16 U.S.C. § 1724 — Conservation centers and program sup-

Page 1985 TITLE 16—CONSERVATION § 1724 cated in a specific area that have a substan- tial portion of members who are economi- cally, physically, or educationally disadvan- taged to carry out projects within the area. (B) Priority projects In carrying out priority projects in a spe- cific area, the Secretary shall, to the max- imum extent practicable, give preference to qualified youth or conservation corps lo- cated in that specific area that have a sub- stantial portion of members who are eco- nomically, physically, or educationally dis- advantaged. (d) Projects to be carried out (1) In general The Secretary may utilize the Corps or any qualified youth or conservation corps to carry out appropriate conservation projects which the Secretary is authorized to carry out under other authority of law on public lands. (2) Projects on Indian lands Appropriate conservation projects may also be carried out under this subchapter on Indian lands with the approval of the Indian tribe in- volved and on Hawaiian home lands with the approval of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands of the State of Hawaii. (3) Disaster prevention or relief projects The Secretary may authorize appropriate conservation projects and other appropriate projects to be carried out on Federal, State, local, or private land as part of a Federal dis- aster prevention or relief effort. (e) Preference for certain projects In selecting appropriate conservation projects to be carried out under this subchapter, the Sec- retary shall give preference to those projects which— (1) will provide long-term benefits to the public; (2) will instill in the enrollee involved a work ethic and a sense of public service; (3) will be labor intensive; (4) can be planned and initiated promptly; and (5) will provide academic, experiential, or environmental education opportunities. (f) Consistency Each appropriate conservation project carried out under this subchapter on eligible service lands shall be consistent with the provisions of law and policies relating to the management and administration of such lands, with all other applicable provisions of law, and with all man- agement, operational, and other plans and docu- ments which govern the administration of the area. (g) Effect Nothing in this section authorizes the use of the Public Lands Corps for projects on or im- pacting real property owned by, operated by, or within the custody, control, or administrative jurisdiction of the Administrator of General Services without the express permission of the Administrator of General Services. (Pub. L. 91–378, title II, § 204, as added Pub. L. 103–82, title I, § 105(6), Sept. 21, 1993, 107 Stat. 850; amended Pub. L. 109–154, § 2(b), (c), (g)(1), Dec. 30, 2005, 119 Stat. 2891, 2893; Pub. L. 114–289, title III, § 302(2), Dec. 16, 2016, 130 Stat. 1487; Pub. L. 116–9, title IX, § 9003(b), Mar. 12, 2019, 133 Stat. 833.) Editorial Notes REFERENCES IN TEXT This subchapter, referred to in subsec. (a)(2), was in the original ‘‘this Act’’, and was translated as reading ‘‘this title’’, meaning title II of Pub. L. 91–378, known as the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993, to reflect the probable intent of Congress. AMENDMENTS 2019—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 116–9, § 9003(b)(1), added sub- sec. (a) and struck out former subsec. (a). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: ‘‘There is hereby es- tablished in the Department of the Interior and the De- partment of Agriculture a Public Lands Corps.’’ Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 116–9, § 9003(b)(2), substituted ‘‘in- dividuals between the ages of 16 and 30, inclusive, and veterans age 35 or younger’’ for ‘‘individuals between the ages of 16 and 30, inclusive,’’ and ‘‘paragraphs (1), (2), (4), and (5) of section 12591(a) of title 42’’ for ‘‘sec- tion 12591(b) of title 42’’. Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 116–9, § 9003(b)(3), added subsec. (g). 2016—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 114–289 substituted ‘‘30’’ for ‘‘25’’. 2005—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 109–154, § 2(g)(1)(A), sub- stituted ‘‘Corps by the Secretary’’ for ‘‘Corps by the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agri- culture’’ and ‘‘Secretary may’’ for ‘‘Secretaries may’’ in two places. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 109–154, § 2(b), designated existing provisions as par. (1), inserted heading, substituted ‘‘The Secretary is’’ for ‘‘The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture are’’, and added par. (2). Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 109–154, § 2(c), designated first sen- tence as par. (1), inserted heading, and substituted ‘‘The Secretary may’’ for ‘‘The Secretary of the Inte- rior and the Secretary of Agriculture may each’’ and ‘‘the Secretary’’ for ‘‘such Secretary’’, designated sec- ond sentence as par. (2) and inserted heading, added par. (3), and struck out former third sentence which read ‘‘The Secretaries may also authorize appropriate conservation projects and other appropriate projects to be carried out on Federal, State, local, or private lands as part of disaster prevention or relief efforts in re- sponse to an emergency or major disaster declared by the President under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Re- lief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.).’’ Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 109–154, § 2(g)(1)(B), substituted ‘‘Secretary’’ for ‘‘Secretary of the Interior and the Sec- retary of Agriculture’’ in introductory provisions. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE Section effective Oct. 1, 1993, see section 123 of Pub. L. 103–82, set out as an Effective Date of 1993 Amend- ment note under section 1701 of this title. § 1724. Conservation centers and program sup- port (a) Establishment and use (1) In general The Secretary may establish and use con- servation centers owned and operated by the Secretary for— (A) use by the Public Lands Corps; and (B) the conduct of appropriate conserva- tion projects under this subchapter. Page 1986 TITLE 16—CONSERVATION § 1725 1 So in original. (2) Assistance for conservation centers The Secretary may provide to a conserva- tion center established under paragraph (1) any services, facilities, equipment, and sup- plies that the Secretary determines to be nec- essary for the conservation center. (3) Standards for conservation centers The Secretary shall— (A) establish basic standards of health, nu- trition, sanitation, and safety for all con- servation centers established under para- graph (1); and (B) ensure that the standards established under subparagraph (A) are enforced. (4) Management As the Secretary determines to be appro- priate, the Secretary may enter into a con- tract or other appropriate arrangement with a State or local government agency or private organization to provide for the management of a conservation center. (b) Logistical support The Secretary may make arrangements with the Secretary of Defense to have logistical sup- port provided by the Armed Forces to the Corps and any conservation center established under this section, where feasible. Logistical support may include the provision of temporary tent shelters where needed, transportation, and resi- dential supervision. (c) Use of military installations The Secretary may make arrangements with the Secretary of Defense to identify military in- stallations and other facilities of the Depart- ment of Defense and, in consultation with the adjutant generals of the State National Guards, National Guard facilities that may be used, in whole or in part, by the Corps for training or housing Corps participants. (d) Assistance The Secretary may provide any services, fa- cilities, equipment, supplies, technical assist- ance, oversight, monitoring, or evaluations that are appropriate to carry out this subchapter. (e) Transportation The Secretary may provide to Corps partici- pants who reside in their own homes transpor- tation to and from appropriate conservation project sites. (Pub. L. 91–378, title II, § 205, as added Pub. L. 103–82, title I, § 105(6), Sept. 21, 1993, 107 Stat. 851; amended Pub. L. 109–154, § 2(d), (g)(2), Dec. 30, 2005, 119 Stat. 2891, 2893; Pub. L. 116–9, title IX, § 9003(c), Mar. 12, 2019, 133 Stat. 833.) Editorial Notes AMENDMENTS 2019—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 116–9 added subsec. (e). 2005—Pub. L. 109–154, § 2(d)(1), inserted ‘‘and program support’’ after ‘‘Conservation centers’’ in section catch- line. Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 109–154, § 2(d)(2), added subsec. (a) and struck out heading and text of former subsec. (a). Text read as follows: ‘‘The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture are each authorized to provide such quarters, board, medical care, transpor- tation, and other services, facilities, supplies, and equipment as such Secretary deems necessary in con- nection with the Public Lands Corps and appropriate conservation projects carried out under this subchapter and to establish and use conservation centers owned and operated by such Secretary for purposes of the Corps and such projects. The Secretaries shall establish basic standards of health, nutrition, sanitation, and safety for all conservation centers established under this section and shall assure that such standards are enforced. Where necessary or appropriate, the Secre- taries may enter into contracts and other appropriate arrangements with State and local government agen- cies and private organizations for the management of such conservation centers.’’ Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 109–154, § 2(g)(2)(A), substituted ‘‘Secretary may’’ for ‘‘Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture may’’. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 109–154, § 2(g)(2)(B), substituted ‘‘Secretary may’’ for ‘‘Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture may’’. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 109–154, § 2(d)(3), added subsec. (d). Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE Section effective Oct. 1, 1993, see section 123 of Pub. L. 103–82, set out as an Effective Date of 1993 Amend- ment note under section 1701 of this title. § 1725. Resource assistants (a) Authorization The Secretary may provide individual place- ments of resource assistants to carry out re- search or resource protection activities on be- half of the Secretary. To be eligible for selection as a resource assistant, an individual must be at least 17 years of age. The Secretary may select resource assistants without regard to the civil service and classification laws, rules, or regula- tions of the United States. The Secretary shall give a preference to the selection of individuals who are enrolled in an institution of higher edu- cation or are recent graduates from an institu- tion of higher education, with particular atten- tion given to ensure full representation of women and participants from historically black, Hispanic, and Native American schools. (b) Use of existing nonprofit organizations Whenever one or more existing nonprofit orga- nizations can provide, in the judgment of the the 1 Secretary, appropriate recruitment and placement services to fulfill the requirements of this section, the Secretary may implement this section through such existing organizations. Participating nonprofit organizations shall con- tribute to the expenses of providing and sup- porting the resource assistants, through private sources of funding, at a level equal to 25 percent of the total costs of each participant in the Re- source Assistant program who has been re- cruited and placed through that organization. Any such participating nonprofit conservation service organization shall be required, by the re- spective land managing agency, to submit an annual report evaluating the scope, size, and quality of the program, including the value of work contributed by the Resource Assistants, to the mission of the agency. (Pub. L. 91–378, title II, § 206, as added Pub. L. 103–82, title I, § 105(6), Sept. 21, 1993, 107 Stat. 852;