Sec. 201. Reforestation grant program
628 words·~3 min read·
/bill/113/s/1548/is/section-201A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
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. The President is authorized to award grants and contracts to carry out projects that, in the aggregate, reverse deforestation and improve reforestation and afforestation. 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.
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. The President shall award grants under this section for a period not to exceed 3 years. Grants awarded pursuant to subsection
(b)may be used for activities such as— providing a financial incentive to protect forests; providing hands-on management and oversight of replanting efforts; focusing on sustainable income-generating growth; 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; 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 securing the involvement and commitment of local communities— to protect forests in existence as of the date of enactment of this Act; and to partner in and carry out afforestation and reforestation activities. Activities to secure the participation of local communities under paragraph (1)(F) should include one or more of the following activities: Creation of local jobs around protecting and managing reforested areas. Collaboration to analyze biodiversity and ecosystem services integral to business decisions. 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. 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. 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. 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 description of the objectives to be attained; a description of the manner in which the grant funds will be used; a plan for evaluating the success of the project based on verifiable evidence; and 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. In awarding grants under this section, preference shall be given to applicants that propose— 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; to partner with local communities and cooperatives; and to focus on efforts that build local capacity to sustain growth after the completion of the underlying grant project. The President shall collect and widely disseminate information about the effectiveness of the demonstration projects assisted under this section.