[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1548 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1548

To authorize the President to provide assistance to the Governments of 
 Haiti and Armenia to reverse the effects of deforestation and restore 
  within 20 years the extent of forest levels in Haiti and Armenia in 
        existence during the year 1990, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

           September 25 (legislative day, September 24), 2013

Mr. Durbin (for himself, Mr. Brown, Mr. Cardin, Mrs. Feinstein, and Mr. 
  Whitehouse) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize the President to provide assistance to the Governments of 
 Haiti and Armenia to reverse the effects of deforestation and restore 
  within 20 years the extent of forest levels in Haiti and Armenia in 
        existence during the year 1990, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Haiti and Armenia Reforestation Act 
of 2013''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) the established policy of the Federal Government is to 
        support and seek protection of forests around the world that 
        provide a wide range of benefits by--
                    (A) harboring a major portion of the biological and 
                terrestrial resources of Earth and providing habitats 
                for almost \2/3\ of all species on Earth, including 
                species essential to medical research and agricultural 
                productivity;
                    (B) contributing to the livelihood of over 
                1,600,000,000 people through access to food, fresh 
                water, clothing, traditional medicines, and shelter;
                    (C) ensuring environmental functions such as 
                biodiversity, water conservation, soil enrichment, 
                water supply management, and climate regulation; and
                    (D) storing carbon, where deforestation accounts 
                for up to 20 percent of the global greenhouse gas 
                emissions that contribute to global warming;
            (2) while forests cover a little less than \1/3\ of the 
        land area on our planet, approximately 76 percent of the 
        planet's original primary forests have been destroyed or 
        degraded;
            (3) in 1923, over 60 percent of the land of Haiti was 
        forested but, by 2006, that percentage had decreased to 
        approximately less than 2 percent as a result of--
                    (A) an acceleration in the rate of deforestation in 
                Haiti by more than 20 percent during the period 
                beginning in 2000 and ending in 2005 compared to the 
                period beginning in 1990 and ending in 1999; and
                    (B) a loss of nearly 10 percent (approximately 
                11,000 hectares) of the forest cover and approximately 
                22 percent of the total forest and woodland habitat of 
                Haiti;
            (4) while archeological data indicated that approximately 
        35 percent of Armenia was originally forested, less than 12 
        percent of Armenia's territory was covered in forest in 1990, 
        which has been reduced to approximately less than 7 percent by 
        2013 as a result of an energy crisis that crippled the nation 
        in the 1990s and a loss of total of 24.5 percent (nearly 85,000 
        hectares) of forest cover during the period between 1990 and 
        2010;
            (5) poverty and economic pressures are--
                    (A) two factors that underlie the deforestation of 
                Haiti and Armenia; and
                    (B) manifested particularly through the clearing of 
                vast areas of forest for conversion to agricultural 
                uses where \2/5\ of the population of Haiti depend on 
                the agricultural sector, which consists mainly of 
                small-scale subsistence farming, and where wood and 
                charcoal produced from cutting down trees accounts for 
                a major supply toward Haiti's and Armenia's energy 
                sectors;
            (6) 80 percent of the population of Haiti lives below the 
        poverty line and 36 percent of the population of Armenia lives 
        below the poverty line;
            (7) soil erosion represents a significant effect of the 
        deforestation of Haiti and Armenia, as erosion has--
                    (A) lowered the productivity on the land due to 
                poor soils underlying the forests;
                    (B) worsened the severity of droughts, landslides, 
                and floods;
                    (C) led to further deforestation;
                    (D) significantly decreased the quality and, as a 
                result, quantity of freshwater and clean drinking water 
                available to populations; and
                    (E) increased the pressure on the remaining land 
                and trees in Haiti and Armenia;
            (8) forests provide cover to soften the effect of heavy 
        rains and reduce erosion by anchoring the soil with their 
        roots;
            (9) 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;
            (10) both Haiti and Armenia have faced natural disasters in 
        recent years that have been at least partly exacerbated by the 
        effects of deforestation, such as--
                    (A) flooding in Armenia that has cost nearly 
                $33,000,000 in damages each year and swept away or 
                damaged thousands of homes, schools, health clinics, 
                and other institutions, partly because of damage to 
                forests through illegal loggings, landslides, and soil 
                erosion;
                    (B) hurricanes in Haiti that have killed thousands 
                and displaced hundreds of thousands more, 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 
                slopes; and
                    (C) the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, which 
                destroyed much of the infrastructure of Port au Prince 
                and had greater consequences because of deforestation, 
                which reduced hillside stability and increased the 
                likelihood of mudslides, soil erosion, and flooding 
                factors, which also negatively impacted the water 
                supply and heightened concerns for the spread of 
                waterborne diseases;
            (11) economic benefits for local communities from 
        sustainable uses of forests are critical for the long-term 
        sustainable management of forests in Haiti and Armenia;
            (12) on July 29, 2010, the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 
        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
            (13) reforestation efforts would provide new sources of 
        jobs, income, and investments in both Haiti and Armenia 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.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to provide assistance to 
the Government of Haiti and the Government of Armenia to develop and 
implement, or improve, nationally appropriate policies and actions--
            (1) to reduce deforestation and forest degradation and 
        improve forest management and natural regeneration;
            (2) to increase annual rates of afforestation and 
        reforestation in a sustainable, measurable, reportable, and 
        verifiable manner--
                    (A) to restore social and economic conditions for 
                environmental recovery of--
                            (i) 35 percent of Haiti's and Armenia's 
                        land surface areas within 7 years after the 
                        date of the enactment of this Act; and
                            (ii) the forest cover of Haiti and Armenia 
                        to at least 7 percent in Haiti and at least 12 
                        percent in Armenia (about each country's 
                        respective levels in 1990) within 20 years 
                        after the date of the enactment of this Act; 
                        and
            (3) to improve sustainable resource management at the 
        watershed scale.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Afforestation.--
                    (A) In general.--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) Inclusion.--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) Agroforestry.--
                    (A) In general.--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) Inclusion.--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 congress.--The 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) Deforestation.--The term ``deforestation'' refers to 
        the conversion of forest to another land use or the long term 
        reduction of the tree canopy.
            (5) Forest.--
                    (A) In general.--The term ``forest'' means a 
                terrestrial ecosystem containing native tree species 
                generated and maintained primarily through natural 
                ecological and evolutionary processes.
                    (B) Exclusion.--The term ``forest'' does not 
                include plantations, such as crops of trees planted 
                primarily by humans for the purposes of harvesting.
            (6) Reforestation.--
                    (A) In general.--The term ``reforestation'' refers 
                to the establishment of forest on lands that were 
                previously considered as forest, but which have been 
                deforested.
                    (B) Inclusion of plantations.--The term 
                ``reforestation'' includes the increase of tree cover 
                through plantations.

