1.This Act may be cited as
the Haiti Reforestation Act of
2011
.
2.
(a)Congress
finds that—
(1)the established
policy of the Federal Government is to support and seek protection of tropical
forests around the world;
(2)tropical forests
provide a wide range of benefits by—
(A)harboring a major
portion of the biological and terrestrial resources of Earth and providing
habitats for an estimated 10,000,000 to 30,000,000 plant and animal species,
including species essential to medical research and agricultural
productivity;
(B)playing a
critical role as carbon sinks that reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere,
as 1 hectare of tropical forest can absorb up to approximately 3 tons of carbon
dioxide per year, thus moderating potential global climate change; and
(C)regulating
hydrological cycles upon which agricultural and coastal resources
depend;
(3)tropical forests
are also a key factor in reducing rates of soil loss, particularly on hilly
terrain;
(4)while
international efforts to stem the tide of tropical deforestation have
accelerated during the past 2 decades, the rapid rate of tropical deforestation
continues unabated;
(5)in 1923, over 60
percent of the land of Haiti was forested but, by 2006, that percentage had
decreased to less than 2 percent;
(6)during the period
beginning in 2000 and ending in 2005, the deforestation rate in Haiti
accelerated by more than 20 percent over the deforestation rate in Haiti during
the period beginning in 1990 and ending in 1999;
(7)as a result,
during the period described in paragraph (6), Haiti lost—
(A)nearly 10 percent
(approximately 11,000 hectares) of the forest cover of Haiti; and
(B)approximately 22
percent of the total forest and woodland habitat of Haiti;
(8)poverty and
economic pressures are—
(A)two factors that
underlie the tropical deforestation of Haiti; and
(B)manifested
particularly through the clearing of vast areas of forest for conversion to
agricultural uses;
(9)80 percent of the
population of Haiti lives below the poverty line;
(10)two-thirds of
the population of Haiti depend on the agricultural sector, which consists
mainly of small-scale subsistence farming;
(11)60 percent of
the population of Haiti relies on charcoal produced from cutting down trees for
cooking fuel;
(12)soil erosion
represents the most direct effect of the deforestation of Haiti, as the erosion
has—
(A)lowered the
productivity of the land due to the poor soils underlying the tropical
forests;
(B)worsened the
severity of droughts and flooding events;
(C)led to further
deforestation;
(D)significantly
decreased the quality and, as a result, quantity of freshwater and clean
drinking water available to the population of Haiti; and
(E)increased the
pressure on the remaining land and trees in Haiti;
(13)tropical forests
provide forest cover to soften the effect of heavy rains and reduce erosion by
anchoring the soil with their roots;
(14)when trees are
cleared, rainfall runs off the soil more quickly and contributes to floods and
further erosion;
(15)in 2004,
Hurricane Jeanne struck Haiti, killing approximately 3,000, and affecting over
200,000, people, partly because deforestation had resulted in the clearing of
large hillsides, which enabled rainwater to run off directly to settlements
located at the bottom of the slopes;
(16)research
conducted by the United Nations Environmental Programme has revealed a direct
(89 percent) correlation between the extent of the deforestation of a country
and the incidence of victims per weather event in the country;
(17)the consequences
of the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, which destroyed much of the
infrastructure of Port au Prince, were greater because of deforestation which
reduced hillside stability and increased the likelihood of mudslides, soil
erosion, and flooding—factors that also negatively impacted the water supply
and heightened concerns for the spread of waterborne diseases;
(18)finding economic
benefits for local communities from sustainable uses of tropical forests is
critical for the long-term protection of the tropical forests in Haiti;
(19)on July 29,
2010, the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2010 (Public Law 111–212) was
enacted into law, which included $25,000,000 for the reforestation and
other restoration of Haiti’s key watersheds
; and
(20)tropical
reforestation efforts would provide new sources of jobs, income, and
investments in Haiti by—
(A)providing
employment opportunities in tree seedling programs, contract tree planting and
management, sustainable agricultural initiatives, sustainable and managed
timber harvesting, and wood products milling and finishing services; and
(B)enhancing
community enterprises that generate income through the trading of sustainable
forest resources, many of which exist on small scales in Haiti and in the rest
of the region.
