Ecosystem Restoration in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: Overview and Issues for Congress

Congressional interest in ecosystem restoration focuses on federal activities for specific geographic regions, such as the Everglades, Chesapeake Bay, and the Great Lakes, as well as federal restoration programs and activities. Congress has passed laws authorizing the structure, purpose, and governance of restoration initiatives and programs and has provided appropriations for their implementation. Congress passed numerous ecosystem restoration-related provisions in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 117-58), which was signed into law on November 15, 2021. The IIJA contains numerous provisions that authorized and funded federal ecosystem restoration activities. Some provisions directly addressed ecosystems or components of an ecosystem (e.g., actions to remove in-stream barriers); other provisions addressed ecosystem restoration indirectly (e.g., activities to restore landscapes after energy or mineral extraction). Divisions A through G of the law included new or amended authorizations for a wide range of government activities broadly related to infrastructure, some of which address ecosystem restoration. Division J of the law provided emergency supplemental appropriations, some of which were for ecosystem restoration or related activities. Congress appropriated some of this funding as a one-time appropriation for FY2022 and spread out other funding over FY2022 through FY2026. Some of the most prominent ecosystem restoration-related provisions in the IIJA included the following: Appropriating $7.81 billion in funding for forestry, federal land management, and wildfire-related activities, many of which relate directly or indirectly to ecosystem restoration, to the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service (in the U.S. Department of Agriculture) Appropriating $1.90 billion for authorized U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ecosystem restoration construction projects Appropriating $1 billion for a new National Culvert Removal, Replacement, and Restoration Grant Program in the Department of Transportation Extending the authorization for the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund mandatory appropriations until FY2026 Appropriating $492 million for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) National Oceans and Coastal Security Fund and $491 million for NOAA habitat restoration activities Appropriating $1.72 billion for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Geographic Programs, which support restoration efforts in specific water bodies, such as the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay Appropriating $255 million for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s regional ecosystem restoration activities Authorizing and appropriating $250 million for the Bureau of Reclamation’s new Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Program Congress may consider several questions and issues associated with new authorizations and increased funding for ecosystem restoration under the IIJA. Questions may include (1) whether the restoration programs that the IIJA addresses are adequately coordinated with existing efforts and follow an effective strategy, (2) if federal and nonfederal entities can promptly and effectively obligate restoration funding, and (3) how best to monitor the implementation progress and performance of these restoration activities.