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Show Grazing fees.-The fees for grazing range live- stock on Federal lands are lower than their actual value in the commercial market. On the national forests, grazing fees are tied into the base prices re- ceived by ranches for cattle and sheep. In 1949, the national fee thus arrived at was 42 cents per animal unit month, with appropriate reductions made to compensate for improvements by the range users. These fees are perhaps 75 percent of the price paid for many comparable ranges in private ownership. In grazing districts, the present fee is 8 cents per animal unit month. In 1936, the agreed-upon fee was 5 cents. When at the behest of Congress in 1945, the Bureau of Land Management attempted to make adjustments requested and to raise fees, the appropriation for administration and conserva- tion in the grazing districts was reduced to the amount returned to the Treasury from grazing fees, less the share of those fees paid to the States. The 8-cent fee is applied by the Bureau of Land Man- agement to all licenses of Federal range lands under its administration,30 except that a higher fee is charged on some lands administered under agreement. Indian lands are leased for grazing to the high- est bidder. Fees for grazing vary considerably on lands under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, and the Military Establishment. There is also much variation in the amount of range use permitted. Payments to States and local governments.- Federal land managing agencies are often pre- vented from acquiring land in the public interest because of local opposition. Some of this opposi- tion arises from the large Federal holdings already in the basin. More, however, stems from the small resource base of the States and counties involved. If the resource base were larger or the Federal Government contributed more heavily to local political bodies, much of the opposition would dis- appear. Public ownership of key tracts then could be consummated more readily and without much opposition, land exchanges would be facilitated, and consolidations could be effected. Payments in lieu of taxes on Federal lands are made by the Government to States and local bodies under different legislative provisions. Various State associations of county officials have gone on record as opposing any extension of Federal land "Range users contribute about equally in range im- provements, according to the Bureau of Land Manage- ment. Slightly higher fees have been set as of May 1951. ownership until more uniform and acceptable pro- grams are established. In some localities in the basin the situation is worse than in others, especially in those where a reduction in assessed values has taken place. Revenue-sharing historically was the first pay- ment scheme adopted by the Federal Government. Since Ohio was admitted to the Union, the Govern- ment has paid the public land States 5 percent of the net receipts from sales of public lands within their borders. When the Bureau of Land Management was given authority in 1946 to sell unreserved timber and other materials from public lands and to sell certain public domain lands, this 5 percent clause was retained. Other laws provide for payment to local govern- mental units of 25 percent of the net revenue from land-utilization projects (Soil Conservation Serv- ice) , 25 percent of the receipts from national forest lands, 371/% percent of license charges for power site lands by the Federal Power Commission with speci- fied exceptions, 25 percent of net receipts from wild- life refuges, 37J/2 percent of receipts from mineral leases, licenses, and permits under the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 and related laws (Bureau of Land Management), 75 percent of revenues of flood control lands leased by Corps of Engineers, 12J4 percent of revenues from lands within grazing districts (Bureau of Land Manage- ment) , and 50 percent of grazing receipts for pub- lic domain lands outside districts (Bureau of Land Management). An original provision of the Hoover Dam Project was a revenue sharing plan (37J/2 percent of ""excess" receipts) which was later changed to a lump sum payment of $300,000 annually to Arizona and Nevada. Indian reservation lands are not taxable and no contributions are made in lieu of taxes. However, most lands purchased to add to Indian-held lands continue to pay taxes at regular assessment rates. Negotiated payments are also made by the Bureau of Indian Affairs to local communities for a "fair share" of the cost of educating Indian children in local public schools. The Bureau of Reclamation does not contribute grazing receipt revenues to any political unit for reclamation withdrawals. All the money received from such lands goes into the Reclamation Fund, or to appropriate irrigation districts. However, the Bureau of Reclamation does pay to local units a negotiated sum to meet certain extra community costs growing out of the influx of construction workers. Currently under consideration is the pay- 409 |