Rep. Salazar introduces bill to reauthorize $100 million for international conservation

What changed

Representative Maria Elvira Salazar has introduced H.R. 10505, the Tropical Forest and Coral Reef Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2026. The bill extends the funding authority of the 1998 Tropical Forest and Coral Reef Conservation Act, which currently supports international conservation efforts. Introduced on September 17, 2026, the legislation currently has two cosponsors.

The core financial mechanism of the proposal is straightforward:

• Annual Authorization: $20 million per fiscal year.
• Timeframe: Fiscal years 2028 through 2032.
• Total Authorized Amount: $100 million over five years.
• Condition: Funds must be appropriated by Congress and used as intended.

Why it matters

This is not a new spending program; it is the renewal of an existing legal framework that has protected specific ecosystems abroad since the late 1990s. For the U.S. Department of the Interior and the agencies responsible for implementing these grants, the bill represents the difference between a program that can continue its work and one that legally lapses. Without reauthorization, the legal authority to allocate these specific federal resources for tropical forest and coral reef preservation would expire.

The bill’s text is deliberately broad. It does not mandate new projects, designate specific recipient countries, or impose new spending rules. This flexibility allows future administrations to direct the $20 million annual allocations based on shifting conservation priorities or emerging ecological threats. For operators in the environmental and conservation sectors, this signals a stable, if modest, line of federal support that persists beyond the current legislative cycle. The modest scale of the funding, $100 million over five years, suggests this is a targeted niche program rather than a major driver of global environmental policy. It maintains the status quo, ensuring that the U.S. government retains the capacity to fund international conservation work without the need to create an entirely new legislative vehicle.