No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section defines terms used in the Act, including the Columbia River Basin, eligible entities for grants under the pilot program, habitat restoration projects, the Oregon and Washington Coastal Zone, the Pacific Northwest Migratory Bird Conservation pilot program, and the Secretary of the Interior acting through the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
This section establishes a voluntary Pacific Northwest Migratory Bird Conservation pilot program to award competitive grants and technical assistance for habitat restoration projects benefiting shorebirds, waterfowl, and other wetlands-dependent birds in the Oregon and Washington Coastal Zone and Columbia River Basin. Eligible projects include water infrastructure and vegetative habitat management on public, private, Tribal, or agricultural land. The Secretary may prioritize projects in areas of rapid habitat loss or population growth, those with long-term maintenance and monitoring plans, and those providing at least a 25 percent non-Federal share secured two years before application. Grantees may use no more than 10 percent of funds for monitoring and must expend funds within four years; grants may not fund projects meeting existing mitigation obligations.
This section directs the Secretary to submit a report to Congress not later than 180 days after enactment, and annually thereafter, describing implementation of the Act, including each habitat restoration project funded under the pilot program.
This section authorizes appropriations of $10 million annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to carry out the pilot program. It limits administrative costs to no more than 3 percent of the amounts made available each year and requires that the funds supplement, rather than replace, existing funding for related activities.