§ 661. Short title; authorization

Legislative history

Reconstructed from this section’s Code source credit and amendment notes, resolved against the local Statutes at Large. Editorial notes are evidence, not the law that made the change.

1. 1934

   Pub. L. 73–55 § 1 · 48 Stat. 119

   Enacted · 16 U.S.C. § 661

   Mar. 10, 1934, ch. 55, § 1, 48 Stat. 401

   Source evidence

   Code source credit
   Mar. 10, 1934, ch. 55, § 1, 48 Stat. 401

2. 1958

   Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act

   Pub. L. 85–624 § 2 · 72 Stat. 563

   Inserted · 16 U.S.C. § 661

   Pub. L. 85–624 inserted provisions which relate to recognition of the vital contribution of wildlife resources to the Nation, the increasing public interest and significance thereof, and to equal consideration and coordination of wildlife conservation with other water-resources development programs, and which authorize the Secretary to provide public fishing areas, and to accept donations of lands and contributions of funds

   Source evidence

   Code amendment note
   Pub. L. 85–624 inserted provisions which relate to recognition of the vital contribution of wildlife resources to the Nation, the increasing public interest and significance thereof, and to equal consideration and coordination of wildlife conservation with other water-resources development programs, and which authorize the Secretary to provide public fishing areas, and to accept donations of lands and contributions of funds.

