Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Watershed Results Act”.
Watershed Results Act
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior, in coordination with the heads of relevant Federal agencies, to carry out watershed pilots, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Definitions
In this Act:
Advance watershed analytics— The term advance watershed analytics means the technical analysis that is—
conducted before making funding available for a watershed pilot; and
necessary—
to identify specific high-impact outcome projects across an entire watershed;
to identify project costs and implementation feasibility constraints;
to identify how different groups of projects impact overall watershed targets; and
to develop scenarios that—
maximize outcomes; and
are feasible to quickly implement at scale.
Federal financial source— The term Federal financial source means an award, grant, loan, guarantee, incentive, or credit enhancement funding available to Federal agencies participating in watershed pilots.
Fund— The term Fund means an Environmental Outcomes Fund established by the head of a Federal department or agency under section 4(c)(1).
Management team— The term management team means the management team for a watershed pilot designated under section 3(c)(2).
Outcome— The term outcome means—
a quantifiable reduction in nutrient or sediment runoff;
a quantifiable reduction in thermal load;
a quantifiable increase in dissolved oxygen;
a quantifiable increase in surface water or groundwater that functionally benefits fish and wildlife species; or
any other quantifiable benefit identified by the management team as being desirable in the applicable watershed.
Pay-for-performance contract— The term pay-for-performance contract means a contract to purchase successfully implemented outcomes at a negotiated per-unit price.
Plan— The term plan means an actionable implementation and funding plan developed for a watershed pilot under section 3(d)(1).
Qualifying project— The term qualifying project means a project that efficiently achieves 1 or more outcomes in pursuit of a plan, as prioritized through advance watershed analytics.
Secretary— The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.
Watershed pilot— The term watershed pilot means a watershed pilot established under section 3(a).
Sec. 3 Watershed pilots
In general— Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act and subject to subsection (i), the Secretary, acting in coordination with the Secretary of Agriculture and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, shall establish a total of not less than 2 and not more than 5 watershed pilots.
Consultation— In establishing a watershed pilot under subsection (a), the Secretary shall—
consult with the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality in implementing the watershed pilot; and
regularly submit to the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality reports describing the status and implementation of the watershed pilot.
Management of watershed pilots—
Management by Secretary— Management and responsibility for each watershed pilot shall be led by the Secretary.
Management team— The Secretary shall designate a management team for the watershed pilot, which shall be composed of—
representatives appointed by the Secretary; and
representatives from 1 or more other Federal departments or agencies participating in the watershed pilot.
Consultation— In establishing and carrying out a watershed pilot, the Secretary and the management team shall consult with—
State, local, and Tribal representatives;
nongovernmental organizations;
private sector representatives; and
such other individuals or entities as the Secretary and the management team determine to be appropriate.
Plan—
In general— Not later than 1 year after the date on which a watershed pilot is established, the management team for the applicable watershed pilot shall develop and implement a 5-year plan for carrying out the watershed pilot.
Requirements— A plan shall incorporate—
advance watershed analytics to establish milestones, outcome targets, an implementation plan, and a timeline for achieving the milestones, targets, and full implementation;
a coordinated cross-agency funding strategy that will—
achieve the milestones and outcome targets established under subparagraph (A) in an effective and flexible manner by efficiently and quickly delivering Federal financial sources to qualifying projects;
leverage amounts made available under sections 4(c)(4) and 7 with existing Federal financial sources;
use Federal financial sources and amounts from the Fund to leverage and attract investments from private or philanthropic sources to accelerate greater outcomes-based results; and
concentrate Federal financial source commitments from multiple agencies in a watershed pilot during the period of the watershed pilot;
annually updated progress tracking against milestones and targets; and
such other information as the Secretary determines to be relevant to achieve outcomes on an accelerated timeline.
Consultation and review— A plan shall be—
developed in consultation with the head of each Federal department and agency participating in the watershed pilot; and
reviewed annually by the management team.
Notification— On adoption of each plan, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives a notification that the watershed pilot has been established and the plan has been adopted.
Disbursement of funds to qualifying projects— Not later than 30 days after the date on which the management team for a watershed pilot verify outcomes from the qualifying project, the Secretary and the management team for the watershed pilot shall disburse amounts from Federal financial sources, including amounts made available under sections 4(c)(4) and 7, to a qualifying project, through pay-for-performance contracts, at agreed upon outcome prices.
Minimum outcome prices— Not later than 1 year after the date on which a watershed pilot is established, the Secretary and the management team for the watershed pilot shall set and publish minimum per-unit outcome prices.
Use of advance watershed analytics— The Secretary and the management team for each watershed pilot shall use advance watershed analytics throughout the planning, implementation, measuring, and monitoring of outcomes within the watershed pilot.
