H. R. 6938—109
be made pursuant to that chapter to otherwise eligible units of 
local government if the computed amount of the payment is less 
than $100. 
INSULAR AFFAIRS 
ASSISTANCE TO TERRITORIES 
For expenses necessary for assistance to territories under the 
jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior and other jurisdictions 
identified in section 104(e) of Public Law 108–188, $117,217,000, 
of which: (1) $105,395,000 shall remain available until expended 
for territorial assistance, including general technical assistance, 
maintenance assistance, disaster assistance, coral reef initiative 
and natural resources activities, and brown tree snake control and 
research; grants to the judiciary in American Samoa for compensa-
tion and expenses, as authorized by law (48 U.S.C. 1661(c)); grants 
to the Government of American Samoa, in addition to current 
local revenues, for construction and support of governmental func-
tions; grants to the Government of the Virgin Islands, as authorized 
by law; grants to the Government of Guam, as authorized by law; 
and grants to the Government of the Northern Mariana Islands, 
as authorized by law (Public Law 94–241; 90 Stat. 272); and (2) 
$11,822,000 shall be available until September 30, 2027, for salaries 
and expenses of the Office of Insular Affairs: Provided, That all 
financial transactions of the territorial and local governments herein 
provided for, including such transactions of all agencies or 
instrumentalities established or used by such governments, may 
be audited by the Government Accountability Office, at its discre-
tion, in accordance with chapter 35 of title 31, United States Code: 
Provided further, That Northern Mariana Islands Covenant grant 
funding shall be provided according to those terms of the Agreement 
of the Special Representatives on Future United States Financial 
Assistance for the Northern Mariana Islands approved by Public 
Law 104–134: Provided further, That the funds for the program 
of operations and maintenance improvement are appropriated to 
institutionalize routine operations and maintenance improvement 
of capital infrastructure with territorial participation and cost 
sharing to be determined by the Secretary based on the grantee’s 
commitment to timely maintenance of its capital assets: Provided 
further, That any appropriation for disaster assistance under this 
heading in this Act or previous appropriations Acts may be used 
as non-Federal matching funds for the purpose of hazard mitigation 
grants provided pursuant to section 404 of the Robert T. Stafford 
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170c). 
COMPACT OF FREE ASSOCIATION 
For grants and necessary expenses, $813,000, to remain avail-
able until expended, to support Federal services and programs 
provided to the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall 
Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia.
H. R. 6938—110
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS 
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS) 
At the request of the Governor of Guam, the Secretary may 
transfer discretionary funds or mandatory funds provided under 
section 104(e) of Public Law 108–188 and Public Law 104–134, 
that are allocated for Guam, to the Secretary of Agriculture for 
the subsidy cost of direct or guaranteed loans, plus not to exceed 
three percent of the amount of the subsidy transferred for the 
cost of loan administration, for the purposes authorized by the 
Rural Electrification Act of 1936 and section 306(a)(1) of the Consoli-
dated Farm and Rural Development Act for construction and repair 
projects in Guam, and such funds shall remain available until 
expended: Provided, That such costs, including the cost of modifying 
such loans, shall be as defined in section 502 of the Congressional 
Budget Act of 1974: Provided further, That such loans or loan 
guarantees may be made without regard to the population of the 
area, credit elsewhere requirements, and restrictions on the types 
of eligible entities under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 and 
section 306(a)(1) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development 
Act: Provided further, That any funds transferred to the Secretary 
of Agriculture shall be in addition to funds otherwise made available 
to make or guarantee loans under such authorities. 
OFFICE OF THE SOLICITOR 
SALARIES AND EXPENSES 
For necessary expenses of the Office of the Solicitor, 
$84,181,000, to remain available until September 30, 2027. 
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL 
SALARIES AND EXPENSES 
For necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General, 
$65,000,000. 
