Volume 74 · 506
Public Law 86–649
To facilitate the administration of the public lands, and for other purposes.
Approved July 14, 1960
Statutory text
AN ACT
To facilitate the administration of the public lands, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
That this Act may be known as the “Public Land Administration Act”.
Sec. 2.
For the purposes of this Act the term “public lands” means all Federal lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management.
TITLE I— STUDIES, COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS, AND CONTRIBUTIONS
Sec. 101.
The Secretary of the Interior may conduct investigations, studies, and experiments, on his own initiative or in cooperation with others, involving the improvement, management, use, and protection of the public lands and their resources under his jurisdiction.
Sec. 102.
The Secretary of the Interior may enter into cooperative agreements involving the improvement, management, use, and protection of the public lands and their resources under his jurisdiction. The provisions of this section shall apply only in those cases where the making of cooperative agreements for such purposes is neither expressly authorized nor expressly prohibited by other provisions of law.
Sec. 103.
The Secretary of the Interior may accept contributions or donations of money, services, and property, real, personal, or mixed, for the improvement, management, use, and protection of the public lands and their resources under his jurisdiction including the acquisition of rights-of-way for such purposes. He may accept contributions for cadastral surveying performed on federally controlled or intermingled lands. Moneys received hereunder shall be covered into the Treasury and are hereby appropriated and made available until expended, as the Secretary may direct, for payment of expenses incident to the function toward the administration of which the contributions were made and for refunds to depositors of amounts contributed by them in specific instances where the contribution is in excess of their share of the cost.
This section shall not in any manner limit or repeal any existing statutory authority empowering the Secretary of the Interior to accept contributions or donations.
TITLE II— SERVICE CHARGES AND EXCESS PAYMENTS
Sec. 201.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of the Interior may establish reasonable filing fees, service fees and charges, and commissions with respect to applications and other documents relating to public lands and their resources under his jurisdiction, and may change and abolish such fees, charges, and commissions.
Publication in F. R.
Before any action is taken under this section, the Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register notice of his intention to take such action, and shall afford interested parties a period of thirty days, or, if he shall find it advisable, more, within which to submit data, views and arguments, either in writing or, if he shall deem it desirable, in open hearing.
Sec. 202.
All fees, charges, and commissions prescribed by existing law or regulation shall remain in effect until changed or abolished by the Secretary.
Subject to the provisions of this section, any provisions in
Repeals.
statutes which fix fees, service fees or charges, or commissions for the purposes covered in this title, are hereby repealed, including, without limitation, the first proviso of the General Land Office appropriations in the Act of February 14, 1931 (46 Stat. 1115, 1118; 43 U.S.C. 23), section 2239 of the Revised Statutes (43 U.S.C. 84), and such provisions of the following Acts as are contained in section 82, title 43, United States Code:
| Act | Citation |
|---|---|
| Revised Statutes | Section 2238. |
| May 14, 1880 (in sec. 2) | 21 Stat. 140, 141. |
| December 17, 1880 | 21 Stat. 311. |
| July 26, 1892 | 27 Stat. 270. |
| March 22, 1904 | 33 Stat. 144. |
| May 29, 1908 (in sec. 14) | 35 Stat. 465, 468. |
| January 24, 1923 | 42 Stat. 1174, 1179. |
| June 5, 1924 | 43 Stat. 390, 395. |
| March 3, 1925 | 43 Stat. 1141, 1145. |
Sec. 203.
This Act shall not be construed as affecting the provisions of the Act of August 24, 1912, as amended (5 U.S.C. 488), relating to
the price of copies of records furnished by the Department of the Interior.
Sec. 204.
In any case where it shall appear to the satisfaction of the Secretary of the Interior that any person has made a payment under any statute relating to the sale, entry, lease, use, or other disposition of the public lands which is not required, or is in excess of the amount required, by applicable law and the regulations issued by the Secretary, the Secretary, upon application or otherwise, may cause a refund to be made from applicable funds.
The Act of March 26, 1908 (35 Stat. 48), as amended and supplemented by the Act of December 11, 1919 (41 Stat. 366; 43 U.S.C. 95–98), and the Act of June 27, 1930 (46 Stat. 822; 43 U.S.C. 98a), is hereby repealed.
TITLE III— DEPOSITS AND FORFEITURES
Sec. 301.
Any moneys received by the United States as a result of the forfeiture of a bond or deposit by a timber purchaser or permittee who does not fulfill the requirements of his contract or permit or does not comply with the regulations of the Department, or as a result of a compromise or settlement of any claim whether sounding in tort or in contract involving present or potential damage to timberlands, shall be covered into the Treasury and are hereby appropriated and made available, until expended as the Secretary may direct, to cover the cost to the United States of any forest improvement, protection, or rehabilitation work, which has been rendered necessary by the action which has led to the forfeiture, compromise, or settlement.
Sec. 302.
The Secretary of the Interior may require a user or users of roads or trails under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management to maintain such roads or trails in a satisfactory condition commensurate with the particular use requirements and the use made by each, the extent of such maintenance to be shared by the users in proportion to such use or, if such maintenance cannot be so provided, to deposit sufficient money to enable the Secretary to provide such maintenance. Such deposits shall be covered into the Treasury and are hereby appropriated and made available until expended, as the Secretary may direct, to cover the cost to the United States of the maintenance of any road or trail under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management.
Sec. 303.
Any moneys collected under this Act in connection with lands administered under the Act of August 28, 1937 (50 Stat. 874; 43 U.S.C. 1181a, and the following), shall be expended for the benefit of such land only. If any portion of a deposit or amount forfeited under this Act is found by the Secretary to be in excess of the cost of doing the work authorized under this Act, the amount in excess shall be transferred to miscellaneous receipts.
Approved July 14, 1960.