Protect the West Act of 2025

The "Protect the West Act of 2025" establishes an Outdoor and Watershed Restoration Fund within the Treasury, appropriating a total of $60 billion to remain available until expended. This significant funding is allocated to support two primary initiatives: a restoration and resilience grant program and a Restoration and Resilience Partnership Program . The overarching purpose of the Fund is to provide resources for projects that measurably improve forest conditions, rangeland and native grassland health, watershed function, and wildlife habitat. The grant program , administered by the Secretary of Agriculture with guidance from a newly established Restoration Fund Advisory Council , aims to increase capacity for planning, coordinating, and monitoring restoration projects on non-Federal land, and to support collaboration on Federal land. It also funds projects on non-Federal land focused on restoration, wildfire-resistive construction, and expanding equitable outdoor access. Grants are available as capacity grants or implementation grants, with priority given to projects that create jobs, involve collaborative processes, address shared priorities, utilize watershed data analytics, and benefit lower-capacity or underserved communities. The Restoration and Resilience Partnership Program focuses on restoring and improving the ecological integrity of ecosystems across the United States, creating outdoor jobs, enhancing rangeland resilience against invasive species, and reducing uncharacteristic wildfires. The Secretary will designate partnership areas based on high wildfire potential, critical wildlife habitat, or location within the wildland-urban interface . Projects under this program prioritize reintroducing low-intensity fire, reducing hazardous fuels, retaining old and large trees, improving habitat and water quality, and promoting community involvement in wildfire risk mitigation, while explicitly excluding wilderness areas, permanent road construction, and the removal of old growth stands. To ensure effective oversight, the bill establishes a Restoration Fund Advisory Council composed of the Secretary, representatives from resource-dependent industries, experts in restoration and resilience, conservation organizations, and State, local, and Tribal governments. This Council provides recommendations on fund disbursement, landscape priority-setting, and project evaluation. The bill also mandates annual reports from the Secretary and the Inspector General of the Department of Agriculture on the use and any misuse of the Fund, while promoting interagency flexibility, leveraging of existing authorities, and the use of pay-for-performance contracts to achieve project outcomes.