[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 127 (Tuesday, September 24, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6888-S6891]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. Brown, Mr. Cardin, Mrs. 
        Feinstein, and Mr. Whitehouse):
  S. 1548. 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; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of 
the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 1548

       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;

[[Page S6889]]

       (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 1 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 decision-making 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

[[Page S6890]]

       (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

[[Page S6891]]

     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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