43 U.S.C. § 1736 — Working capital fund

(a) Establishment; availability of fund A working capital fund is established to manage the public lands. The fund is available without a fiscal-year limit for expenses needed to provide supplies and equipment services that support Bureau programs. This must be done under chapters 1 through 11 of title 40, division C of subtitle I of title 41 (except sections 3302, 3307(e), 3501(b), 3509, 3906, 4710, and 4711), and regulations issued under those provisions. The fund may pay for, among other things, buying or building storage facilities, equipment yards, and related improvements. It may also pay for buying, leasing, or renting motor vehicles, aircraft, heavy equipment, and fire-control and other resource-management equipment. These payments must stay within the limits in appropriations made to the Secretary for the Bureau. (b) Initial funding; subsequent transfers The fund’s initial capital consists of appropriations made for that purpose, plus the fair and reasonable value, when the fund begins, of the inventories, equipment, receivables, and other assets transferred to the fund, minus the liabilities transferred with them. The Secretary may later transfer amounts to the fund when the Secretary considers those transfers appropriate for the functions carried out through the fund. (c) Payments credited to fund; amount; advancement or reimbursement The fund must receive payments from appropriations and from funds of the Bureau, other agencies of the Department of the Interior, other Federal agencies, and other sources, when the law authorizes those payments. The rates for those payments must be approximately equal to the cost of providing the facilities, supplies, equipment, and services. That cost includes depreciation and accrued annual leave. The payments may be made in advance for firm orders or may be made as reimbursement. (d) Authorization of appropriations Up to $3,000,000 may be appropriated as the initial capital of the working capital fund. This section uses the terms “Bureau,” “Secretary,” “public lands,” “appropriations,” “inventories,” “receivables,” “firm orders,” and “reimbursement,” but does not define them.