[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 986 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S. 986

                       One Hundred Sixth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

           Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,
             the twenty-fourth day of January, two thousand


                                 An Act


 
 To direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey the Griffith Project 
                 to the Southern Nevada Water Authority.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Griffith Project Prepayment and 
Conveyance Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
        (1) The term ``Authority'' means the Southern Nevada Water 
    Authority, organized under the laws of the State of Nevada.
        (2) The term ``Griffith Project'' means the Robert B. Griffith 
    Water Project, authorized by and constructed pursuant to the 
    Southern Nevada Water Project Act, Public Law 89-292, as amended 
    (commonly known as the ``Southern Nevada Water Project Act'') (79 
    Stat. 1068), including pipelines, conduits, pumping plants, intake 
    facilities, aqueducts, laterals, water storage and regulatory 
    facilities, electric substations, and related works and 
    improvements listed pursuant to ``Robert B. Griffith Water Project 
    (Formerly Southern Nevada Water Project), Nevada: Southern Clark 
    County, Lower Colorado Region Bureau of Reclamation'', on file at 
    the Bureau of Reclamation and all interests in land acquired under 
    Public Law 89-292, as amended.
        (3) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the Interior.
        (4) The term ``Acquired Land(s)'' means all interests in land, 
    including fee title, right(s)-of-way, and easement(s), acquired by 
    the United States from non-Federal sources by purchase, donation, 
    exchange, or condemnation pursuant to Public Law 89-292, as amended 
    for the Griffith Project.
        (5) The term ``Public Land'' means lands which have never left 
    Federal ownership and are under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of 
    Land Management.
        (6) The term ``Withdrawn Land'' means Federal lands which are 
    withdrawn from settlement, sale, location of minerals, or entry 
    under some or all of the general land laws and are reserved for a 
    particular public purpose pursuant to Public Law 89-292, as 
    amended, under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Reclamation, or 
    are reserved pursuant to Public Law 88-639 under the jurisdiction 
    of the National Park Service.

SEC. 3. CONVEYANCE OF GRIFFITH PROJECT.

    (a) In General.--In consideration of the Authority assuming from 
the United States all liability for administration, operation, 
maintenance, and replacement of the Griffith Project and subject to the 
prepayment by the Authority of the Federal repayment amount of 
$121,204,348 (which amount shall be increased to reflect any accrued 
unpaid interest and shall be decreased by the amount of any additional 
principal payments made by the Authority after September 15, 1999, 
prior to the date on which prepayment occurs), the Secretary shall, 
pursuant to the provisions of this Act--
        (1) convey and assign to the Authority all of the right, title, 
    and interest of the United States in and to improvements and 
    facilities of the Griffith Project in existence as of the date of 
    this Act;
        (2) convey and assign to the Authority all of the right, title, 
    and interest of the United States to Acquired Lands that were 
    acquired for the Griffith Project; and
        (3) convey and assign to the Authority all interests reserved 
    and developed as of the date of this Act for the Griffith Project 
    in lands patented by the United States.
    (b) Pursuant to the authority of this section, from the effective 
date of conveyance of the Griffith Project, the Authority shall have a 
right-of-way at no cost across all Public Land and Withdrawn Land--
        (1) on which the Griffith Project is situated; and
        (2) across any Federal lands as reasonably necessary for the 
    operation, maintenance, replacement, and repair of the Griffith 
    Project, including existing access routes.
Rights-of-way established by this section shall be valid for as long as 
they are needed for municipal water supply purposes and shall not 
require payment of rental or other fee.
    (c) Within twelve months after the effective date of this Act--
        (1) the Secretary and the Authority shall agree upon a 
    description of the land subject to the rights-of-way established by 
    subsection (b) of this section; and
        (2) the Secretary shall deliver to the Authority a document 
    memorializing such rights-of-way.
    (d) Report.--If the conveyance under subsection (a) has not 
occurred within twelve months after the effective date of this Act, the 
Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the status of the 
conveyance.

SEC. 4. RELATIONSHIP TO EXISTING CONTRACTS.

    The Secretary and the Authority may modify Contract No. 7-07-30-
W0004 and other contracts and land permits as necessary to conform to 
the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 5. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER LAWS AND FUTURE BENEFITS.

    (a) If the Authority changes the use or operation of the Griffith 
Project, the Authority shall comply with all applicable laws and 
regulations governing the changes at that time.
    (b) On conveyance of the Griffith Project under section 3 of this 
Act, the Act of June 17, 1902 (43 U.S.C. 391 et seq.), and all Acts 
amendatory thereof or supplemental thereto shall not apply to the 
Griffith Project. Effective upon transfer, the lands and facilities 
transferred pursuant to this Act shall not be entitled to receive any 
further Reclamation benefits pursuant to the Act of June 17, 1902, and 
all Acts amendatory thereof or supplemental thereto attributable to 
their status as a Federal Reclamation Project, and the Griffith Project 
shall no longer be a Federal Reclamation Project.
    (c) Nothing in this Act shall transfer or affect Federal ownership, 
rights, or interests in Lake Mead National Recreation Area associated 
lands, nor affect the authorities of the National Park Service to 
manage Lake Mead National Recreation Area including lands on which the 
Griffith Project is located consistent with the Act of August 25, 1916 
(39 Stat. 535), Public Law 88-639, October 8, 1964 (78 Stat. 1039), or 
any other applicable legislation, regulation, or policy.
    (d) Nothing in this Act shall affect the application of Federal 
reclamation law to water delivered to the Authority pursuant to any 
contract with the Secretary under section 5 of the Boulder Canyon 
Project Act.
    (e) Effective upon conveyance of the Griffith Project and acquired 
interests in land under section 3 of this Act, the United States shall 
not be liable for damages of any kind arising out of any act, omission, 
or occurrence based on its prior ownership of the conveyed property.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.