[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5316 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5316

   To establish a carbon sequestration pilot program under which the 
  Secretary of the Interior may make grants for projects to evaluate 
 methods to increase the amount of carbon captured on qualified public 
     lands in order to achieve a wide range of benefits, including 
  reductions in greenhouse gases, increased water retention and water 
 quality in watersheds, nutrient cycling, reduced erosion, and forage 
                                quality.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 24, 2016

 Mr. Huffman introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish a carbon sequestration pilot program under which the 
  Secretary of the Interior may make grants for projects to evaluate 
 methods to increase the amount of carbon captured on qualified public 
     lands in order to achieve a wide range of benefits, including 
  reductions in greenhouse gases, increased water retention and water 
 quality in watersheds, nutrient cycling, reduced erosion, and forage 
                                quality.

    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 ``Healthy Soils and Rangelands 
Solutions Act''.

SEC. 2. CARBON SEQUESTRATION PILOT PROGRAM.

    (a) Program Required.--Not later than one year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior, acting 
through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management, shall establish 
a Carbon Sequestration Pilot Program to make grants to eligible 
entities for projects to carry out eligible activities.
    (b) Science Advisory Board.--As part of the program, the Secretary 
shall establish a science advisory board to provide analysis and 
recommendations regarding--
            (1) the selection of eligible entities and eligible 
        activities to receive grants under the program, based on the 
        best available science; and
            (2) appropriate monitoring requirements to be required 
        under subsection (c).
    (c) Monitoring and Reporting.--As a condition of a grant under the 
program, the grant recipient shall comply with monitoring and reporting 
requirements to quantify project performance and communicate results.
    (d) Innovation Competition.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall make grants, through a 
        challenge competition, to eligible entities for projects to 
        carry out innovative approaches to eligible activities.
            (2) Listing.--The Secretary shall list the challenge 
        competition under this subsection on www.challenge.gov (or any 
        successor website of the Federal Government that lists 
        challenge competitions run by Federal agencies).
    (e) Outreach, Education, and Technical Assistance.--The Secretary--
            (1) may provide technical assistance for eligible 
        activities; and
            (2) shall expand outreach and education with respect to 
        carbon sequestration and best practices related to eligible 
        activities.
    (f) Acceptance of Outside Funds.--The Secretary may accept 
nonappropriated funds, including funds from other public sources, 
private companies, nonprofit organizations, or foundations, to carry 
out the program.
    (g) Reports to Congress.--With respect to each project administered 
under the program, not later than three years after the awarding of the 
grant, at least every two years thereafter for the duration of the 
project, and not later than 180 days after the completion of the 
project, the Secretary, working with grantees and any other agencies of 
jurisdiction shall submit a report to Congress detailing--
            (1) the progress and accomplishments of the project in 
        general;
            (2) a detailed summary and estimate of the volume of carbon 
        sequestered due to project activities;
            (3) a summary of education and outreach efforts related to 
        the project; and
            (4) a set of recommendations for land management best 
        practices based on the outcome of the project.
    (h) Definitions.--For the purposes of this section:
            (1) Biochar.--The term ``biochar'' means carbonized biomass 
        produced by converting feedstock through reductive thermal 
        processing.
            (2) Compost.--The term ``compost'' means a biologically 
        stable organic material suitable for use as a amendment that is 
        produced by the controlled aerobic decomposition of manure or 
        other organic material, not including sewage sludge or 
        biosolids, by microorganisms.
            (3) Eligible activity.--The term ``eligible activity'' 
        means a project for sequestering carbon through--
                    (A) grazing practices;
                    (B) restoring degraded qualified public lands;
                    (C) application of compost on qualified public 
                lands; or
                    (D) using biochar as an amendment on qualified 
                public lands.
            (4) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means an 
        owner or operator of qualified public lands, a university, a 
        nongovernmental organization, or an Indian tribe.
            (5) Program.--The term ``program'' means the Carbon 
        Sequestration Pilot Program established by this section.
            (6) Qualified public lands.--The term ``qualified public 
        lands'' means any land and interest in land owned by the United 
        States within the several States and administered by the 
        Secretary of the Interior through the Bureau of Land 
        Management, the National Park Service, or the United States 
        Fish and Wildlife Service, without regard to how the United 
        States acquired ownership, except lands located on the Outer 
        Continental Shelf.
            (7) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Bureau of 
        Land Management.
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