[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 476 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 476
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the
Interior to carry out activities to provide for white oak restoration,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 6 (legislative day, February 5), 2025
Mr. McConnell (for himself and Mr. Warner) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the
Interior to carry out activities to provide for white oak restoration,
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 ``White Oak Resiliency Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF LAND-GRANT COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY.
In this Act, the term ``land-grant college or university'' means--
(1) an 1862 Institution (as defined in section 2 of the
Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of
1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601));
(2) an 1890 Institution (as defined in that section); and
(3) a 1994 Institution (as defined in section 532 of the
Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C.
301 note; Public Law 103-382)).
SEC. 3. WHITE OAK RESTORATION INITIATIVE COALITION.
(a) In General.--There is established the White Oak Restoration
Initiative Coalition (referred to in this section as the
``Coalition'')--
(1) as a voluntary collaborative group of public, State,
private, and nongovernmental organizations to carry out the
duties described in subsection (b); and
(2) in accordance with the charter entitled ``White Oak
Initiative Coalition Charter'' adopted by the White Oak
Initiative Board of Directors on March 21, 2023 (or a successor
charter).
(b) Duties.--In addition to the duties specified in the charter
described in subsection (a)(2), the duties of the Coalition are--
(1) to coordinate public, State, local, private, and
nongovernmental restoration of white oak in the United States;
(2) to make program and policy recommendations with respect
to--
(A) changes necessary to address Federal and State
policies that impede activities to improve the health,
resiliency, and natural regeneration of white oak;
(B) adopting or modifying Federal and State
policies to increase the pace and scale of white oak
regeneration and resiliency of white oak;
(C) options to enhance communication, coordination,
and collaboration between forest land owners,
particularly for cross-boundary projects, to improve
the health, resiliency, and natural regeneration of
white oak;
(D) research gaps that should be addressed to
improve the best available science on white oak;
(E) outreach to forest landowners with white oak or
white oak regeneration potential; and
(F) options and policies necessary to improve the
quality and quantity of white oak in tree nurseries;
and
(3) to submit the report under subsection (c).
(c) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Coalition shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture,
Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee on Natural
Resources and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of
Representatives a report describing the activities of the Coalition
during the period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act,
including the recommendations described in subsection (b)(2).
(d) Administrative Support, Technical Services, and Staff
Support.--The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of
Agriculture shall make such personnel available to the Coalition for
administrative support, technical services, and development and
dissemination of educational materials as the Secretaries determine to
be necessary to carry out this section.
(e) Nonapplicability of Federal Advisory Committee Act.--Chapter 10
of title 5, United States Code, shall not apply to the Coalition.
(f) Private Funding of White Oak Restoration Projects.--The
Secretary of Agriculture may make available funds to the Coalition to
carry out this section from funds in the accounts established pursuant
to section 1241(f) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3841(f)).
SEC. 4. FOREST SERVICE PILOT PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the
Chief of the Forest Service, shall establish and carry out 5 pilot
projects in national forests to restore white oak in those national
forests through white oak restoration and natural regeneration
practices.
(b) National Forests Reserved or Withdrawn From the Public
Domain.--At least 3 pilot projects required under subsection (a) shall
be carried out in national forests reserved or withdrawn from the
public domain.
(c) Authority To Enter Into Cooperative Agreements.--The Secretary
of Agriculture may enter into cooperative agreements to carry out the
pilot projects required under subsection (a).
SEC. 5. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR WHITE OAK ASSESSMENT AND PILOT
PROJECTS.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Covered land.--The term ``covered land'' means land
under the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary,
including a unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System and
abandoned mine land.
(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(b) Assessment.--
(1) In general.--As soon as practicable after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall carry out an
assessment of covered land to evaluate--
(A) whether white oak is present on the covered
land; and
(B) the potential to restore white oak forests on
the covered land.
(2) Use of information.--In carrying out the assessment
under paragraph (1), the Secretary may use information from
sources other than the Department of the Interior, including
information from--
(A) the White Oak Restoration Initiative Coalition
established by section 3(a); and
(B) the Chief of the Forest Service.
(3) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the
appropriate committees of Congress, and make publicly available
on the website of the Department of the Interior, a report
describing the results of the assessment carried out under
paragraph (1).
(c) Pilot Projects.--
(1) In general.--As soon as practicable after the date on
which the Secretary submits the report required under
subsection (b)(3), the Secretary shall establish and carry out
5 pilot projects on various areas of covered land, the purpose
of which is to restore and naturally regenerate white oak.
(2) Authority to enter into cooperative agreements.--The
Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements to carry out
the pilot projects required under paragraph (1).
SEC. 6. WHITE OAK REGENERATION AND UPLAND OAK HABITAT.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in
this section as the ``Secretary'') shall establish a nonregulatory
program to be known as the ``White Oak and Upland Oak Habitat
Regeneration Program'' (referred to in this section as the
``Program'').
(b) Duties.--In carrying out the Program, the Secretary shall--
(1) draw upon the best available science and management
plans for species of white oak to identify, prioritize, and
implement restoration and conservation activities that will
improve the growth of white oak within the United States;
(2) collaborate and coordinate with the White Oak
Restoration Initiative Coalition to prioritize white oak
restoration initiatives;
(3) adopt a white oak restoration strategy that--
(A) supports the implementation of a shared set of
science-based restoration and conservation activities
developed in accordance with paragraph (1);
(B) targets cost-effective projects with measurable
results; and
(C) maximizes restoration outcomes with no net gain
of Federal full-time equivalent employees; and
(4) establish the voluntary grant and technical assistance
program in accordance with subsection (e).
