25 U.S.C. § 15 — Utility facilities used in administration of Bureau; contracts for sale, operation, maintenance, repair or relocation of facilities; terms and conditions; exception; Congressional approval

This section has two parts, unlabeled in the original text. First, the general rule: except for electric utility systems that are built and run as part of an irrigation system, the Secretary of the Interior can sign contracts covering the sale, operation, maintenance, repair, or relocation of government-owned utilities and related property used to run the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Secretary sets whatever terms and conditions serve the federal government's best interest. Second, a procedural limit: before signing such a contract, the Secretary must send a copy of the contract, along with a written explanation of the reasons for proposing it, to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Natural Resources. The Secretary then has to wait — the materials must sit before these committees for 60 days, not counting any stretch when either full chamber of Congress is in recess for more than three days. The Secretary can sign sooner only if, before the 60 days pass, both committees notify the Secretary that neither one objects to the contract.