(b)The purpose of this Act is to provide
assistance to the Government of Haiti to develop and implement, or improve,
nationally appropriate policies and actions—
(1)to reduce deforestation and forest
degradation in Haiti;
(2)to increase annual rates of afforestation
and reforestation in a measurable, reportable, and verifiable manner—
(A)to restore social and economic conditions
for environmental recovery of 35 percent of Haiti’s land surface area within 5
years after the date of enactment of this Act;
(B)to restore within 30 years after the date
of enactment of this Act the forest cover of Haiti to at least 10 percent of
the land in Haiti; and
(C)to establish
within 10 years after the date of enactment of this Act agroforestry cover of
land in Haiti to more than 25 percent; and
(3)to improve
sustainable resource management at the watershed scale.
3.In this Act:
(1)
(A)The term afforestation means the
establishment of a new forest through the seeding of, or planting of trees on,
a parcel of nonforested land.
(B)The
term afforestation includes—
(i)the
introduction of a tree species to a parcel of nonforested land of which the
species is not a native species; and
(ii)the increase of
tree cover through plantations.
(2)
(A)The term agroforestry refers to systems in
which perennial trees or shrubs are integrated with crops or livestock, and
where perennials constitute a minimum 10 percent of ground cover.
(B)Actual
forest cover resulting from agroforestry programs can be counted toward the
total forest cover goal set forth in section (2)(b).
(3)Appropriate
Committees of CongressThe term appropriate committees of
Congress means—
(A)the Committee on
Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and
(B)the Committee on
Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.
(4)The
term deforestation refers to the conversion of forest to another
land use or the long term reduction of the tree canopy.
(5)
(A)The term forest means a terrestrial
ecosystem containing native tree species generated and maintained primarily
through natural ecological and evolutionary processes.
(B)The
term forest does not include plantations, such as crops of trees
planted primarily by humans for the purposes of harvesting.
(6)
(A)The term reforestation refers to the
establishment of forest on lands that were previously considered as forest, but
which have been deforested.
(B)The
term reforestation includes the increase of tree cover through
plantations.
<enum>I</enum><header>Forestation and
watershed management assistance to government of haiti</header>
<section id="ID47296129c4d94611b84a594c8bca87ea"><enum>101.</enum><header>Forestation
assistance</header>
<subsection id="IDb9d4900fc0224d4cacfcaeee553e1266"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Authority</header>
<paragraph id="id3253D274FDE64F488C211CCC729F37D4"><enum>(1)</enum><header>In
general</header><text>In accordance with section 117 of the Foreign Assistance
Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151p) and consistent with the provisions of paragraph
(2), the President is authorized to provide assistance to the Government of
Haiti in the form of financial assistance, technology transfers, or capacity
building assistance for the conduct of activities to develop and implement 1 or
more forestation proposals under paragraph (2)—</text>
<subparagraph id="idCCDF7A4702C84B2F96CF218073786C42"><enum>(A)</enum><text>to reduce the
deforestation of Haiti; and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="id7EDD799F3285415194D468B576D353F1"><enum>(B)</enum><text>to increase the
rates of afforestation and reforestation in Haiti.</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="ID273145fc665e4bd4bf29f977d11ec95a"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Proposals</header>
<subparagraph id="id3AB213465ED0497AAA9257D36651E3B3"><enum>(A)</enum><header>In
general</header><text>Assistance under this title may be provided to the
Government of Haiti to implement one or more proposals that contain—</text>
<clause id="idFF211977B0114E128A5EBED792DA8F99"><enum>(i)</enum><text>a
description of each policy and initiative to be carried out using the
assistance;</text>
</clause><clause id="id0B3E4D522EC5498498DA040667BA7E23"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>adequate
documentation to ensure, as determined by the President, that—</text>
<subclause id="id6817DD3FE788474F83FF761AC77E7594"><enum>(I)</enum><text>each policy and
initiative will be—</text>
<item id="ID6f4b95a5d18c4f37b6d0f3ccd4efa804"><enum>(aa)</enum><text>carried out and
managed in accordance with widely accepted environmentally sustainable forestry
and agricultural practices; and</text>
</item><item id="IDcba6d65d4fbb4cdfb5462ca4469a90de"><enum>(bb)</enum><text>designed and
implemented in a manner by which to improve the governance of forests by
building governmental capacity to be more transparent, inclusive, accountable,
and coordinated in decisionmaking processes and the implementation of the
policy or initiative; and</text>