(c) Coordination.--In establishing the Program, the Secretary,
acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall consult with--
(1) the heads of Federal agencies, including--
(A) the Director of the United States Fish and
Wildlife Service; and
(B) the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation
Service; and
(2) the Governor of each State in which restoration efforts
will be carried out pursuant to the Program.
(d) Purposes.--The purposes of the Program include--
(1) coordinating restoration and conservation activities
among Federal, State, local, and Tribal entities and
conservation partners to address white oak restoration
priorities;
(2) improving and regenerating white oak and upland oak
forests and the wildlife habitat such forests provide;
(3) carrying out coordinated restoration and conservation
activities that lead to the increased growth of species of
white oak in native white oak regions on Federal, State,
Tribal, and private land;
(4) facilitating strategic planning to maximize the
resilience of white oak systems and habitats under changing
climate conditions;
(5) engaging the public through outreach, education, and
citizen involvement to increase capacity and support for
coordinated restoration and conservation activities for species
of white oak; and
(6) increasing scientific capacity to support the planning,
monitoring, and research activities necessary to carry out such
coordinated restoration and conservation activities.
(e) Grants and Assistance.--
(1) In general.--To the extent that funds are available to
carry out this section, the Secretary shall establish a
voluntary grant and technical assistance program (referred to
in this subsection as the ``grant program'') to achieve the
purposes of the Program described in subsection (d).
(2) Administration.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary shall enter into a
cooperative agreement with the National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation (referred to in this subsection as
the ``Foundation'') to manage and administer the grant
program.
(B) Funding.--After the Secretary enters into a
cooperative agreement with the Foundation under
subparagraph (A), the Foundation shall--
(i) for each fiscal year, receive amounts
to carry out this subsection in an advance
payment of the entire amount on October 1, or
as soon as practicable thereafter, of that
fiscal year;
(ii) invest and reinvest such amounts for
the benefit of the grant program; and
(iii) otherwise administer the grant
program to support partnerships between the
public and private sectors in accordance with
this section.
(3) Application of national fish and wildlife foundation
establishment act.--Amounts received by the Foundation to carry
out the grant program shall be subject to the National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act (16 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.),
excluding section 10(a) of that Act (16 U.S.C. 3709(a)).
SEC. 7. WHITE OAK TREE NURSERY SHORTAGES.
(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of
the Forest Service, shall develop and implement a national strategy to
increase the capacity of Federal, State, Tribal, and private tree
nurseries to address the nationwide shortage of white oak tree
seedlings.
(b) Elements.--The strategy required under subsection (a) shall--
(1) be based on the best available science and data, as
established by land-grant colleges and universities that have
demonstrated--
(A) scientific expertise relating to white oak;
(B) the ability to rapidly transfer technologies to
the stave industry;
(C) geographic proximity to concentrated areas of
white oak; and
(D) support for regional economic development; and
(2) identify and address--
(A) regional shortages of bareroot and container
white oak tree seedlings;
(B) regional white oak reforestation opportunities
and the seedling supply necessary to fulfill those
opportunities;
(C) opportunities to enhance white oak seedling
diversity and close gaps in seed inventories; and
(D) barriers to expanding, enhancing, or creating
new infrastructure to increase nursery capacity for
white oak tree seedlings.
SEC. 8. WHITE OAK RESEARCH.
(a) Research.--The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the
Chief of the Forest Service, shall enter into a memorandum of
understanding with a land-grant college or university to conduct
research on--
(1) white oak genes with resistance and stress tolerance;
(2) white oak trees that exhibit vigor for the purpose of
increasing survival and growth;
(3) establishing a diverse white oak seed bank capable of
responding to stressors;
(4) providing a sustainable supply of white oak seedlings
and genetic resources;
(5) reforestation of white oak through natural and
artificial regeneration; and
(6) the best methods for white oak reforestation on
abandoned mine land sites.
(b) Consultation.--In carrying out the research under subsection
(a), the land-grant college or university may consult with such States,
nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, and other
scientific bodies as the land-grant college or university determines to
be appropriate.
SEC. 9. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE.
(a) Partnerships.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Agriculture, acting
through the Director of the National Institute of Food and
Agriculture, shall enter into a partnership with an eligible
entity described in paragraph (2) to conduct research on
improving white oak species resiliency, health, and
preservation, including research on--
(A) population-scale sequencing;
(B) stress response traits;
(C) seedling physiology and performance; and
(D) white oak product development.
(2) Eligible entity.--An eligible entity referred to in
paragraph (1) is a land-grant college or university that has
demonstrated--
(A) scientific expertise relating to white oak;
(B) the ability to rapidly transfer technologies to
the stave industry;
(C) geographic proximity to concentrated areas of
white oak; and
(D) support for regional economic development.
(b) Priorities.--The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the
Director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, shall
prioritize research relating to the resistance of white oak to disease,
pest, heat, and drought in cultivated, new, and old-growth white oak
timber stands.
SEC. 10. NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE INITIATIVE.
The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the
Natural Resources Conservation Service, shall establish an initiative
on white oak--
(1) to re-establish white oak forests where appropriate;
(2) to improve the management of existing white oak forests
to foster natural regeneration of white oak; and
(3) to provide technical assistance to private landowners
to re-establish, improve management of, and naturally
regenerate white oak.
SEC. 11. AUTHORITIES.
To the maximum extent practicable, to carry out activities under
this Act and the amendments made by this Act, the Secretary of the
Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture shall use the authorities
provided under this Act and those amendments, in combination with
authorities under other provisions of law, including--
(1) good neighbor agreements under section 8206 of the
Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a); and
(2) stewardship contracting projects under section 604 of
the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591c).
<all>