Sec. 3. Outdoor and Watershed Restoration Fund
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/bill/119/s/670/is/section-3A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
There is established in the Treasury an Outdoor and Watershed Restoration Fund. The purpose of the Fund is to provide funding for the grant program and the Restoration and Resilience Partnership Program under section 6. Amounts in the Fund shall be used by the Secretary through a transparent process— in coordination with the Council, to carry out the grant program; and to carry out the Restoration and Resilience Partnership Program under section 6. Activities carried out under this Act shall complement, not duplicate or replace, existing Federal conservation, restoration, and resilience programs.
A restoration and resilience project on Federal land or non-Federal land developed or implemented using amounts provided under this Act shall be carried out in accordance with applicable law and available authorities. Amounts provided under this Act shall supplement, not supplant, any Federal, State, or other funds otherwise made available to an eligible entity for activities described in this Act. To facilitate interagency cooperation and enhance the speed and scale of results of activities carried out using amounts in the Fund— matching funds or cost-sharing requirements of a covered authority may be satisfied through the contribution of funding from— 1 or more other covered authorities; or funds appropriated under section 8; and the Secretary shall modify, expand, or streamline eligibility and verification criteria for covered authorities to maximize flexibility, speed, and use of Federal funds in the most effective manner to achieve outcomes of activities using amounts in the Fund.
In using amounts in the Fund, the Secretary may use a contract, grant agreement, or fixed amount award to purchase successfully implemented restoration and resilience project outcomes from qualifying projects, as determined by the Secretary, at a negotiated per-unit price. The Secretary of the Treasury, or a designee, may establish in the Treasury an account to accept contributions of non-Federal funds for the Fund. Contributions of non-Federal funds received for the Fund shall be— deposited into the account established under paragraph (1); and available to the Secretary, without further appropriation and until expended, to carry out activities described in subsection (c).
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Inspector General of the Department of Agriculture shall prepare and submit to the Committees on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and Appropriations of the Senate and the Committees on Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Appropriations of the House of Representatives a report describing the use, and any abuse or misuse, as applicable, of the Fund by the Secretary with respect to— the grant program; and the Restoration and Resilience Partnership Program established by section 6.