</item></subclause><subclause id="ID718d15a5b88f401a8162573dfbe52524"><enum>(II)</enum><text>the proposals
will further establish and enforce legal regimes, standards, and safeguards
designed to ensure that members of local communities in affected areas, as
partners and primary stakeholders, will be engaged in the design, planning,
implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the policies and initiatives;
and</text>
</subclause></clause><clause id="ID9684a8b793fb42b7846df68baed1ca41"><enum>(iii)</enum><text>a
description of how the proposal or proposals support and aid forest restoration
efforts consistent with the purpose set forth in section 2(b).</text>
</clause></subparagraph><subparagraph id="IDc4e2751bd5a6400da12b5702239427f2"><enum>(B)</enum><header>Determination
of compatibility with certain programs</header><text>In evaluating each
proposal under subparagraph (A), the President shall ensure that each policy
and initiative described in the proposal submitted by the Government of Haiti
under that subparagraph is compatible with—</text>
<clause id="id2B36D86772E343F2A9E124D708007A7B"><enum>(i)</enum><text>broader
development, poverty alleviation, sustainable energy usage, and natural
resource conservation objectives and initiatives in Haiti;</text>
</clause><clause id="idD137F4E477D64C7BB545BB064662E226"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>the development,
poverty alleviation, disaster risk management, and climate resilience programs
of the United States Agency for International Development, including those
involving technical support from the United States Forest Service; and</text>
</clause><clause id="IDddb03ec9e99e45478324faefe58ca7b1"><enum>(iii)</enum><text>activities of
international organizations and multilateral development banks.</text>
</clause></subparagraph></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="id7A620A26C97D41EBA9B1208EC6AD825E"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Eligible
activities</header><text>Any assistance received by the Government of Haiti
under subsection (a)(1) shall be conditional upon development and
implementation of a proposal under subsection (a)(2), which may include—</text>
<paragraph id="IDe317b127cc5b46ff8a5a4afdd7c60788"><enum>(1)</enum><text>the provision of
technologies and associated support for activities to reduce deforestation or
increase afforestation and reforestation rates, including—</text>
<subparagraph id="id8CE4394645F242E5A4AB5CD8B92FE1D0"><enum>(A)</enum><text>fire reduction
initiatives;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="id484E8E1C30DC43DF9C314AD7AFC25349"><enum>(B)</enum><text>forest law
enforcement initiatives;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="id74660825F064428D81B52A4CD12308E0"><enum>(C)</enum><text>the development
of timber tracking systems;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="idE8084563C2DC43C6B796CC1AE86EDEB2"><enum>(D)</enum><text>the development
of cooking fuel substitutes;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="id147F533D908F4875AD04F100A41B631E"><enum>(E)</enum><text>initiatives to
increase agricultural productivity;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="idCEA4FED9E8FB404D9F40B632872C73A4"><enum>(F)</enum><text>tree-planting
initiatives; and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="ID78588cefb4c24ba0b2cc2ec727b08049"><enum>(G)</enum><text>programs that are
designed to focus on market-based solutions, including programs that leverage
the international carbon-offset market;</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="ID052de7562d4844f6a6d65d5b7d7e786d"><enum>(2)</enum><text>the enhancement
and expansion of governmental and nongovernmental institutional capacity to
effectively design and implement a proposal developed under subsection (a)(2)
through initiatives, including—</text>
<subparagraph id="IDf15bb9c6c5844e6eb4072c348ffc4c53"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the establishment
of transparent, accountable, and inclusive decisionmaking processes relating to
all stakeholders (including affected local communities);</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="IDcfaa68c3832e43078bd1d77a9fb6ced3"><enum>(B)</enum><text>the promotion of
enhanced coordination among ministries and agencies responsible for
agroecological zoning, mapping, land planning and permitting, sustainable
agriculture, forestry, and law enforcement; and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="IDbc9640fe77174e27aa31a2a03071de81"><enum>(C)</enum><text>the clarification
of land tenure and resource rights of affected communities, including local
communities;</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="IDb9c70cd7f7f84b9cb782f00f71507fbb"><enum>(3)</enum><text>the development
and support of institutional capacity to measure, verify, and report the
activities carried out by the Government of Haiti to reduce deforestation and
increase afforestation and reforestation rates through the use of appropriate
methods, including—</text>
