PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

When a reclamation project needs power for irrigation, or has extra power available, the Secretary of the Interior can lease that extra power or power rights for up to 10 years. Cities and towns get first preference. Money from these leases must go into the reclamation fund and be credited to the same project. Leases cannot reduce how well the irrigation project works. For the Rio Grande project in Texas and New Mexico, the Secretary can instead make a lease up to 50 years if the local water-users’ association or associations set up under the rules in section 498 approve.

Title 43, §522

Public Lands, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Whenever a development of power is necessary for the irrigation of lands, under any project undertaken under the said reclamation Act, or an opportunity is afforded for the development of power under any such project, the Secretary of the Interior is authorized to lease for a period not exceeding ten years, giving preference to municipal purposes, any surplus power or power privilege, and the moneys derived from such leases shall be covered into the reclamation fund and be placed to the credit of the project from which such power is derived: Provided, That no lease shall be made of such surplus power or power privileges as will impair the efficiency of the irrigation project: Provided further, That the Secretary of the Interior is authorized, in his discretion, to make such a lease in connection with Rio Grande project in Texas and New Mexico for a longer period not exceeding fifty years, with the approval of the water-users’ association or associations under any such project, organized in conformity with the rules and regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior in pursuance of section 498 of this title.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The said reclamation Act, referred to in text, means act June 17, 1902, ch. 1093, 32 Stat. 388, popularly known as the Reclamation Act, which is classified generally to this chapter. See section 561 of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 371 of this title and Tables.

§522 Lease of Water Power