23 U.S.C. § 332 — Pollinator-friendly practices on roadsides and highway rights-of-way

(a) In General The Secretary must set up a grant program. The grants pay for projects that help pollinators along roadsides and highway rights-of-way. That includes planting native grasses and wildflowers — like milkweed — that fit the local area. (b) Eligible Entities Three kinds of groups can get these grants: (1) a state department of transportation; (2) an Indian tribe; or (3) a federal land management agency. (c) Application To get a grant, an eligible entity must apply to the Secretary. The application must follow whatever timing, format, and content rules the Secretary sets, and it must include a "pollinator-friendly practices plan," described in subsection (d). (d) Pollinator-friendly Practices Plan (1) In general: The plan in the application must describe pollinator-friendly practices the entity has already used or plans to use. These can include: (A) mowing strategies that help early-growth plants and limit disturbance when pollinators are most active — such as mowing a smaller strip outside the safety zone, mowing higher, mowing less often, not mowing monarch habitat when monarchs are present, using a flushing bar and slower mowing speeds to avoid killing pollinators, or raking less; (B) an integrated vegetation management plan — using methods like removing trees and brush by hand, using herbicides carefully and only when needed, and mowing — to control weeds; (C) planting or seeding native, locally-appropriate grasses and wildflowers, including milkweed, to build pollinator habitat, including plants that pollinator larvae need; (D) taking non-native grasses out of seed mixes, except when used as temporary cover crops; (E) getting expert training or help on things like identifying native plants, establishing and managing native plants, land management that helps pollinators, and pollinator-focused vegetation management; or (F) any other pollinator-friendly practice the Secretary approves. (2) Coordination: When a state transportation department or federal land agency writes its plan, it must coordinate with the relevant state agencies — including the ones in charge of agriculture and of fish and wildlife. (3) Consultation: When writing the plan, a state transportation department or federal land agency must consult with any Indian tribes affected or interested. Any eligible entity may also consult with nonprofits, colleges, metropolitan planning organizations, and other relevant groups. (e) Award of Grants (1) In general: The Secretary must give a grant to every eligible entity whose application and plan the Secretary finds satisfactory. (2) Amount of grants: The grant amount depends on how many pollinator-friendly practices the entity has used or plans to use. No grant can be more than $150,000. (f) Use of Funds An entity that gets a grant must spend it on carrying out, improving, or expanding its plan from subsection (d). (g) Federal Share The federal government pays 100 percent of the cost of grant-funded activities. (h) Best Practices The Secretary must create and share with eligible entities a list of best practices, ranked by priority, for pollinator-friendly roadside work. (i) Technical Assistance If a grant recipient asks, the Secretary must help them carry out, improve, or expand their plan. (j) Administrative Costs Each year, the Secretary may spend up to 2 percent of the funds for this program on administrative costs. (k) Report Within 1 year after the first grant is given out, the Secretary must send a report on the program to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. (l) Authorization of Appropriations (1) In general: Congress may spend $2,000,000 a year on this program for fiscal years 2022 through 2026. (2) Availability: Money set aside for this program stays available for 3 years after the end of the fiscal year it was authorized for.