<subparagraph id="ID9bdbf26a238344c08d3fb3a06cfdecbf"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the use of best
practices and technologies to monitor land use change in Haiti, including
changes in the extent of natural forest cover, protected areas, mangroves,
agroforestry, and agriculture;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="ID70e2e6306b5a4a608436c77b3062b613"><enum>(B)</enum><text>the monitoring of
the impacts of policies and initiatives on—</text>
<clause id="id7CB6FEFFEBC84C5DAA4DD9404DF233B2"><enum>(i)</enum><text>affected
communities;</text>
</clause><clause id="id8FDCCD7962654F91BC509C95646AD19A"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>the biodiversity
of the environment of Haiti; and</text>
</clause><clause id="id11562405520F4345A129EA883667A932"><enum>(iii)</enum><text>the health of
the tropical forests of Haiti; and</text>
</clause></subparagraph><subparagraph id="ID8c5c58fe03e746ceafbcbb5663041bc2"><enum>(C)</enum><text>independent and
participatory forest monitoring; and</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="ID73da8d45f7db456dbf80dbe18e3287a3"><enum>(4)</enum><text>the development
of and coordination with watershed restoration programs in Haiti,
including—</text>
<subparagraph id="IDed99be1105f0470fa25aff19ebecd51a"><enum>(A)</enum><text>agreements with
the Government of Haiti, nongovernmental organizations, or private sector
partners to provide technical assistance, capacity building, or technology
transfers which support the environmental recovery of Haiti’s watersheds
through forest restoration activities, provided that the assistance will help
strengthen economic drivers of sustainable resource management, reduce
environmental vulnerability, and improve governance, planning, and community
action of watersheds in Haiti;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="IDdd7e039cc38d4e52aee26ddce6c53936"><enum>(B)</enum><text>actions to
support economic incentives for sustainable resource management, including
enhanced incentives for the replacement of annual hillside cropping with
perennial and non-erosive production systems;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="IDcd0315e7c64c4d5baa65d9bf8534bf33"><enum>(C)</enum><text>enhanced
extension services supporting the sustainable intensification of agriculture to
increase farmer incomes and reduce pressure on degraded land; and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="ID39bbf90a63f1402c85b0fbd350e26427"><enum>(D)</enum><text>investments in
watershed infrastructure to reduce environmental vulnerability, including the
establishment of appropriate erosion control measures through reforestation
activities in targeted watersheds or sub-watersheds.</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="ID34a543758cb849aeb393f14a43f45387"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Development of
performance metrics</header>
<paragraph id="id6CB261DAD0F445F0A2176F8DF3181787"><enum>(1)</enum><header>In
general</header><text>If the President provides assistance under subsection
(a)(1), the President, in cooperation with the Government of Haiti, shall
develop appropriate performance metrics to measure, verify, and report—</text>
<subparagraph id="id65829CB14F3E4F2CA149A6499B1637E8"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the conduct of
each policy and initiative to be carried out by the Government of Haiti;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="id8B4AC5030D604F2C88DCFB69C235E96E"><enum>(B)</enum><text>the results of
each policy and initiative with respect to the tropical forests of Haiti;
and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="id4150438070AF4F78A33E1E0FE777E4A6"><enum>(C)</enum><text>each impact of
each policy and initiative on the local communities of Haiti.</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="ID7326199ac1ae4c9d94f663f4b24fe087"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Requirements</header><text>Performance
metrics developed under paragraph (1) shall, to the maximum extent practicable,
include short-term and long-term metrics to evaluate the implementation of each
policy and initiative contained in each proposal developed under subsection
(a)(2).</text>
</paragraph></subsection><subsection id="ID3b3332c5be2a4d2d9f221e49dd4725cf"><enum>(d)</enum><header>Reports</header>
<paragraph id="IDc9b3857d730d4fc0a579a23dcd2bef96"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Initial
report</header><text>Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of
this Act, the President shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress
a report that describes the actions that the President has taken, and plans to
take—</text>
<subparagraph id="id226D409AB6FE4C6A8548653F18E7C261"><enum>(A)</enum><text>to engage with
the Government of Haiti, nongovernmental stakeholders, and public and private
nonprofit organizations to implement this section; and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="id7DB7F27E72FA407290C4C8586B05BAA2"><enum>(B)</enum><text>to enter into
agreements with the Government of Haiti under subsection (a)(1).</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="id096E2E39FD1A4EAF8060B972CE0C4481"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Biennial
reports</header><text>Not later than 2 years after the date on which the
President first provides assistance to the Government of Haiti under subsection
(a)(1) and biennially thereafter, the President shall submit to Congress a
report that describes the progress of the Government of Haiti in implementing
each policy and initiative contained in the proposal submitted under subsection
(a)(2).</text>
</paragraph></subsection><subsection id="ID7d516766b3154b4abb67c79cbb3e8355"><enum>(e)</enum><header>Additional
assistance</header><text>The President is authorized to provide financial and
other assistance to the Government of Haiti, local government bodies, or
nongovernmental organizations for the purpose of—</text>
<paragraph id="ID880ee0dabb204fe0bd94731c9adb52a7"><enum>(1)</enum><text>providing local
communities information relating to each policy and initiative to be carried
out by the Government of Haiti through funds made available under subsection
(a)(1);</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="ID05523c6b4cc544cb827540cfcdaedb33"><enum>(2)</enum><text>promoting
effective participation by local communities in the design, implementation, and
independent monitoring of each policy and initiative; and</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="ID30a2a11af1884ca78dcc75430cb19aba"><enum>(3)</enum><text>promoting,
consistent with supporting the sustainability of forestation activities,
enhanced watershed governance, national planning, and community action programs
that lead to increased—</text>
<subparagraph id="ID2e53e65a6a564f3b94fce8f60ec6d686"><enum>(A)</enum><text>development of a
national watershed management policy for Haiti with the Inter-Ministerial
Committee for Land Management, the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of
Agriculture, and the Ministry of Planning and External Cooperation;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="IDc5bc65cd96e74423bb04cfd46367b104"><enum>(B)</enum><text>establishment of
an effective forum for donor coordination related to management and
reforestation in Haiti;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="ID7795b35efa2646a2aaae8a7114d40fe1"><enum>(C)</enum><text>support for the
National Center for Geospatial Information (CNIGS) to provide technology, data,
and monitoring support for improved watershed and forest resource management at
a national scale in Haiti; and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="IDb34f72c5ba944cd0bc726bfaf4caa90f"><enum>(D)</enum><text>development of
effective governance structures in Haiti for stakeholder engagement,
coordination of approaches, and land use planning and disaster mitigation at
the watershed scale.</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph></subsection></section><enum>II</enum><header>Grants for
reforestation</header>
<section id="id8B1F7A0F6F7A4CB2A9F5E3F1F02EEAF2"><enum>201.</enum><header>Reforestation
grant program</header>
<subsection id="id696885EF14C2429388AC4C1D730E66DC"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Establishment</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The President is authorized to establish a
grant program to carry out the purposes of this Act, including reversing
deforestation and improving reforestation and afforestation in Haiti.</text>
</subsection><subsection id="id0E4836F3B56C4DCE9DED47CD7553CABF"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Grants
authorized</header>
<paragraph id="idC15D4FE5A9934B299882854252218CCD"><enum>(1)</enum><header>In
general</header><text>The President is authorized to award grants and contracts
to carry out projects that, in the aggregate, reverse deforestation and improve
reforestation and afforestation.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="idCC610659A57D4F159B192FD95CF4AC2D"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Maximum
amount</header>
<subparagraph id="id8D52427C01364991A570421E30088C46"><enum>(A)</enum><header>In
general</header><text>Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the President may
not award a grant under this section in an amount greater than $500,000 per
year.</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="idB5182B723DB8443DBFD12274B5B57695"><enum>(B)</enum><header>Exception</header><text>The
President may award a grant under this section in an amount greater than
$500,000 per year if the President determines that the recipient of the grant
has demonstrated success with respect to a project that was the subject of a
grant under this section.</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="id859BA32D08BC4AD08026DF46B8D013E6"><enum>(3)</enum><header>Duration</header><text>The
President shall award grants under this section for a period not to exceed 3
years.</text>
</paragraph></subsection><subsection id="id6D7B928B31C54CACA1054D0A40688D87"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Use of
funds</header>
