§ 715s — Participation Of Local Governments In Revenue From Areas Administered By The United States Fish And Wildlife Service

(a) timber, hay, grass, or other products of the soil, minerals, shells, sand, or gravel, from other privileges, or from leases for public accommodations or facilities incidental to but not in conflict with the basic purposes for which those areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System were established, during each fiscal year in connection with the operation and management of those areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System, National Fish Hatcheries, or other areas, that are solely or primarily administered by him, through the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, shall be covered into the United States Treasury and be reserved in a separate fund for disposition as hereafter prescribed. Amounts in the fund shall remain available until expended, and may be expended by the Secretary without further appropriation in the manner hereafter prescribed. The National Wildlife Refuge System (hereafter referred to as the “System”) includes those lands and waters administered by the Secretary as wildlife refuges, lands acquired or reserved for the protection and conservation of fish and wildlife that are listed pursuant to section 1533 of this title as endangered species or threatened species, wildlife ranges, game ranges, wildlife management areas, and waterfowl production areas established under any law, proclamation, Executive, or public land order. (b) The Secretary may pay from the fund any necessary expenses incurred by him in connection with the revenue-producing and revenue-sharing measures. (1) The Secretary shall pay out the fund, for each fiscal year beginning with the fiscal year ending September 30, 1979, to each county in which is situated any fee area whichever of the following amounts is greater: (A) An amount equal to the product of 75 cents multiplied by the total acreage of that portion of the fee area which is located within such county. (B) An amount equal to three-fourths of 1 per centum of the fair market value, as determined by the Secretary, of that portion of the fee area (excluding any improvements thereto made after the date of Federal acquisition) which is located within such county. (C) An amount equal to 25 per centum of the net receipts collected by the Secretary in connection with the operation and management of such fee area during such fiscal year; but if a fee area is located in two or more counties, the amount each such county is entitled to shall be the amount which bears to such 25 per centum the same ratio as that portion of the fee area acreage which is within such county bears to the total acreage of such fee area. (2) At the end of each fiscal year the Secretary shall pay out of the fund for such fiscal year to each county in which any reserve area is situated, an amount equal to 25 per centum of the net receipts collected by the Secretary in connection with the operation and management of such area during such fiscal year: Provided, That when any such area is situated in more than one county the distributive share to each county from the aforesaid receipts shall be proportional to its acreage of such reserve area. (3) For purposes of this section, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands shall each be treated as a county. (A) For purposes of determining the fair market value of fee areas under paragraph (1)(B), the Secretary shall— (i) appraise before September 30, 1979, all fee areas for which payments under this section were not authorized for fiscal years occurring before October 1, 1977; and (ii) appraise all other fee areas, within five years after October 17, 1978, in the order in which such areas were first established by the Service. (B) The Secretary shall make the determinations required under this subsection in such manner as the Secretary considers to be equitable and in the public interest. All such determinations shall be final and conclusive. (A) Each county which receives payments under paragraphs (1) and (2) with respect to any fee area or reserve area shall distribute, under guidelines established by the Secretary, such payments on a proportional basis to those units of local government (including, but not limited to, school districts and the county itself in appropriate cases) which have incurred the loss or reduction of real property tax revenues by reason of the existence of such area. In any case in which a unit of local government other than the county acts as the collecting and distributing agency for real property taxes, the payments under paragraphs (1) and (2) shall be made to such other unit which shall distribute the payments in accordance with the guidelines. (B) The Secretary may prescribe regulations under which payments under this paragraph may be made to units of local government in cases in which subparagraph (A) will not effect the purposes of this paragraph. (C) Payments received by units of local government under this subsection may be used by such units for any governmental purpose. (d) If the net receipts in the fund which are attributable to revenue collections for any fiscal year do not equal the aggregate amount of payments required to be made for such fiscal year under subsection (c) to counties, there are authorized to be appropriated to the fund an amount equal to the difference between the total amount of net receipts and such aggregate amount of payments. (e) If the net receipts in the fund which are attributable to revenue collections for any fiscal year exceed the aggregate amount of payments required to be made for such fiscal year under subsection (c) to counties, the amount of such excess shall be transferred to the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund for use in the acquisition of suitable areas for migratory bird refuges under the provisions of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 715–715r). (f) The Secretary shall carry out any revenue producing activity referred to in subsection (a)(1), (2), and (3) within any fee area or reserve area subject to such terms, conditions, or regulations, including sales in the open markets, as the Secretary determines to be in the best interest of the United States. The Secretary may, in accordance with such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, dispose of animals which are surplus to any such area by exchange of the same or other kinds, gift or loan to public institutions for exhibition or propagation purposes, and for the advancement of knowledge and the dissemination of information relating to the conservation of wildlife. (g) As used in this section— (1) The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Interior. (2) The term “fee area” means any area which was acquired in fee by the United States and is administered, either solely or primarily, by the Secretary through the Service. (3) The term “reserve area” means any area of land withdrawn from the public domain and administered, either solely or primarily, by the Secretary through the Service. (4) The term “Service” means the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. (5) The term “county” means any county, parish, or organized or unorganized borough.