Authority for additional pilots and agencies— The Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, in consultation with the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives, shall approve—
the establishment of more than 5 watershed pilots under this section; and
the participation in watershed pilots under this section of a Federal department or agency other than those described in subsection (a).
Sec. 4 Financing and funding of watershed pilots
Use of pay-For-Performance contracts— In carrying out a watershed pilot, the head of a Federal department or agency participating in the watershed pilot shall enter into a pay-for-performance contract to achieve outcome-based goals described in the plan developed for the watershed pilot.
Flexibility under existing programs— The head of each Federal department or agency participating in a watershed pilot shall modify, expand, or streamline eligibility and verification criteria for existing Federal financial sources to maximize flexibility, speed, and use of Federal funds in the most effective manner to achieve outcomes under the watershed pilot.
Environmental outcomes funds—
In general— The head of each Federal department or agency participating in a watershed pilot shall establish an Environmental Outcomes Fund.
Use of fund— Amounts in a Fund shall only be expended on pay-for-performance contracts under a watershed pilot.
Criteria— Amounts in a Fund shall be expended in accordance with—
this Act, including the plan developed for the applicable watershed pilot; and
criteria established by the Secretary and the management team for the applicable watershed pilot, which shall include criteria for—
eligibility of qualifying projects;
types of qualifying projects;
the timing of the disbursement of funds; and
such other matters as the Secretary and the management team determine to be appropriate.
Mandatory funding—
In general— Out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, on October 1, 2022, and on each October 1 thereafter through October 1, 2027, the Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer $15,000,000 to the head of each Federal department or agency to be deposited in the Fund.
Receipt and acceptance— The head of a Federal department or agency described in subparagraph (A) shall be entitled to receive, shall accept, and shall deposit into the Fund for use in accordance with this subsection the funds transferred under subparagraph (A), without further appropriation.
Report to congress— If a watershed pilot is established as a permanent program, the Secretary may submit to Congress recommendations for modifications to funding levels and a permanent authorization of funding for the permanent program.
Cost-Share waiver— Any otherwise applicable cost-share requirements for existing Federal financial resources, including under section 212(a)(1) of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1729(a)(1)), shall be waived for watershed pilots carried out using amounts made available under this Act.
Sec. 5 Reports
Definition of appropriate committees of congress— In this section, the term appropriate committees of Congress means—
of the Senate—
the Committee on Appropriations;
the Committee on Environment and Public Works; and
the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; and
of the House of Representatives—
the Committee on Appropriations;
the Committee on Natural Resources;
the Committee on Agriculture; and
the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.
Annual reports— The Secretary shall, not later than the date on which the budget of the United States Government is submitted by the President under section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, for each fiscal year for which the watershed pilot is being carried out, submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report describing the status of each watershed pilot, including progress towards the milestones described in section 3(d)(2)(A).
5-Year report— Not later than October 1 of the fifth fiscal year in which a watershed pilot is carried out under section 3, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report describing, in accordance with the plan developed for the applicable watershed pilot—
a summary of—
the projected results of the watershed pilot in meeting the milestones described in section 3(d)(2)(A);
the projected outcomes of the watershed pilot described in that section;
the total amount of funds made available under the watershed pilot;
the type of funding expended under the watershed pilot; and
such other information as the Secretary determines to be appropriate; and
recommendations for continuing, terminating, or making permanent the watershed pilot.
Environmental outcomes funds—
Agency heads— The head of each Federal department or agency participating in a watershed pilot shall, not later than the date on which the budget of the United States Government is submitted by the President under section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, for each fiscal year for which the watershed pilot is being carried out, submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report describing the outcomes achieved using amounts made available from, management of, and expenditures from, the Fund established by the agency head.
Inspectors general—
Audit— The Inspector General of each Federal department or agency participating in a watershed pilot shall conduct a biannual audit of the management of, and funding (including expenditures) relating to, the Fund established by the agency head for the purpose of ensuring proper and effective use of Federal funding by evaluating the effectiveness of the watershed pilot in achieving the plan developed for the watershed pilot, including an evaluation of the outcomes achieved and the Federal financial sources used to achieve those outcomes.
Reports— The Inspector General of each Federal department or agency participating in a watershed pilot shall, not later than the date on which the budget of the United States Government is submitted by the President under section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, for each fiscal year for which the watershed pilot is being carried out, submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report describing the 2 audits most recently conducted under subparagraph (A).
Sec. 6 Duration
Each watershed pilot shall terminate on the date that is 5 years after the date on which the notification is submitted under section 3(e) with respect to that watershed pilot.
Sec. 7 Authorization of appropriations
There are authorized to be appropriated—
for each watershed pilot, $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2027, which shall be in addition to the amounts made available under section 4(c)(4); and
to carry out advance watershed analytics for each watershed pilot, $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2024.