DEPARTMENT-WIDE PROGRAMS 
WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT 
(INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF FUNDS) 
For necessary expenses for fire preparedness, fire suppression 
operations, fire science and research, emergency rehabilitation, fuels 
management activities, and rural fire assistance by the Department 
of the Interior, $1,147,171,000, of which $383,657,000 shall remain 
available until expended, of which not to exceed $10,000,000 shall 
be for the renovation or construction of fire facilities: Provided, 
That such funds are also available for repayment of advances to 
other appropriation accounts from which funds were previously 
transferred for such purposes: Provided further, That of the funds 
provided $214,450,000 is for fuels management activities: Provided 
further, That of the funds provided, $10,000,000 is for burned 
area rehabilitation: Provided further, That persons hired pursuant 
to 43 U.S.C. 1469 may be furnished subsistence and lodging without
H. R. 6938—111
cost from funds available from this appropriation: Provided further, 
That notwithstanding 42 U.S.C. 1856d, sums received by a bureau 
or office of the Department of the Interior for fire protection ren-
dered pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 1856 et seq., protection of United 
States property, may be credited to the appropriation from which 
funds were expended to provide that protection, and are available 
without fiscal year limitation: Provided further, That using the 
amounts designated under this title of this Act, the Secretary of 
the Interior may enter into procurement contracts, grants, or 
cooperative agreements, for fuels management activities, and for 
training and monitoring associated with such fuels management 
activities on Federal land, or on adjacent non-Federal land for 
activities that benefit resources on Federal land: Provided further, 
That the costs of implementing any cooperative agreement between 
the Federal Government and any non-Federal entity may be shared, 
as mutually agreed on by the affected parties: Provided further, 
That notwithstanding requirements of the Competition in Con-
tracting Act, the Secretary, for purposes of fuels management activi-
ties, may obtain maximum practicable competition among: (1) local 
private, nonprofit, or cooperative entities; (2) Youth Conservation 
Corps crews, Public Lands Corps (Public Law 109–154), or related 
partnerships with State, local, or nonprofit youth groups; (3) small 
or micro-businesses; or (4) other entities that will hire or train 
locally a significant percentage, defined as 50 percent or more, 
of the project workforce to complete such contracts: Provided further, 
That in implementing this section, the Secretary shall develop 
written guidance to field units to ensure accountability and con-
sistent application of the authorities provided herein: Provided fur-
ther, That funds appropriated under this heading may be used 
to reimburse the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the 
National Marine Fisheries Service for the costs of carrying out 
their responsibilities under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 
(16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) to consult and conference, as required 
by section 7 of such Act, in connection with wildland fire manage-
ment activities: Provided further, That the Secretary of the Interior 
may use wildland fire appropriations to enter into leases of real 
property with local governments, at or below fair market value, 
to construct capitalized improvements for fire facilities on such 
leased properties, including but not limited to fire guard stations, 
retardant stations, and other initial attack and fire support facili-
ties, and to make advance payments for any such lease or for 
construction activity associated with the lease: Provided further, 
That the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture 
may authorize the transfer of funds appropriated for wildland fire 
management, in an aggregate amount not to exceed $50,000,000 
between the Departments when such transfers would facilitate and 
expedite wildland fire management programs and projects: Provided 
further, That funds provided for wildfire suppression shall be avail-
able for support of Federal emergency response actions: Provided 
further, That funds appropriated under this heading shall be avail-
able for assistance to or through the Department of State in connec-
tion with forest and rangeland research, technical information, and 
assistance in foreign countries, and, with the concurrence of the 
Secretary of State, shall be available to support forestry, wildland 
fire management, and related natural resource activities outside 
the United States and its territories and possessions, including 
technical assistance, education and training, and cooperation with
H. R. 6938—112
United States and international organizations: Provided further, 
That of the funds provided under this heading, $383,657,000 shall 
be available for wildfire suppression operations, and is provided 
to meet the terms of section 4004(b)(5)(B) of S. Con. Res. 14 (117th 
Congress), the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 
2022, and to legislation establishing fiscal year 2026 budget enforce-
ment in the House of Representatives. 
WILDFIRE SUPPRESSION OPERATIONS RESERVE FUND 
(INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF FUNDS) 
In addition to the amounts provided under the heading ‘‘Depart-
ment of the Interior—Department-Wide Programs—Wildland Fire 
Management’’ for wildfire suppression operations, $370,000,000, to 
remain available until transferred, is additional new budget 
authority as specified for purposes of section 4004(b)(5) of S. Con. 
