVE PLANT SPECIES.—The term 17 ‘‘nonnative plant species’’ means a plant species 18 that— 19 (A) is nonnative or alien to an ecosystem; 20 and 21 (B) if introduced to that ecosystem, will 22 cause, or is likely to cause, economic harm, en- 23 vironmental harm, or harm to human health. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:34 Nov 22, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5100.IH H5100 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 5100 IH (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 1 the Secretary of Agriculture. 2 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall establish 3 a grant program to award grants, on a competitive basis, 4 to eligible entities— 5 (1) to remove nonnative plant species in ripar- 6 ian areas that contribute to drought conditions; 7 (2) to replace those nonnative plant species 8 with native plant species; and 9 (3) to maintain and monitor riparian areas in 10 which nonnative plant species have been removed 11 and replaced. 12 (c) APPLICATIONS.— 13 (1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a 14 grant under this section, an eligible entity shall sub- 15 mit to the Secretary an application at such time, in 16 such manner, and containing such information as 17 the Secretary may require, including— 18 (A) a plan for how the eligible entity will 19 use grant funds to carry out the activities de- 20 scribed in paragraphs (1) through (3) of sub- 21 section (b); 22 (B) a description of the manner in which 23 the eligible entity has carried out the consulta- 24 tion required under paragraph (2); and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:34 Nov 22, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5100.IH H5100 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 5100 IH (C) information demonstrating that each 1 native plant species described in subsection 2 (b)(2) will— 3 (i)(I) reduce flood risk; 4 (II) improve hydrology and water 5 storage capacities; or 6 (III) reduce fire hazard; and 7 (ii) protect and restore rivers and 8 streams and associated riparian habitats, 9 including fish and wildlife resources that 10 are dependent on those habitats. 11 (2) CONSULTATION.—An eligible entity seeking 12 a grant under this section shall consult with local 13 stakeholders, including conservation groups, to cre- 14 ate the plan described in paragraph (1)(A). 15 (d) REPORT.—An eligible entity that receives a grant 16 under this section shall submit to the Secretary a report 17 at such time, in such manner, and containing such infor- 18 mation as the Secretary may require, including informa- 19 tion on methodology and outcomes of nonnative plant spe- 20 cies removal and replacement efforts. 21 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 22 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:34 Nov 22, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5100.IH H5100 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 5100 IH $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2020 and each fiscal year 1 thereafter. 2 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:34 Nov 22, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H5100.IH H5100 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS