Foreign Assistance Act, Part I, Section 117 - Environment
and Natural Resources
Sec. 117 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.
(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''.
(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-
\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.
(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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