    TITLE I--FORESTATION AND WATERSHED MANAGEMENT ASSISTANCE TO THE 
           GOVERNMENT OF HAITI AND THE GOVERNMENT OF ARMENIA

SEC. 101. FORESTATION ASSISTANCE.

    (a) Authority.--
            (1) In general.--In accordance with section 118 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 and 
        the Government of Armenia in the form of financial assistance, 
        technology transfers, or capacity building assistance for the 
        conduct of activities to develop and implement one or more 
        forestation proposals under paragraph (2)--
                    (A) to reduce the deforestation of Haiti and 
                Armenia; and
                    (B) to increase the rates of afforestation and 
                reforestation in Haiti and Armenia.
            (2) Proposals.--
                    (A) In general.--Assistance under this title may be 
                provided to the Government of Haiti and the Government 
                of Armenia to implement one or more proposals that 
                contain--
                            (i) a description of each policy and 
                        initiative to be carried out using the 
                        assistance;
                            (ii) adequate documentation to ensure, as 
                        determined by the President, that--
                                    (I) each policy and initiative will 
                                be--
                                            (aa) carried out and 
                                        managed in accordance with 
                                        widely accepted environmentally 
                                        sustainable forestry and 
                                        agricultural practices; and
                                            (bb) 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
                                    (II) 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
                            (iii) a description of how the proposal or 
                        proposals support and aid forest restoration 
                        efforts consistent with the purpose set forth 
                        in section 2(b).
                    (B) Determination of compatibility with certain 
                programs.--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 or the Government 
                of Armenia under that subparagraph is compatible with--
                            (i) broader development, poverty 
                        alleviation, sustainable energy usage, and 
                        natural resource conservation objectives and 
                        initiatives in Haiti or Armenia;
                            (ii) 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
                            (iii) activities of international 
                        organizations and multilateral development 
                        banks.
    (b) Eligible Activities.--Any assistance received by the Government 
of Haiti or the Government of Armenia under subsection (a)(1) shall be 
conditional upon development and implementation of a proposal under 
subsection (a)(2), which may include--
            (1) the provision of technologies and associated support 
        for activities to reduce deforestation or increase 
        afforestation and reforestation rates, including--
                    (A) fire reduction initiatives;
                    (B) forest law enforcement initiatives;
                    (C) the development of timber tracking systems;
                    (D) the development of cooking fuel substitutes;
                    (E) initiatives to increase agricultural 
                productivity;
                    (F) tree-planting initiatives; and
                    (G) programs that are designed to focus on market-
                based solutions, including programs that leverage the 
                international carbon-offset market;
            (2) 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--
                    (A) the establishment of transparent, accountable, 
                and inclusive decisionmaking processes relating to all 
                stakeholders (including affected local communities);
                    (B) the promotion of enhanced coordination among 
                ministries and agencies responsible for agro-ecological 
                zoning, mapping, land planning and permitting, 
                sustainable agriculture, forestry, mining, and law 
                enforcement; and
                    (C) the clarification of land tenure and resource 
                rights of affected communities, including local 
                communities;
            (3) the development and support of institutional capacity 
        to measure, verify, and report the activities carried out by 
        the Government of Haiti and the Government of Armenia to reduce 
        deforestation and increase afforestation and reforestation 
        rates through the use of appropriate methods, including--
                    (A) the use of best practices and technologies to 
                monitor land use change in Haiti and Armenia, as well 
                as changes in the extent of natural forest cover, 
                protected areas, mangroves, agroforestry, and 
                agriculture;
                    (B) the monitoring of the impacts of policies and 
                initiatives on--
                            (i) affected communities;
                            (ii) the biodiversity of the environment of 
                        Haiti and Armenia; and
                            (iii) the health of the forests of Haiti 
                        and Armenia; and
                    (C) independent and participatory forest 
                monitoring; and
            (4) the development of and coordination with watershed 
        restoration programs in Haiti and Armenia, including--
                    (A) agreements with the Government of Haiti and the 
                Government of Armenia, nongovernmental organizations, 
                or private sector partners to provide technical 
                assistance, capacity building, or technology transfers 
                which support the environmental recovery of Haiti's and 
                Armenia's watersheds through forest restoration 
                activities, provided that the assistance will help 
                strengthen economic drivers of sustainable resource 
                inventory mapping and management, reduce environmental 
                vulnerability, and improve governance, planning, and 
                community action of watersheds in Haiti and Armenia;
                    (B) 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;
                    (C) enhanced extension services supporting the 
                sustainable intensification of agriculture to increase 
                farmer incomes and reduce pressure on degraded land; 
                and
                    (D) 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.
    (c) Development of Performance Metrics.--
            (1) In general.--If the President provides assistance under 
        subsection (a)(1), the President, in cooperation with the 
        Government of Haiti and the Government of Armenia, shall 
        develop appropriate performance metrics to measure, verify, and 
        report--
                    (A) the conduct of each policy and initiative to be 
                carried out by the Government of Haiti and the 
                Government of Armenia;
                    (B) the results of each policy and initiative with 
                respect to the forests of Haiti and Armenia; and
                    (C) impacts of reforestation policies and 
                initiatives on the local communities of Haiti and 
                Armenia.
            (2) Requirements.--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).
    (d) Reports.--
            (1) Initial report.--Not later than 18 months after the 
        date of the 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--
                    (A) to engage with the Government of Haiti and the 
                Government of Armenia, nongovernmental stakeholders, 
                civil society, and public and private nonprofit 
                organizations to implement this section; and
                    (B) to enter into agreements with the Government of 
                Haiti and the Government of Armenia under subsection 
                (a)(1).
            (2) Biennial reports.--Not later than 2 years after the 
        date on which the President first provides assistance to the 
        Government of Haiti and the Government of Armenia under 
        subsection (a)(1), and biennially thereafter, the President 
        shall submit to Congress a report that describes the progress 
        of the Government of Haiti and the Government of Armenia in 
        implementing each policy and initiative contained in the 
        proposal submitted under subsection (a)(2).
    (e) Additional Assistance.--The President is authorized to provide 
financial and other assistance to the Government of Haiti and the 
Government of Armenia, local government bodies, or nongovernmental 
organizations for the purpose of--
            (1) providing local communities information relating to 
        each policy and initiative to be carried out by the Government 
        of Haiti and the Government of Armenia through funds made 
        available under subsection (a)(1);
            (2) promoting effective participation by local communities 
        in the design, implementation, and independent monitoring of 
        each policy and initiative; and
            (3) promoting, consistent with supporting the 
        sustainability of forestation activities, enhanced watershed 
        governance, national planning, and community action programs 
        that lead to increased--
                    (A) development of a national watershed management 
                policy for Haiti and Armenia with the appropriate 
                government ministries and agencies;
                    (B) establishment of an effective forum for donor 
                coordination related to management and reforestation in 
                Haiti and Armenia;
                    (C) support for the National Center for Geospatial 
                Information (CNIGS) and the United States Forest 
                Service to provide technology, data, and monitoring 
                support for improved watershed and forest resource 
                management at a national scale in Haiti and Armenia; 
                and
                    (D) development of effective governance structures 
                in Haiti and Armenia for stakeholder engagement, 
                coordination of approaches, and land use planning and 
                disaster mitigation at the watershed scale; and
            (4) meeting the goals of this Act, which, if findings 
        indicate are not appropriately and efficiently being met, may 
        cause the President to terminate direct funding to either the 
        Government of Haiti or the Government of Armenia.
    (f) Minimum Country Reforestation Fund Percentage.--Not less than 
85 percent of amounts provided for programs under this section shall be 
spent on actual reforestation activities in Haiti and Armenia, which 
may include the protection of reforested areas.
    (g) Termination of Program.--The authority under this section shall 
terminate 7 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, unless 
the President certifies to the appropriate congressional committees 
that effective and sustainable programs are in place through the 
Government of Haiti or Government of Armenia or local governments in 
Haiti or Armenia, in potential partnership with international donors, 
nongovernmental organizations, or civil society groups, to protect and 
manage areas reforested pursuant to this Act, and that additional time 
is necessary to further the overarching goals of the Act. Upon making 
such certification, the authority may be extended for a total of two 
additional 7-year terms.