   Enacted provision · exact public law section
   Sec. 2. The first four sections of the Act entitled “An Act to promote the conservation of wildlife, fish, and game, and for other purposes”, approved March 10, 1934 (16 U. S. C., secs. 661–664, inclusive) 48 Stat. 401. are amended to read as follows: “For the purpose of recognizing the vital contribution of our wildlife Wildlife conservation. resources to the Nation, the increasing public interest and significance thereof due to expansion of our national economy and other factors, and to provide that wildlife conservation shall receive equal consideration and be coordinated with other features of water-resource development programs through the effectual and harmonious planning, development, maintenance, and coordination of wildlife conservation and rehabilitation for the purposes of this Act in the United States, its Territories and possessions, the Secretary of the Interior is authorized (1) to provide assistance to. and cooperate with, Federal, Cooperation of agencies. State, and public or private agencies and organizations in the development, protection, rearing, and stocking of all species of wildlife, resources thereof, and their habitat, in controlling losses of the same from disease or other causes, in minimizing damages from overabundant species, in providing public shooting and fishing areas, including easements across public lands for access thereto, and in carrying out Surveys and investigations. other measures necessary to effectuate the purposes of this Act; (2) to make surveys and investigations of the wildlife of the public domain, including lands and waters or interests therein acquired or Donations. controlled by any agency of the United States; and (3) to accept donations of land and contributions of funds in furtherance of the purposes of this Act. “Sec. 2. (a) Except as hereafter stated in subsection (h) of this Interagency water control consultation. section, whenever the waters of any stream or other body of water are proposed or authorized to be impounded, diverted, the channel deepened, or the stream or other body of water otherwise controlled or modified for any purpose whatever, including navigation and drainage, by any department or agency of the United States, or by any public or private agency under Federal permit or license, such department or agency first shall consult with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior, and with the head of the agency exercising administration over the wildlife resources of the particular State wherein the impoundment, diversion, or other control facility is to be constructed, with a view to the conservation of wildlife resources by preventing loss of and damage to such resources as well as providing for the development and improvement thereof in connection with such water-resource development. “(b) In furtherance of such purposes, the reports and recommendations Reports and recommendations. of the Secretary of the Interior on the wildlife aspects of such projects, and any report of the head of the State agency exercising administration over the wildlife resources of the State, based on surveys and investigations conducted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and such State agency for the purpose of determining the possible damage to wildlife resources and for the purpose of determining means and measures that should be adopted to prevent the loss of or damage to such wildlife resources, as well as to provide concurrently for the development and improvement of such resources, shall be made an integral part of any report prepared or submitted by any agency of the Federal Government responsible for engineering surveys and construction of such projects when such reports are presented to the Congress or to any agency or person having the authority or the power, by administrative action or otherwise, (1) to authorize the construction of water-resource development projects or (2) to approve a report on the modification or supplementation of plans for previously authorized projects, to which this Act applies. Recommendations of the Secretary of the Interior shall be as specific as is practicable with respect to features recommended for wildlife conservation and development, lands to be utilized or acquired for such purposes, the results expected, and shall describe the damage to wildlife attributable to the project and the measures proposed for mitigating or compensating for these damages. The reporting officers in project reports of the Federal agencies shall give full consideration to the report and recommendations of the Secretary of the Interior and to any report of the State agency on the wildlife aspects of such projects, and the project plan shall include such justifiable means and measures for wildlife purposes as the reporting agency finds should be adopted to obtain maximum overall project benefits. “(c) Federal agencies authorized to construct or operate water-control Modification of projects. projects are hereby authorized to modify or add to the structures and operations of such projects, the construction of which has not been substantially completed on the date of enactment of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, and to acquire lands in accordance with section 3 of this Act, in order to accommodate the means and measures for such conservation of wildlife resources as an in-tegral part of such projects: Provided, That for projects authorized by a specific Act of Congress before the date of enactment of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (1) such modification or land acquisition shall be compatible with the purposes for which the project was authorized; (2) the cost of such modifications or land acquisition, as means and measures to prevent loss of and damage to wildlife resources to the extent justifiable, shall be an integral part of the cost of such projects; and (3) the cost of such modifications or land acquisition for the development or improvement of wildlife resources may be included to the extent justifiable, and an appropriate share of the cost of any project may be allocated for this purpose with a finding as to the part of such allocated cost, if any, to be reimbursed by non-Federal interests. “(d) The cost of planning for and the construction or installation Project cost. and maintenance of such means and measures adopted to carry out the conservation purposes of this section shall constitute an integral part of the cost of such projects: Provided, That such cost attributable to the development and improvement of wildlife shall not extend beyond those necessary for (1) land acquisition, (2) modification of the project, and (3) modification of project operations; but shall not include the operation of wildlife facilities nor the construction of such facilities beyond those herein described: And provided further, That, in the case of projects authorized to be constructed, operated, and maintained in accordance with the Federal reclamation laws (Act of June 17, 1902, 32 Stat. 388, and Acts amendatory thereof 43 USC 371 and note. or supplementary thereto), the Secretary of the Interior, in addition to allocations made under section 9 of the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 (53 Stat. 1187), shall make findings on the part of the 43 USC 485h. estimated cost of the project which can properly be allocated to means and measures to prevent loss of and damage to wildlife resources, which costs shall not be reimbursable, and an appropriate share of the project costs may be allocated to development and improvement of wildlife resources, with a finding as to the part of such allocated costs, if any, to be reimbursed by non-Federal fish and wildlife agencies or interests. “(e) In the case of construction by a Federal agency, that agency is Transfer of funds. authorized to transfer to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, out of appropriations or other funds made available for investigations, engineering, or construction such funds as may be necessary to conduct all or part of the investigations required to carry out the purposes of this section. “(f) In addition to other requirements, there shall be included in Estimation of benefits. any report submitted to Congress supporting a recommendation for authorization of any new project for the control or use of water as described herein (including any new division of such project or new supplemental works on such