To establish a North American Grasslands Conservation Council, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill creates a new federal grant program to conserve and restore grasslands across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It establishes a National Grasslands Conservation Council to develop strategies and recommend projects, along with Regional Councils for local input. The program provides funding for voluntary conservation easements, habitat restoration, invasive species management, and beneficial fire practices.
Who Benefits and How
Ranchers, farmers, and private landowners benefit from voluntary grant funding (up to $90 million/year by 2029) to maintain working lands while improving grassland health. Indian Tribes receive dedicated funding (10% set-aside) with no cost-share requirements for conservation using Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge. Conservation nonprofits, state fish and wildlife agencies, and hunting/sportsmen organizations benefit from new partnership opportunities and funding for habitat projects.
Who Bears the Burden and How
No groups face direct regulatory burdens - the program is entirely voluntary. Federal agencies (Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA) bear administrative costs of running the Council, grant program, and research coordination. Taxpayers fund the program at approximately $375 million over 5 years for grants plus additional amounts for research and pilot programs.
Key Provisions
- Creates North American Grasslands Conservation Council (13 members) and Regional Councils to guide strategy and project selection
- Establishes competitive grant program with $60-90 million/year for conservation easements, restoration, and management activities
- Requires 25% non-Federal cost-share (waived for Tribes)
- Mandates native seed research coordination and regenerative grazing pilot program on federal lands
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Establishes a comprehensive federal program to conserve, restore, and manage grassland ecosystems across North America through grants, research, and public-private partnerships
Key Policy Areas
Environment, Agriculture, Wildlife Conservation, Public Lands, Tribal Affairs
Primary Purpose
Establishes a comprehensive federal program to conserve, restore, and manage grassland ecosystems across North America through grants, research, and public-private partnerships
Policy Domains
General Provisions
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Grassland wildlife species
- Rural economies dependent on outdoor recreation
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Grant Program and Strategy (Sections 7-9)
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Private ranchers and farmers
- Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations
- Conservation land trusts
- Native seed producers
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal taxpayers
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Research and Data Collection (Sections 10-11)
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Native seed producers
- Federal land grazing permittees
- Climate researchers
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- USDA
- Department of Interior
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Governance Structure (Sections 5-6)
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- State fish and wildlife agencies
- Indian Tribes
- Conservation nonprofits
- Rancher and farmer organizations
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- US Fish and Wildlife Service (administrative burden)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMs. Mace (for herself, Ms. Davids of Kansas, Mr. Fitzpatrick, …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service and BLM, Indian Tribes
Positive-direction: Indian Tribes, Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations, Partners for Fish and Wildlife program, Tribal governments, Tribal natural resource agencies
Negative-direction: Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service and BLM, Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Conservation community organizations, Conservation land trusts, Conservation land trusts and NGOs
Positive-direction: Conservation community organizations, Conservation land trusts, Conservation land trusts and NGOs, Conservation nonprofits including hunting organizations, Conservation organizations, Grant recipients (ranchers, Tribes, conservation groups)
Negative-direction: Grant applicants (eligible entities)
Federal land grazing permittees, Grazing land coalitions and agricultural producer groups, Landowners in high-priority grassland areas
Hunters, anglers, and recreational shooters, Rural outdoor recreation economies
Conservation planners and researchers, Land managers doing restoration
Native seed producers, Native seed producers and collectors
Agricultural research institutions, Climate and agricultural researchers
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_director"
- → Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_commission"
- → Migratory Bird Conservation Commission
- "the_council"
- → North American Grasslands Conservation Council
- "the_director"
- → Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
- "the_commission"
- → Migratory Bird Conservation Commission
- "the_secretaries"
- → Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Agriculture
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
tallgrass, mixed grass, shortgrass, native prairie, sagebrush shrub-steppe, savanna grasslands, glades, wet meadows, coastal grasslands, and other related grassland ecosystems, including certain rangelands
observations, oral and written knowledge, practices, and beliefs of Indian Tribes that promote environmental sustainability and responsible stewardship of natural resources through relationships between humans and environmental systems
grazing land coalitions, agricultural/livestock producer groups, Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, land trusts, State/local governments, Federal agencies, NGOs, community-based organizations, private landowner groups, and regional fish and wildlife agencies
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology