S297-118

Introduced

To amend the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to authorize certain construction activities on public lands, and for other purposes.

118th Congress Introduced Feb 7, 2023

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 pilot programs for establishing and operating tree nurseries on federal public lands. It authorizes both the Department of the Interior (for public lands) and the Department of Agriculture's Forest Service (for National Forest System land) to set up nurseries using funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Who Benefits and How

Environmental conservation efforts benefit through expanded tree-planting capacity that supports carbon sequestration, soil erosion prevention, and improved air and water quality. Federal and regional land management agencies gain new resources for addressing conservation tree planting needs consistent with the Bureau of Land Management National Seed Strategy. Non-federal entities can enter cooperative agreements to use trees produced by these nurseries, expanding access to conservation resources. Workers in forestry and land management benefit from new hiring and training opportunities created by the program.

Who Bears the Burden and How

The Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture bear the administrative burden of establishing and operating the pilot programs, including hiring personnel, purchasing equipment, and constructing facilities. These agencies must implement programs across 5 states each (4 Western states plus 1 non-Western state). Federal taxpayers fund the program through previously appropriated Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds.

Key Provisions

  • Establishes pilot nursery programs on both Bureau of Land Management public lands and National Forest System land
  • Requires programs to operate in 5 states each: 4 Western states and 1 non-Western state (Vermont specifically named for the Forest Service program)
  • Authorizes construction of nursery infrastructure, equipment purchases, and facility construction on federal land
  • Permits cooperative agreements with non-federal entities to use nursery-produced trees
  • Mandates research on grazing and forest management focused on carbon sequestration, soil erosion prevention, and air/water quality improvement
  • Authorizes hiring and training of personnel to carry out nursery activities

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

This bill amends the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to authorize pilot programs for establishing and operating nurseries on public lands and National Forest System land.

Key Policy Areas

Environment, Agriculture

Primary Purpose

This bill amends the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to authorize pilot programs for establishing and operating nurseries on public lands and National Forest System land.

Policy Domains

Environment Agriculture

Legislative Progress

Introduced
Introduced Committee Passed
Feb 7, 2023

Mr. Sanders introduced the following bill; which was read twice …

Impact analysis is available but no clear stakeholder effects identified. View clause-level analysis →

Bill Structure & Actor Mappings

Who is "The Secretary" in each section?

Domains
Environment Agriculture
Actor Mappings
"the_secretary"
→ Secretary of the Interior
"the_administrator"
→ Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service

Key Definitions

Terms defined in this bill

1 term
"Secretary concerned" §S1(c)(1)

The Secretary of the Interior with respect to public lands and other Federal land under their jurisdiction, or the Secretary of Agriculture acting through the Chief of the Forest Service with respect to National Forest System land.

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