<paragraph id="idA12ED2EC7A7E46D1B11FF6B01E9078A5"><enum>(1)</enum><header>In
general</header><text>Grants awarded pursuant to subsection (b) may be used for
activities such as—</text>
<subparagraph id="ID35e5df2c382f4c868cb268c3a5d38098"><enum>(A)</enum><text>providing a
financial incentive to protect trees;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="IDb949656d0d2f4cc38fd6b537dc980ea2"><enum>(B)</enum><text>providing
hands-on management and oversight of replanting efforts;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="ID3eba1f4c9f234b88b76b6f97b5e34adc"><enum>(C)</enum><text>focusing on
sustainable income-generating growth;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="id7D8B7A9E494E40DEBEF20FACCA6120F2"><enum>(D)</enum><text>providing seed
money to start cooperative reforestation and afforestation efforts and
providing subsequent conditional funding for such efforts contingent upon
required tree care and maintenance activities;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="id754876C6F1C84E0990E7BF60CDED13ED"><enum>(E)</enum><text>promoting
widespread use of improved cooking stove technologies, to the extent that this
does not result in the harvesting of tropical forest growth and other renewable
fuel technologies that reduce deforestation and improve human health;
and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="idBB67BFED1DA946E39F90108308565A05"><enum>(F)</enum><text>securing the
involvement and commitment of local communities—</text>
<clause id="id8501C3DFF332425F812E5FD8A046046D"><enum>(i)</enum><text>to
protect tropical forests in existence as of the date of enactment of this Act;
and</text>
</clause><clause id="id52F1503DDCC648A3B7763046F92F063A"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>to
carry out afforestation and reforestation activities.</text>
</clause></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="idA1F8C2A1764F4F5FA7BDB244A3821130"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Consistency
with proposals</header><text>To the maximum extent practicable, a project
carried out using grant funds shall support and be consistent with the proposal
developed under section 101(a)(2) that is the subject of the project.</text>
</paragraph></subsection><subsection id="id30FCBB377E0546D9BC8823975E092E80"><enum>(d)</enum><header>Application</header>
<paragraph id="id5AFEE88E338F4903BA88B6C75DF441F2"><enum>(1)</enum><header>In
general</header><text>To be eligible for a grant under this section, an entity
shall prepare and submit an application at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the President may reasonably require.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="id2A49A21E7603461A9A75D59029EBEB97"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Content</header><text>Each
application submitted under paragraph (1) should be consistent with the
findings of the 2007 United States Agency for International Development report
entitled, <quote>Environmental Vulnerability in Haiti: Findings and
Recommendations</quote>, and shall include—</text>
<subparagraph id="IDf63d18f5c745452dabc71eee43ae0362"><enum>(A)</enum><text>a description of
the objectives to be attained;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="ID8a5fc1ab698b4a89b1314bf9ac0ef798"><enum>(B)</enum><text>a description of
the manner in which the grant funds will be used;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="ID54dcff4050af4337a7012cf616ee40e4"><enum>(C)</enum><text>a plan for
evaluating the success of the project based on verifiable evidence; and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="ID3dc3d1765a73450094fedd4bf6c0e258"><enum>(D)</enum><text>to the extent
that the applicant intends to use nonnative species in afforestation efforts,
an explanation of the benefit of the use of nonnative species over native
species and verification that the species to be used are not invasive.</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="id1D8396E50107452B9A90A2D454BE3461"><enum>(3)</enum><header>Preference for
certain projects</header><text>In awarding grants under this section,
preference shall be given to applicants that propose—</text>
<subparagraph id="ID25e125a7a8a74b7a886bc2e4bad6dc1d"><enum>(A)</enum><text>to develop
market-based solutions to the difficulty of reforestation in Haiti, including
the use of conditional cash transfers and similar financial incentives to
protect reforestation efforts;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="IDd469cf2a80cb48d09edb145f0dca2b17"><enum>(B)</enum><text>to partner with
local communities and cooperatives; and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="ID56606adcbfaa4fca83c6e017c8339f4a"><enum>(C)</enum><text>to focus on
efforts that build local capacity to sustain growth after the completion of the
underlying grant project.</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="id05D2E26997914683B9B39E5EE0AB0926"><enum>(e)</enum><header>Dissemination
of information</header><text>The President shall collect and widely disseminate
