Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Natural Infrastructure Act of 2022”.
Natural Infrastructure Act of 2022
A BILL
To require the Secretary of the Interior, in coordination with the Secretary of Agriculture, to establish a joint natural infrastructure science program, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Findings
Congress finds that—
the American Society of Civil Engineers has estimated that the direct, cumulative repair needs for public infrastructure in the United States is $4,600,000,000,000; and
installing natural infrastructure is often lower-cost, more resilient, and more beneficial to the public than repairing or replacing gray infrastructure.
Sec. 3 Definitions
In this Act:
Natural infrastructure— The term natural infrastructure means constructed landscape features and systems that employ nature-based solutions that promote, use, restore, or emulate natural ecological processes.
Program— The term Program means the joint natural infrastructure science program established under section 4(a).
Secretary— The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United States Geological Survey.
Sec. 4 Joint natural infrastructure science program
Establishment— The Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall establish a joint natural infrastructure science program to respond to the emerging research needs of civil engineers, local governments, developers, and the construction industry.
Coordination— In administering the Program, the Secretary shall work closely with research programs at institutions of higher education to supplement the current research efforts undertaken by those institutions of higher education.
Purposes— The principal purposes of the Program shall be—
to provide, with respect to natural infrastructure, practical research that—
is responsive to the needs of civil engineers, local governments, developers, and the construction industry; and
takes into account, to the maximum extent practicable, local cultural considerations;
to engage with and listen to clients of the Program, including civil engineers, local governments, developers, and the members of the construction industry—
to learn the needs of those clients; and
to develop focused, strategic lines of new research responsive to those needs;
to solicit proposals from scientists for funding provided under the Program; and
to award funding to those scientists through a competitive, rigorous peer-review process that is designed to ensure that the best projects are funded; and
to disseminate research findings, including associated environmental valuations, using a suite of communication tools to ensure that civil engineers, local governments, developers, and members of the construction industry are aware of, understand, and can use the information to make sound decisions and implement projects.
Program plan— Not later than September 30, 2023, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives a Program plan that includes—
an assessment of the current state of knowledge about natural infrastructure;
an integrated approach to improve knowledge sharing;
an approach for project monitoring and evaluation; and
an approach for setting research priorities.
Stakeholder advisory group—
Membership— The Secretary shall establish a stakeholder advisory group consisting of technical experts, including, at a minimum, 5 individuals selected from among the following potential members:
A representative of a local government.
A developer.
A representative of a construction industry association or construction company.
A civil engineer or environmental engineer.
A researcher from an institution of higher education.
A member of an Alaska Native organization, a Native Hawaiian organization, or an Indian Tribe (as those terms are defined in section 2 of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (25 U.S.C. 3001)) with experience with natural infrastructure.
An environmental scientist.
Duties— The stakeholder advisory group established under paragraph (1) shall meet not less frequently than annually—
to consider both immediate and long-term scientific needs with respect to research relating to natural infrastructure;
to suggest to the Secretary appropriate topic areas for research relating to natural infrastructure, specific issues to be researched within those topic areas, and information transfer needs for which the Secretary shall solicit proposals in accordance with subsection (c)(3); and
to assist the Secretary in drafting the Program plan described in subsection (d).
Authorization of appropriations— For each of fiscal years 2023 through 2033, there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $4,000,000, including for activities to be carried out by the Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture under this section.
Sec. 5 Assessment of natural infrastructure projects
Evaluation— Subject to the availability of appropriations, beginning in fiscal year 2023, the Secretary shall annually—
select not fewer than 30 natural infrastructure projects completed under the Program or by any other entity or individual in the United States; and
assess the costs and effectiveness of those natural infrastructure projects.
Geographic and project diversity— The Secretary, to the maximum extent practicable, shall select natural infrastructure projects under subsection (a)(1) that, taken together, reflect a diversity of—
geographic locations; and
types of natural infrastructure.
Report— Beginning in fiscal year 2024, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall publish a report that—
lists the natural infrastructure projects selected under subsection (a)(1);
discloses—
the costs of those natural infrastructure projects; and
the results of the assessment of the effectiveness of those natural infrastructure projects carried out under subsection (a)(2); and
if applicable, includes recommendations to improve the construction, costs, and effectiveness of future natural infrastructure projects.