Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 70.djvu/1100

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[70 Stat. 1044]
PUBLIC LAW 000—MMMM. DD, 1956
[70 Stat. 1044]

1D44

PUBLIC DAW 984-AUG. 6, 1956

Public Law 984 August 6, 1956 [H. R. 5881]

S m a l l Reclamation Projects Act of 195 6.

Definitions.

43 USC 371 note.

Proposals.

58 Stat. 889. 33 USC 7 0 i - l

[70

ST A T.

CHAPTER 9 7 2

AN ACT To supplement the Federal reclamation laws by providing for Federal cooperation in non-Federal projects and for participation by non-Federal agencies in Federal projects.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the purpose of this Act is to encourage State and local participation in the development of projects under the Federal reclamation laws and to provide for Federal assistance in the development of similar projects in the seventeen western reclamation States by non-Federal organizations. SEC. 2. As used in this Act— (a) The term "construction" shall include rehabilitation and betterment. (b) The term "Federal reclamation laws" shall mean the Act of June 17, 1902 (32 Stat. 388), and Acts amendatory thereof or supplementary thereto, (c) The term "organization" shall mean a State or a department, agency, or political subdivision thereof or a conservancy district, irrigation district, water users' association, an agency created by interstate compact, or similar organization which has capacity to contract with the United States under the Federal reclamation laws. (d) The term "project" shall mean (i) any complete irrigation undertaking, including incidental features thereof, or distinct unit of such an undertaking or a rehabilitation and betterment program for an existing irrigation project, authorized to be constructed pursuant to the Federal reclamation laws and (ii) any similar undertaking proposed to be constructed by an organization. The term "project" shall not include any such undertaking, unit, or program the cost of which exceeds $5,000,000: Provided, That any project, the estimated cost of which is more than $5,000,000 but less than $10,000,000, may qualify under this Act if the applicant organization is ready, able, and willing to finance otherwise than by loan or grant under this Act all costs in excess of the amount of the loan or grant which would be made under this Act if the estimated construction cost were $5,000,000: Provided further, That nothing contained in this definition shall preclude the making of a grant not in excess of $5,000,000 in accordance with the provisions of sections 4 and 5 of this Act, to organizations whose proposed projects qualify for the same but which are not applicants for a loan under this Act: And provided further, That nothing contained in this Act shall preclude the making of more than one loan or grant, or combined loan and grant, to an organization so long as no two such loans or grants, or combinations thereof, are for the same project, as herein defined. (e) The term "Secretary" shall mean the Secretary of the Interior. SEC. 3. Any organization desiring to avail itself oi the benefits provided in this Act shall submit a proposal therefor to the Secretary in such form and manner as he shall prescribe. Each such proposal shall be accompanied by a payment of $1,000 to defray, in part, the cost of examining the proposal. SEC. 4. (a) Any proposal with respect to the construction of a project which has not theretofore been authorized for construction under the Federal reclamation laws shall set forth, among other things, a plan and estimated cost in detail comparable to those included in preauthorization reports required for a Federal reclamation project; shall have been submitted for review by the States of the drainage basin in which the project is located in like manner as provided in subsection (c), section 1 of the Act of December 22, 1944 (58 Stat, 887), except that the review may be limited to the State or