H.R. 10069: Military Readiness Through Resilient Lands Act

This bill would change how the Department of Defense manages natural resources on military installations under the Sikes Act. Its main purpose is to have the military use more standardized data, monitoring tools, and planning methods when managing land, water, wildlife, and other environmental conditions on bases.

What it would require

• The Secretary of Defense, working with the Interior Department, NOAA, and state agencies, would create and maintain installation-specific goals and metrics for tracking natural resources and ecosystem services on military installations.
• These metrics would cover things like:
  • threatened and endangered species and other wildlife
  • habitat extent, quality, and connectivity
  • water quality and water supply
  • wildfire risk and fuel conditions
  • soil health and vegetation condition
  • flood risk and watershed conditions
  • other environmental benefits or conditions tied to readiness, climate resilience, or community safety
• The Defense Department would be directed, when practicable and consistent with national security, to evaluate and use technologies and methods such as:
  • remote sensing
  • automated environmental monitoring networks
  • geographic information systems
  • artificial intelligence
  • other advanced data analytics tools
• Data collected through these tools would need to be updated regularly, when practicable, and used in decision-making for natural resources management, infrastructure resilience, and mission sustainment.
• When military installation plans are reviewed, the military would have to use these metrics and data to:
  • assess baseline conditions and trends
  • project future conditions
  • set measurable goals for maintaining or improving natural resources
  • adjust management plans if needed, including balancing improvements in one area against damage caused by mission-related activities elsewhere

Reporting requirements

The bill would also require the Secretary of Defense to send Congress supplemental information within two years after enactment, and again five years later, describing:

• progress in using the new metrics, technologies, and data
• whether those tools help compare environmental trends across different military installations
• whether they speed up or simplify environmental permitting and review processes
• recommendations for improving coordination and timeliness in those review and permitting processes

Other key point

The bill defines ecosystem services as the direct and indirect benefits that natural systems provide to people and communities.

Relevant Companies

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