16 U.S.C. § 666g: Classification of lands…

Summary

The Secretary of the Interior must first sort and classify lands transferred under section 666f to decide the best uses. He must work with federal and state agencies and public or private groups. Uses include wildlife conservation, farming, recreation, industry, and related purposes. Land found mainly useful for industry can be leased when and on the terms the Secretary sets. Money from those leases is handled under section 715s. Except as already covered in section 666f, the Secretary of the Interior will manage the lands through the Fish and Wildlife Service under the act of August 14, 1946 (Public Law 732, Seventy-ninth Congress). Land now used by the Department of the Army stays under Army control until the Secretary of the Army says it is no longer needed. After that, the Interior will manage it, but any lease or sale must include the Army’s conditions to keep the land available for war production.

Title 16, §666g

Conservation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

All of the lands transferred to the Secretary of the Interior, pursuant to the provisions of section 666f of this title and this section, first shall be classified by him with a view to determining, in cooperation with Federal, State, and public or private agencies and organizations, the most beneficial use that may be made thereof to carry out the purposes of section 666f of this title and this section, including the development of wildlife conservation, agricultural, recreational, industrial, and related purposes. Such lands as have been or may hereafter be determined to be chiefly valuable for industrial purposes shall be leased for such purposes at such time and under such terms and conditions as the Secretary of the Interior shall prescribe. All moneys received or collected in connection with such leases shall be subject to the provisions of section 715s of this title. Except to the extent otherwise provided in section 666f of this title and this section, all lands herein transferred shall be administered by the Secretary of the Interior through the Fish and Wildlife Service in accordance with the provisions of the act of August 14, 1946 (Public Law 732, Seventy-ninth Congress), and Acts supplementary thereto and amendatory thereof for the conservation of wildlife, and for the development of the agricultural, recreational, industrial, and related purposes specified in section 666f of this title and this section: Provided, That no jurisdiction shall be exercised by the Secretary of the Interior over that portion of such lands and the improvements thereon which are now utilized by the Department of the Army directly or indirectly until such time as it is determined by the Secretary of the Army that utilization of such portions of such lands and the improvements thereon directly or indirectly by the Department of the Army is no longer required: Provided further, That, subsequent to the determination referred to in the preceding proviso, the lands and improvements mentioned therein shall be administered by the Secretary of the Interior, and any lease or other disposition thereof shall be made subject to such terms, conditions, restrictions, and reservations imposed by the Secretary of the Army as will, in the opinion of the Secretary of the Army, be adequate to assure the continued availability for war production purposes of such lands and improvements.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 715s of this title, referred to in text, was in the original “the Act of

June 15, 1935, as amended (49 Stat. 383; 16 U.S.C. 715s)”. The act of

August 14, 1946, referred to in text, is act Aug. 14, 1946, ch. 965, 60 Stat. 1080, which amended act Mar. 10, 1934, ch. 55, by generally amending sections 1 to 6, which are classified to sections 661 to 665 and 666 of this title, and by adding sections 7 to 9, which are classified to sections 666a to 666c of this title. Subsequent acts added section 5A and 10 of act Mar. 10, 1934, which are classified to section 665a and 666c–1 of this title, respectively.

Amendments

1978—Pub. L. 95–616 substituted in second sentence “terms and conditions as the Secretary of the Interior shall prescribe” for “terms and conditions as are consistent with the general purposes of section 2 of the Surplus Property Act of 1944, as amended, and with the purposes of section 666f of this title and this section” and made moneys received or collected in connection with the leases to be subject to section 715s of this title.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Department of War designated Department of the Army and title of Secretary of War changed to Secretary of the Army by section 205(a) of act

July 26, 1947, ch. 343, title II, 61 Stat. 501. section 205(a) of act

July 26, 1947, was repealed by section 53 of act Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 641. section 1 of act Aug. 10, 1956, enacted “Title 10, Armed Forces” which in sections 3010 to 3013 continued military Department of the Army under administrative supervision of Secretary of the Army.

§666g Classification of Lands; Industrial Leases; Moneys Subject to Section 715s of This Title; Administration; Jurisdiction of Federal Agencies