                   TITLE II--GRANTS FOR REFORESTATION

SEC. 201. REFORESTATION GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--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 and Armenia.
    (b) Grants Authorized.--
            (1) In general.--The President is authorized to award 
        grants and contracts to carry out projects that, in the 
        aggregate, reverse deforestation and improve reforestation and 
        afforestation.
            (2) Maximum amount.--
                    (A) In general.--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.
                    (B) Exception.--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.
            (3) Duration.--The President shall award grants under this 
        section for a period not to exceed 3 years.
    (c) Use of Funds.--
            (1) In general.--Grants awarded pursuant to subsection (b) 
        may be used for activities such as--
                    (A) providing a financial incentive to protect 
                forests;
                    (B) providing hands-on management and oversight of 
                replanting efforts;
                    (C) focusing on sustainable income-generating 
                growth;
                    (D) 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;
                    (E) promoting widespread use of improved cooking 
                stove technologies, to the extent that this does not 
                result in the harvesting of forest growth and other 
                renewable fuel technologies that reduce deforestation 
                and improve human health; and
                    (F) securing the involvement and commitment of 
                local communities--
                            (i) to protect forests in existence as of 
                        the date of enactment of this Act; and
                            (ii) to partner in and carry out 
                        afforestation and reforestation activities.
            (2) Local community participation.--Activities to secure 
        the participation of local communities under paragraph (1)(F) 
        should include one or more of the following activities:
                    (A) Creation of local jobs around protecting and 
                managing reforested areas.
                    (B) Collaboration to analyze biodiversity and 
                ecosystem services integral to business decisions.
                    (C) Cooperative conservation programs such as 
                working with local water sources to ensure clean water 
                through improved forestland and watershed or with food 
                suppliers to ensure sustainable agroforestry products.
            (3) Consistency with proposals.--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.
    (d) Application.--
            (1) In general.--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.
            (2) Content.--Each application submitted under paragraph 
        (1) should be consistent with the findings and recommendations 
        of either the 2007 United States Agency for International 
        Development report entitled, ``Environmental Vulnerability in 
        Haiti: Findings and Recommendations'' for Haiti or the 2009 
        United States Agency for International Development report 
        entitled ``Biodiversity Analysis Update for Armenia Final 
        Report: Prosperity, Livelihoods and Conserving Ecosystems 
        (PLACE) IQC Task Order #4'' for Armenia, and shall include--
                    (A) a description of the objectives to be attained;
                    (B) a description of the manner in which the grant 
                funds will be used;
                    (C) a plan for evaluating the success of the 
                project based on verifiable evidence; and
                    (D) 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.
            (3) Preference for certain projects.--In awarding grants 
        under this section, preference shall be given to applicants 
        that propose--
                    (A) to develop market-based solutions to the 
                difficulty of reforestation in Haiti and Armenia, 
                including the use of conditional cash transfers and 
                similar financial incentives to protect reforestation 
                efforts;
                    (B) to partner with local communities and 
                cooperatives; and
                    (C) to focus on efforts that build local capacity 
                to sustain growth after the completion of the 
                underlying grant project.
    (e) Dissemination of Information.--The President shall collect and 
widely disseminate information about the effectiveness of the 
demonstration projects assisted under this section.