information about the effectiveness of the demonstration projects assisted
under this section.</text>
</subsection></section><section id="id1018DC5A66B64E69A06099B9F3E06A1B"><enum>202.</enum><header>Forest
protection grants</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Chapter 7 of
part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2281 et seq.) is
amended by inserting after section 466 the following new section:</text>
<quoted-block display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id3F1F895972A54DEAAD2350F4D1D85D3D" style="other">
<section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="ID82AF14B5EEF34A61A7619151D3E5B7DD" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>467.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Pilot program for Haiti</header>
<subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="ID12CDE655D8E742129A9820F7038FF9E3"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Submission of
list of areas of severely degraded natural resources</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The President, in cooperation with
nongovernmental conservation organizations, shall invite the Government of
Haiti to submit a list of areas within the territory of Haiti in which tropical
forests are seriously degraded or threatened.</text>
</subsection><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="ID2B53303A25124F83BE23E076526C18BE"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Review of
list</header><text>The President shall assess the list submitted by the
Government of Haiti under subsection (a) and shall seek to reach agreement with
the Government of Haiti for the restoration and future sustainable use of those
areas.</text>
</subsection><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="ID633E3EC4A6C24AAE838E664EA9F603C1"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Grant
program</header>
<paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="IDF5B212FD7B2D415FB615950968ACBE2F"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Grants
authorized</header><text>The President is authorized to make grants on such
terms and conditions as may be necessary to nongovernmental organizations for
the purchase on the open market of discounted debt of the Government of Haiti,
if a market is determined to be viable, in exchange for commitments by the
Government of Haiti to restore tropical forests identified by the Government
under subsection (a) or for commitments to develop plans for sustainable use of
such tropical forests.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id5298DFDC86EB47D580D0DDA660C50CEA"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Management of
protected areas</header><text>Each recipient of a grant under this subsection
shall participate in the ongoing management of the area or areas protected
pursuant to such grant.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="ID5FFEA56CC233487F99FE3FB0652E9653"><enum>(3)</enum><header>Retention of
proceeds</header><text>Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a grantee
(or any subgrantee) of the grants referred to in section (a) may retain,
without deposit in the Treasury of the United States and without further
appropriation by Congress, interest earned on the proceeds of any resulting
debt-for-nature exchange pending the disbursements of such proceeds and
interest for approved program purposes, which may include the establishment of
an endowment, the income of which is used for such purposes.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="IDacd7772d5ae74f489c8219c7a53b8521"><enum>(4)</enum><header>Termination of
program</header><text>The authority to make grants under the pilot program
shall terminate five years after the date of the enactment of this Act. The
authority may be renewed for one additional five-year period during the 30-year
reforestation period targeted by this Act if the President determines and
certifies to Congress that the pilot program is effective in meeting the goals
of the Act and the commitment of the Government of Haiti to returning land in
Haiti to long-term sustainable forests. The cumulative duration of the pilot
program may not exceed ten total
years.</text>
</paragraph></subsection></section><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block>
</section><enum>III</enum><header>Administrative
provision</header>
<section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id9D5FDD8A5CE747E192A093D119F50355" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>301.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Delegation</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">The President (or the Administrator of the
United States Agency for International Development or the Secretary of State as
the President's delegee) may draw, as appropriate, on the expertise of the
United States Forest Service in designing and implementing programs pursuant to
this Act relating to reforestation, watershed restoration, and monitoring of
land use change.</text>
</section>
May 15, 2012
Reported without amendment