43 U.S.C. § 485b — Amendment of existing repayment con-

Page 162 TITLE 43—PUBLIC LANDS § 485a Stat. 1187, known as the Reclamation Project Act of 1939, which enacted this subchapter, sections 375a, 380a, and 387 to 389 of this title and section 16d of former Title 41, Public Contracts, and enacted provision set out as a note under section 485j of this title. For com- plete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 485k of this title and Tables. § 485a. Definitions As used in this subchapter— (a) The term ‘‘Federal reclamation laws’’ shall mean the Act of June 17, 1902 (32 Stat. 388), and all Acts amendatory thereof or supplementary thereto. (b) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ shall mean the Sec- retary of the Interior. (c) The term ‘‘project’’ shall mean any rec- lamation or irrigation project, including inci- dental features thereof, authorized by the Fed- eral reclamation laws, or constructed by the United States pursuant to said laws, or in con- nection with which there is a repayment con- tract executed by the United States, pursuant to said laws, or any project constructed or operated and maintained by the Secretary through the Bureau of Reclamation for the reclamation of arid lands or other purposes. (d) The term ‘‘construction charges’’ shall mean the amounts of principal obligations pay- able to the United States under water-right ap- plications, repayment contracts, orders of the Secretary, or other forms of obligation entered into pursuant to the Federal reclamation laws, excepting amounts payable for water rental or power charges, operation and maintenance and other yearly service charges, and excepting also any other operation and maintenance, interest, or other charges which are not covered into the principal sums of the construction accounts of the Bureau of Reclamation. (e) The term ‘‘repayment contract’’ shall mean any contract providing for payment of construction charges to the United States. (f) The term ‘‘project contract unit’’ shall mean a project or any substantial area of a project which is covered or is proposed to be covered by a repayment contract. On any project where two or more repayment contracts in part cover the same area and in part different areas, the area covered by each such repayment contract shall be a separate project contract unit. On any project where there are either two or more repayment contracts on a single project contract unit or two or more project contract units, the repayment contracts or project con- tract units may be merged by agreements in form satisfactory to the Secretary. (g) The term ‘‘organization’’ shall mean any conservancy district, irrigation district, water users’ association, or other organization, which is organized under State law and which has ca- pacity to enter into contracts with the United States pursuant to the Federal reclamation laws. (h) The term ‘‘division of a project’’ shall mean any part of a project designated as a divi- sion by order of the Secretary or any phase or feature of project operations given a separate designation as a division by order of the Sec- retary for the purposes of orderly and efficient administration. (i) The term ‘‘development unit’’ shall mean a part of a project which, for purposes of orderly engineering or reclamation development, is des- ignated as a development unit by order of the Secretary. (j) The term ‘‘irrigation block’’ shall mean an area of arid or semiarid lands in a project in which, in the judgment of the Secretary, the ir- rigable lands should be reclaimed and put under irrigation at substantially the same time, and which is designated as an irrigation block by order of the Secretary. (Aug. 4, 1939, ch. 418, § 2, 53 Stat. 1187; Pub. L. 85–611, § 3, Aug. 8, 1958, 72 Stat. 543.) Editorial Notes REFERENCES IN TEXT This subchapter, referred to in text, was in the origi- nal ‘‘this Act’’, meaning act Aug. 4, 1939, ch. 418, 53 Stat. 1187, known as the Reclamation Project Act of 1939, which enacted this subchapter, sections 375a, 380a, and 387 to 389 of this title and section 16d of former Title 41, Public Contracts, and enacted provision set out as a note under section 485j of this title. For com- plete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 485k of this title and Tables. Act of June 17, 1902, referred to in subsec. (a), is popu- larly known as the Reclamation Act, which is classified generally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 371 of this title and Tables. AMENDMENTS 1958—Subsecs. (h) to (k). Pub. L. 85–611 repealed sub- sec. (h) which defined ‘‘annual returns’’ and ‘‘normal returns’’, and redesignated subsecs. (i) to (k) as (h) to (j), respectively. § 485b. Amendment of existing repayment con- tracts In connection with any repayment contract or other form of obligation, existing on August 4, 1939, to pay construction charges, providing for repayment on the basis of a definite period, the Secretary is authorized, upon request by the water users involved or their duly authorized representatives for amendment under this sec- tion of said contract or other form of obligation, and if in the Secretary’s judgement such amend- ment is both practicable and in keeping with the general purpose of this subchapter, to amend said contract or other form of obligation so as to provide that the construction charges re- maining unaccrued on the date of the amend- ment, or any later date agreed upon, shall be spread in definite annual installments on the basis of a longer definite period fixed in each case by the Secretary: Provided, That for any construction charges said longer period shall not exceed forty years, exclusive of 1931 and sub- sequent years to the extent of moratoria or deferments of construction charges due and pay- able for such years effected pursuant to Acts of Congress, from the date when the first install- ment of said construction charges become due and payable under the original obligation to pay said construction charges and in no event shall the unexpired part of said longer period exceed double the number of remaining years, as of the date of the amendment made pursuant to this subchapter, in which installments of said con- Page 163 TITLE 43—PUBLIC LANDS § 485d struction charges would become due and payable under said existing repayment contract or other form of obligation to pay construction charges. (Aug. 4, 1939, ch. 418, § 3, 53 Stat. 1188.) Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EXTENSION OF DATE OF MODIFICATION OF REPAYMENT CONTRACTS Act Mar. 6, 1952, ch. 94, 66 Stat. 16, as amended by acts Aug. 31, 1954, ch. 1168, 68 Stat. 1044; Pub. L. 85–156, Aug. 21, 1957, 71 Stat. 390; Pub. L. 85–611, § 3, Aug. 8, 1958, 72 Stat. 543; Pub. L. 86–308, § 2, Sept. 21, 1959, 73 Stat. 585, provided that the authority vested in the Secretary of the Interior by sections 485b and 485f of this title should be extended through Dec. 31, 1960. § 485b–1. Deferment of installments under repay- ment contracts; determination of undue bur- den; conditions; supplemental contract; re- port to Congress (a) The authority granted in section 485b of this title for modification of existing repayment contracts or other forms of obligations to pay construction charges shall continue through De- cember 31, 1960. (b) The Secretary is authorized, subject to the provisions of this subsection to defer the time for the payment of such part of any installments of construction charges under any repayment contract or other form of obligation as he deems necessary to adjust such installments to amounts within the probable ability of the water users to pay. Any such deferment shall be effected only after findings by the Secretary that the installments under consideration prob- ably cannot be paid on their due date without undue burden on the water users, considering the various factors which in the Secretary’s judgment bear on the ability of the water users so to pay. The Secretary may effect the deferments here- under subject to such conditions and provisions relating to the operation and maintenance of the project involved as he deems to be in the in- terest of the United States. If, however, any deferments would affect installments to accrue more than twelve months after the action of deferment, they shall be effected only by a for- mal supplemental contract. Such a contract shall provide by its terms that, it being only an interim solution of the repayment problems dealt with therein, its terms are not, in them- selves, to be construed as a criterion of the terms of any amendatory contract that may be negotiated and that any such amendatory con- tract must be approved by the Congress unless it does not lengthen the repayment period for the project in question beyond that permitted by the laws applicable to that project, involves no reduction in the total amount payable by the water users, and is not in other respects less ad- vantageous to the Government than the existing contract arrangements. The Secretary shall re- port to the Congress all deferments granted under this subsection. (Aug. 4, 1939, ch. 418, § 17, 53 Stat. 1198; Apr. 24, 1945, ch. 94, § 3, 59 Stat. 76; Pub. L. 85–611, § 3, Aug. 8, 1958, 72 Stat. 543; Pub. L. 86–308, § 1, Sept. 21, 1959, 73 Stat. 584.) Editorial Notes AMENDMENTS 1959—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 86–308 made permanent the Secretary’s authority to grant deferments in payment of installments of construction charges under repay- ment contracts. 1958—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 85–611 substituted ‘‘section 485b’’ for ‘‘sections 485b and 485c’’. 1945—Subsec. (a). Act Apr. 24, 1945, extended author- ity for modification of existing repayment contracts or other forms of obligations to pay construction charges through Dec. 31, 1950, or Dec. 31 of the fifth full cal- endar year after the cessation of hostilities of World War II, as determined by proclamation of the President or concurrent resolution of Congress, whichever period was the longer. Subsec. (b). Act Apr. 24, 1945, authorized Secretary, subject to provisions of this subsection, to defer the time for the payment of such part of any installments of construction charges under any repayment contract or other form of obligation that are due and unpaid as of Apr. 24, 1945, or which would become due prior to the expiration of authority under subsec. (a). Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries APPLICABILITY TO OTHER IRRIGATION PROJECTS Pub. L. 86–308, § 3, Sept. 21, 1959, 73 Stat. 585, provided that: ‘‘The provisions of section 17, subsection (b), of the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 [subsec. (b) of this section], as amended by section 1 of this Act, shall apply to any project within the administrative jurisdic- tion of the Bureau of Reclamation to which, if it had been constructed as a project under the Federal rec- lamation laws (Act of June 17, 1902, 32 Stat. 383) and Acts amendatory thereof or supplementary thereto [see Short Title note set out under section 371 of this title]), these provisions would be applicable.’’ § 485c. Repealed. Pub. L. 85–611, § 3, Aug. 8, 1958, 72 Stat. 543 Section, acts Aug. 4, 1939, ch. 418, § 4, 53 Stat. 1189; Apr. 24, 1945, ch. 94, § 1, 59 Stat. 75, related to repayment contracts with the United States. See section 485h(d)(3) of this title. § 485d. Time of payments to the United States The Secretary in this discretion may require, in connection with any contract entered into pursuant to the authority of this subchapter, that the contract provide (1) that the payments for each year to be made to the United States shall become due and payable on such date or dates, not exceeding two, in each year as the Secretary determines will be substantially con- temporaneous with the time or times in each year when water users receive crop returns and (2) if the contract be with an organization, that assessments or levies for the purpose of obtain- ing moneys sufficient to meet the organization’s payments under said contract shall be made and shall become due and payable within a certain period or periods of time prior to the date or dates on which the organization’s payments to the United States are due and payable, said pe- riod or periods of time to be agreed upon in each said contract. The Secretary may provide such deferments of construction charges as in his judgment are nec- essary to prevent said requirements from result- ing in inequitable pyramiding of payments of said charges. (Aug. 4, 1939, ch. 418, § 5, 53 Stat. 1191.)