SEC. 202. FOREST PROTECTION PROGRAMS.

    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 sections:

``SEC. 467. PILOT PROGRAM FOR HAITI.

    ``(a) Submission of List of Areas of Severely Degraded Natural 
Resources.--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 forests 
are seriously degraded or threatened.
    ``(b) Review of List.--The President shall assess the lists 
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.
    ``(c) Grant Program.--
            ``(1) Grants authorized.--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 forests identified by the 
        Government under subsection (a) or for commitments to develop 
        plans for sustainable use of such forests.
            ``(2) Management of protected areas.--Each recipient of a 
        grant under this subsection shall participate in the ongoing 
        management of the area or areas protected pursuant to such 
        grant.
            ``(3) Matching of grant funds.--Any United States funding 
        provided to a nongovernmental organization for grant activities 
        under this section shall be matched by an equal or greater 
        amount of funding from the nongovernmental organization, which 
        may include funding provided by other international donors, 
        nongovernmental organizations, philanthropic bodies, 
        corporations or other private entities, institutions of higher 
        learning, or other non-United States Government sources.
            ``(4) Minimum country reforestation fund percentage.--Not 
        less than 85 percent of grant funds provided under this section 
        shall be spent on actual reforestation activities in Haiti, 
        which may include the protection of reforested areas.
            ``(5) Retention of proceeds.--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.
            ``(6) Termination of program.--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 20-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.''.

``SEC. 468. PILOT PROGRAM FOR ARMENIA.

    ``(a) Submission of List of Areas of Severely Degraded Natural 
Resources.--The President, in cooperation with nongovernmental 
conservation organizations, shall invite the Government of Armenia to 
submit a list of areas within the territory of Armenia in which forests 
are seriously degraded or threatened.
    ``(b) Review of List.--The President shall assess the lists 
submitted by the Government of Armenia under subsection (a) and shall 
seek to reach agreement with the Government of Armenia for the 
restoration and future sustainable use of those areas.
    ``(c) Debt Forgiveness Agreement.--
            ``(1) Debt forgiveness.--The President is authorized to 
        forgive debt owed to the United States by the Government of 
        Armenia in exchange for commitments by the Government of 
        Armenia to restore forests identified by the Government under 
        subsection (a) or for commitments to develop plans for 
        sustainable use of such forests.
            ``(2) Management of protected areas.--The Government of 
        Armenia shall participate in the ongoing management of the area 
        or areas protected pursuant to such debt relief.
            ``(3) Minimum country reforestation fund percentage.--Not 
        less than 85 percent of funds that qualify under a debt relief 
        agreement under this section shall be spent on actual 
        reforestation activities in Armenia, which may include the 
        protection of reforested areas.
            ``(4) Termination of program.--The authority to offer debt 
        relief under the pilot program shall terminate five years after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act. The authority may be 
        renewed for 1 additional 5-year period during the 20-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 Armenia to returning land in Armenia to long-
        term sustainable forests. The cumulative duration of the pilot 
        program may not exceed ten total years.''.

                  TITLE III--ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISION

SEC. 301. DELEGATION.

    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.
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