(a) Setting aside funds

Any State desiring to avail itself of the benefits of this chapter shall, by its State fish and game department, submit programs or projects for wildlife restoration in either of the following two ways:

Terms Used In 16 USC 669e

  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Secretary: means the Secretary of the Interior. See 16 USC 669a
  • State: shall include the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. See 16 USC 669c
  • wildlife: means any species of wild, free-ranging fauna including fish, and also fauna in captive breeding programs the object of which is to reintroduce individuals of a depleted indigenous species into previously occupied range. See 16 USC 669a
  • wildlife-restoration project: includes the wildlife conservation and restoration program and means the selection, restoration, rehabilitation, and improvement of areas of land or water adaptable as feeding, resting, or breeding places for wildlife, including acquisition of such areas or estates or interests therein as are suitable or capable of being made suitable therefor, and the construction thereon or therein of such works as may be necessary to make them available for such purposes and also including such research into problems of wildlife management as may be necessary to efficient administration affecting wildlife resources, and such preliminary or incidental costs and expenses as may be incurred in and about such projects. See 16 USC 669a

(1) The State shall prepare and submit to the Secretary of the Interior a comprehensive fish and wildlife resource management plan which shall insure the perpetuation of these resources for the economic, scientific, and recreational enrichment of the people. Such plan shall be for a period of not less than five years and be based on projections of desires and needs of the people for a period of not less than fifteen years. It shall include provisions for updating at intervals of not more than three years and be provided in a format as may be required by the Secretary of the Interior. If the Secretary of the Interior finds that such plans conform to standards established by him and approves such plans, he may finance up to 75 per centum of the cost of implementing segments of those plans meeting the purposes of this chapter from funds apportioned under this chapter upon his approval of an annual agreement submitted to him.

(2) A State may elect to avail itself of the benefits of this chapter by its State fish and game department submitting to the Secretary of the Interior full and detailed statements of any wildlife-restoration project proposed for that State. If the Secretary of the Interior finds that such project meets with the standards set by him and approves said project, the State fish and game department shall furnish to him such surveys, plans, specifications, and estimates therefor as he may require. If the Secretary of the Interior approves the plans, specifications, and estimates for the project, he shall notify the State fish and game department and immediately set aside so much of said fund as represents the share of the United States payable under this chapter on account of such project, which sum so set aside shall not exceed 75 per centum of the total estimated cost thereof.

The Secretary of the Interior shall approve only such comprehensive plans or projects as may be substantial in character and design and the expenditure of funds hereby authorized shall be applied only to such approved comprehensive wildlife plans or projects and if otherwise applied they shall be replaced by the State before it may participate in any further apportionment under this chapter. No payment of any money apportioned under this chapter shall be made on any comprehensive wildlife plan or project until an agreement to participate therein shall have been submitted to and approved by the Secretary of the Interior.

(b) “Project” defined

If the State elects to avail itself of the benefits of this chapter by preparing a comprehensive fish and wildlife plan under option (1) of subsection (a) of this section, then the term “project” may be defined for the purposes of this chapter as a wildlife program, all other definitions notwithstanding.

(c) Costs

Administrative costs in the form of overhead or indirect costs for services provided by State central service activities outside of the State agency having primary jurisdiction over the wildlife resources of the State which may be charged against programs or projects supported by the fund established by section 669b of this title shall not exceed in any one fiscal year 3 per centum of the annual apportionment to the State.

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