project) an estimation of the wildlife benefits or losses to be derived therefrom including benefits to be derived from measures recommended specifically for the development and improvement of wildlife resources, the cost of providing wildlife benefits (including the cost of additional facilities to be installed or lands to be acquired specifically for that particular phase of wildlife conservation relating to the development and improvement of wildlife), the part of the cost of joint-use facilities allocated to wildlife, and the part of such costs, if any, to be reimbursed by non-Federal interests. “(g) The provisions of this section shall be applicable with respect Applicability. to any project for the control or use of water as prescribed herein, or any unit of such project authorized before or after the date of enactment of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act for planning or construction, but shall not be applicable to any project or unit thereof authorized before the date of enactment of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act if the construction of the particular project or unit thereof has been substantially completed. A project or unit thereof shall be considered to be substantially completed when sixty percent or more of the estimated construction cost has been obligated for expenditure. “(h) The provisions of this Act shall not be applicable to those Exceptions. projects for the impoundment of water where the maximum surface area of such impoundments is less than ten acres, nor to activities for or in connection with programs primarily for land management and use carried out by Federal agencies with respect to Federal lands under their jurisdiction. “Sec. 3. (a) Subject to the exceptions prescribed in section 2 (h) Wildlife resources. of this Act, whenever the waters of any stream or other body of water are impounded, diverted, the channel deepened, or the stream or other body of water otherwise controlled or modified for any purpose whatever, including navigation and drainage, by any department or agency of the United States, adequate provision, consistent with the primary purposes of such impoundment, diversion, or other control, shall be made for the use thereof, together with any areas of land, water, or interests therein, acquired or administered by a Federal agency in connection therewith, for the conservation, maintenance, and management of wildlife resources thereof, and its habitat thereon, including the development and improvement of such wildlife resources pursuant to the provisions of section 2 of this Act. “(b) The use of such waters, land, or interests therein for wildlife conservation purposes shall be in accordance with general plans approved jointly (1) by the head of the particular department or agency exercising primary administration in each instance, (2) by the Secretary of the Interior, and (3) by the head of the agency exercising the administration of the wildlife resources of the particular State wherein the waters and areas lie. Such waters and other interests shall be made available, without cost for administration, by such State agency, if the management of the properties relate to the conservation of wildlife other than migratory birds, or by the Secretary of the Interior, for administration in such manner as he may deem advisable, where the particular properties have value in carrying out the national migratory bird management program: Provided, That nothing in this section shall be construed as affecting the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture to cooperate with the States or in making lands available to the States with respect to the management of wildlife and wildlife habitat on lands administered by him. “(c) When consistent with the purposes of this Act and the reports and findings of the Secretary of the Interior prepared in accordance with section 2, land, waters, and interests therein may be acquired by Federal construction agencies for the wildlife conservation and development purposes of this Act in connection with a project as reasonably needed to preserve and assure for the public benefit the Report to Congress. wildlife potentials of the particular project area: Provided, That before properties are acquired for this purpose, the probable extent of such acquisition shall be set forth, along with other data necessary for project authorization, in a report submitted to the Congress, or in the case of a project previously authorized, no such properties shall be acquired unless specifically authorized by Congress, if specific authority for such acquisition is recommended by the construction agency. “(d) Properties acquired for the purposes of this section shall continue to be used for such purposes, and shall not become the subject of exchange or other transact ions if such exchange or other transaction would defeat the initial purpose of their acquisition. “(e) Federal lands acquired or withdrawn for Federal water resource purposes and made available to the States or to the Secretary of the Interior for wildlife management purposes, shall be made available for such purposes in accordance with this Act, notwithstanding other provisions of law. “(f) Any lands acquired pursuant to this section by any Federal National forest lands. agency within the exterior boundaries of a national forest shall, upon acquisition, be added to and become national forest lands, and shall be administered as a part of the forest within which they are situated, subject to all laws applicable to lands acquired under the provisions of the Act of March 1, 1911 (36 Stat. 961), unless such lands are 16 USC 480–563. passim. acquired to carry out the National Migratory Bird Management Program. “Sec. 4. Such areas as are made available to the Secretary of the Rules and regulations. Interior for the purposes of this Act, pursuant to sections 1 and 3 or pursuant to any other authorization, shall be administered by him directly or in accordance with cooperative agreements entered into pursuant to the provisions of the first section of this Act and in accordance with such rules and regulations for the conservation, maintenance, and management of wildlife, resources thereof, and its habitat thereon, as may be adopted by the Secretary in accordance with general plans approved jointly by the Secretary of the Interior and the head of the department or agency exercising primary administration of such areas: Provided, That such rules and regulations shall not be inconsistent with the laws for the protection of fish and game of the States in which such area is situated (16 U. S. C., sec. 664): 60 Stat. 1080. Provided further, That lands having value to the National Migratory Bird Management Program may, pursuant to general plans, be made available without cost directly to the State agency having control over wildlife resources, if it is jointly determined by the Secretary of the Interior and such State agency that this would be in the public interest: And provided further, That the Secretary of the Interior shall have the right to assume the management and administration of such lands in behalf of the National Migratory Bird Management Program if the Secretary finds that the State agency has withdrawn from or otherwise relinquished such management and administration.”

3. 2019

   John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act

   Pub. L. 116–9 title VII § 7001(b)(2)(A) · 133 Stat. 580

   1. Inserted · 16 U.S.C. § 661

      Pub. L. 116–9 inserted section catchline

   2. Amended · 16 U.S.C. § 661

      Pub. L. 116–9 designated existing provisions as subsec. (b)

   3. Inserted · 16 U.S.C. § 661

      Pub. L. 116–9 inserted heading

   4. Added · 16 U.S.C. § 661

      Pub. L. 116–9 added subsec. (a)

   Source evidence

   Code amendment note
   Pub. L. 116–9 inserted section catchline, designated existing provisions as subsec. (b), inserted heading, and added subsec. (a).

   Enacted provision · exact public law section
   (A) Short title; authorization.— The first section of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (16 U.S.C. 661) is amended by striking “For the purpose” and inserting the following: “SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; AUTHORIZATION. “(a) Short Title.— This Act may be cited as the ‘Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act’. “(b) Authorization.— For the purpose” .

5 of 6 references resolved to an enrolled provision · 1 partial