Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 70.djvu/539

 70 S T A T. ]

Public Law 643

PUBLIC LAW 6 4 3 - J U L Y 2, 1966

483 CHAPTER

492

AN ACT Relating to the administration by the Secretary of the Interior of section 9, subsections (cl) and (e), of the Reclamation Project Act of 1939.

j u i y j. 19,56 [H. R. 101]

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Reel United States of America in Congress assembled, That, in administer- projects!a m s t i o n ing section 9, subsections (d) and (e) of the Eeclamation Project Act ""AdministraUon of 1939 (53 Stat. 1187, 1195), the Secretary of the Interior shall— "Tusc'^sh (1) include in any long-term contract hereafter entered into under said subsection (e) provision, if the other contracting party so requests, for renewal thereof under stated terms and conditions mutually agreeable to the parties. Such terms and conditions shall provide for an increase or decrease in the charges set forth in the contract to reflect, among other things, increases or decreases in construction, operation, and maintenance costs and improvement or deterioration in the party's repayment capacity. Any right of renewal shall be exercised within such reasonable time prior to the expiration of the contract as the parties shall have agreed upon and set forth therein; (2) include in any long-term contract hereafter entered into under said subsection (e) with a contracting organization provision, if the organization so requests, for conversion of said contract, under stated terms and conditions mutually agreeable to the parties, to a contract under subsection (d) at such time as, account being taken of the amount credited to return by the organization as hereinafter provided, the remaining amount of construction cost which is properly assignable for ultimate return by it can probablj^ be repaid to the United States within the term of a contract under said subsection (d); (3) credit each year to every party which has entered into or which shall enter into a long-term contract pursuant to said subsection (e) so much of the amount paid by said party on or before the due date as is in excess of the share of the operation and maintenance costs of the project which the Secretary finds is properly chargeable to that party. Credit for payments heretofore made under any such contract shall be established by the Secretary as soon after the enactment of this Act as it is feasible for him to do so. After the sum of such credits is equal to the amount which would have been for repayment by the party if a repayment contract under subsection (d) had been entered into, which amount shall be established by the Secretary upon completion of the project concerned or as far in advance thereof as is feasible, no construction component shall be included in any charges made for the furnishing of water to the contracting party and any charges theretofore fixed by contract or otherwise shall be reduced accordingly; (4) provide that the other party to any contract entered into pursuant to said subsection (d) or to any long-term contract entered into pursuant to said subsection (e) shall, during the term of the contract and of any renewal thereof and subject to fulfillment of all obligations thereunder, have a first right (to which right the rights of the holders of any other type of irrigation water contract shall be subordinate) to a stated share or quantity of the project's available water supply for beneficial use on the irrigable lands within the boundaries of, or owned by, the party and a permanent right to such share or quantity upon completion of payment of the amount assigned for ultimate return by the party subject to payment of an appropriate share of such

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