Foreign Assistance Act, Part I, Section 117 - Environment and Natural Resources
Sec. 117.\71\ Environment and Natural Resources.--
(a) The Congress finds that if current trends in the degradation of natural resources in developing countries continue, they will severely undermine the best efforts to meet basic human needs, to achieve sustained economic growth, and to prevent international tension and conflict. The Congress also finds that the world faces enormous, urgent, and complex problems, with respect to natural resources, which require new forms of cooperation between the United States and developing countries to prevent such problems from becoming unmanageable. It is, therefore, in the economic and security interests of the United States to provide leadership both in thoroughly reassessing policies relating to natural resources and the environment, and in cooperating extensively with developing countries in order to achieve environmentally sound development.
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\71\ 22 U.S.C. 2151p. Sec. 117 was redesignated from being sec. 118 by sec. 301(1) of Public Law 99-529, resulting in the creation of two sections 117. Sec. 301(2) of Public Law 99-529 (100 Stat. 3014) further deleted subsec. (d) of that section, which dealt with tropical forests, and then sec. 301(3) of Public Law 99-529 added a new section 118 entitled ``Tropical Forests''. This section, as added by sec. 113 of Public Law 95-88 (91 Stat. 537) and amended by sec. 110 of Public Law 95-424 (92 Stat. 948) and sec. 122 of Public Law 96-53 (93 Stat. 948), was further amended and restated by sec. 307 of the International Security and Development Cooperation Act of 1981 (Public Law 97-113; 95 Stat. 1533). This section previously read as follows: ``Sec. 118. Environment and Natural Resources.--
(a) The President is authorized to furnish assistance under this part for developing and strengthening the capacity of less developed countries to protect and manage their environment and natural resources. Special efforts shall be made to maintain and where possible restore the land, vegetation, water, wildlife and other resources upon which depend economic growth and human well-being especially that of the poor. ``
(b) In carrying out programs under this chapter, the President shall take into consideration the environmental consequence of development actions.''. See also sec. 534 of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1990 (Public Law 101-167; 103 Stat. 1228), as amended, relating to ``Global Warming Initiative''. See also sec. 533 of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1991 (Public Law 101-513; 104 Stat. 2013), as amended, relating to ``Environment and Global Warming''. See also sec. 532 of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1993 (Public Law 102-391; 106 Stat. 1666), relating to ``Environment''.
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(b) In order to address the serious problems described in subsection (a), the President is authorized to furnish assistance under this part for developing and strengthening the capacity of developing countries to protect and manage their environment and natural resources. Special efforts shall be made to maintain and where possible to restore the land, vegetation, water, wildlife, and other resources upon which depend economic growth and human well-being, especially of the poor.
(c)(1) The President, in implementing programs and projects under this chapter and chapter 10 of this part,\72\ shall take fully into account the impact of such programs and projects upon the environment and natural resources of developing countries. Subject to such procedures as the President considers appropriate, the President shall require all agencies and officials responsible for programs or projects under this chapter-
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\72\ Sec. 562 of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1991 (Public Law 101-513; 104 Stat. 2026), added a new chapter 10 to part I of this Act, providing for long-term development in sub-Saharan Africa, and made a conforming amendment by inserting ``and chapter 10 of this part'' here.
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(A) to prepare and take fully into account an environmental impact statement for any program or project under this chapter significantly affecting the environment of the global commons outside the jurisdiction of any country, the environment of the United States, or other aspects of the environment which the President may specify; and
(B) to prepare and take fully into account an environmental assessment of any proposed program or project under this chapter significantly affecting the environment of any foreign country. Such agencies and officials should, where appropriate, use local technical resources in preparing environmental impact statements and environmental assessments pursuant to this subsection.
(2) The President may establish exceptions from the requirements of this subsection for emergency conditions and for cases in which compliance with those requirements would be seriously detrimental to the foreign policy interests of the United States.
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