Title 43

SECTION 426.20

426.20 Assessment of administrative costs.

§ 426.20 Assessment of administrative costs.

(a) Assessment of administrative costs for delivery of water to ineligible land. Reclamation will assess a district administrative costs as described in paragraph (e) of this section if the district delivers irrigation water to land that was ineligible because the landholders did not submit certification or reporting forms prior to the receipt of irrigation water in accordance with § 426.18; or to ineligible excess land as provided in § 426.12.

(1) Reclamation will apply the assessment on a yearly basis in each district for each landholder that received irrigation water in violation of § 426.18, or for each landholder that received irrigation water on ineligible land as specified above.

(2) In applying the assessment to legal entities, compliance by an entity will be treated independently from compliance by its part owners or beneficiaries.

(3) The assessment in paragraph (a) of this section will be applied independently of the assessment specified in paragraph (b) of this section.

(b) Assessment of administrative costs when form corrections are not made. Reclamation will assess a district for the administrative costs described in paragraph (e) of this section, unless the district provides Reclamation with requested reporting or certification form corrections within 60-calendar days of the date of Reclamation's written request. If Reclamation receives the required corrections within this 60-calendar day time period, Reclamation will consider the requirements of § 426.18 satisfied.

(1) Reclamation will apply the assessment on a yearly basis in each district for each landholder that received irrigation water and for whom the district does not provide corrected forms within the applicable 60-calendar day time period.

(2) In applying the assessment to legal entities, compliance by an entity will be treated independently from compliance by its part owners or beneficiaries.

(3) The assessment in paragraph (b) of this section will be applied independently of the assessment specified in paragraph (a) of this section.

(c) Party responsible for paying assessments. Districts are responsible for payment of Reclamation assessments described under paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section.

(d) Disposition of assessments. Reclamation will deposit to the general fund of the United States Treasury, as miscellaneous receipts, administrative costs assessed and collected under paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section.

(e) Amount of the assessment. The administrative costs assessment required under paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section is set at $260. Reclamation will review the associated costs at least once every 5 years, and will adjust the assessment amount, if needed, to reflect new cost data. Notice of the revised assessment for administrative costs will be published in the Federal Register in December of the year the data are reviewed.