Res. 14 (117th Congress), the concurrent resolution on the budget 
for fiscal year 2022, and to legislation establishing fiscal year 2026 
budget enforcement in the House of Representatives: Provided, 
That such amounts may be transferred to and merged with amounts 
made available under the headings ‘‘Department of Agriculture—
Forest Service—Wildland Fire Management’’ and ‘‘Department of 
the Interior—Department-Wide Programs—Wildland Fire Manage-
ment’’ for wildfire suppression operations in the fiscal year in which 
such amounts are transferred: Provided further, That amounts may 
be transferred to the ‘‘Wildland Fire Management’’ accounts in 
the Department of Agriculture or the Department of the Interior 
only upon the notification of the House and Senate Committees 
on Appropriations that all wildfire suppression operations funds 
appropriated under that heading in this and prior appropriations 
Acts to the agency to which the funds will be transferred will 
be obligated within 30 days: Provided further, That the transfer 
authority provided under this heading is in addition to any other 
transfer authority provided by law: Provided further, That, in deter-
mining whether all wildfire suppression operations funds appro-
priated under the heading ‘‘Wildland Fire Management’’ in this 
and prior appropriations Acts to either the Department of Agri-
culture or the Department of the Interior will be obligated within 
30 days pursuant to the preceding proviso, any funds transferred 
or permitted to be transferred pursuant to any other transfer 
authority provided by law shall be excluded. 
CENTRAL HAZARDOUS MATERIALS FUND 
For necessary expenses of the Department of the Interior and 
any of its component offices and bureaus for the response action, 
including associated activities, performed pursuant to the Com-
prehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability 
Act (42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.), $9,031,000, to remain available until 
expended.
H. R. 6938—113
ENERGY COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION PROGRAM 
(INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF FUNDS) 
For necessary expenses of the Department of the Interior to 
inventory, assess, decommission, reclaim, respond to hazardous sub-
stance releases, remediate lands pursuant to section 40704 of Public 
Law 117–58 (30 U.S.C. 1245), and carry out the purposes of section 
349 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15907), as amended, 
$4,700,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That 
such amount shall be in addition to amounts otherwise available 
for such purposes: Provided further, That amounts appropriated 
under this heading are available for program management and 
oversight of these activities: Provided further, That the Secretary 
may transfer the funds provided under this heading in this Act 
to any other account in the Department to carry out such purposes, 
and may expend such funds directly, or through grants: Provided 
further, That these amounts are not available to fulfill Comprehen-
sive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (42 
U.S.C. 9601 et seq.) obligations agreed to in settlement or imposed 
by a court, whether for payment of funds or for work to be per-
formed. 
NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT AND RESTORATION 
NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT FUND 
To conduct natural resource damage assessment, restoration 
activities, and onshore oil spill preparedness by the Department 
of the Interior necessary to carry out the provisions of the Com-
prehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability 
Act (42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.), the Federal Water Pollution Control 
Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.), the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33 
U.S.C. 2701 et seq.), and 54 U.S.C. 100721 et seq., $6,500,000, 
to remain available until expended. 
WORKING CAPITAL FUND 
For the operation and maintenance of a departmental financial 
and business management system, data management, information 
technology improvements of general benefit to the Department, 
cybersecurity, and the consolidation of facilities and operations 
throughout the Department, $90,775,000, to remain available until 
expended: Provided, That none of the funds appropriated in this 
Act or any other Act may be used to establish reserves in the 
Working Capital Fund account other than for accrued annual leave 
and depreciation of equipment without prior approval of the 
Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and 
the Senate: Provided further, That the Secretary of the Interior 
may assess reasonable charges to State, local, and tribal government 
employees for training services provided by the National Indian 
Program Training Center, other than training related to Public 
Law 93–638: Provided further, That the Secretary may lease or 
otherwise provide space and related facilities, equipment, or profes-
sional services of the National Indian Program Training Center 
to State, local and tribal government employees or persons or 
organizations engaged in cultural, educational, or recreational 
activities (as defined in section 3306(a) of title 40, United States
H. R. 6938—114
Code) at the prevailing rate for similar space, facilities, equipment, 
or services in the vicinity of the National Indian Program Training 
Center: Provided further, That all funds received pursuant to the 
two preceding provisos shall be credited to this account, shall be 
available until expended, and shall be used by the Secretary for 
necessary expenses of the National Indian Program Training 
Center: Provided further, That the Secretary may enter into grants 
and cooperative agreements to support the Office of Natural 
Resource Revenue’s collection and disbursement of royalties, fees, 
and other mineral revenue proceeds, as authorized by law. 
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISION 
There is hereby authorized for acquisition from available 
resources within the Working Capital Fund, aircraft which may 
be obtained by donation, purchase, or through available excess 
surplus property: Provided, That existing aircraft being replaced 
may be sold, with proceeds derived or trade-in value used to offset 
the purchase price for the replacement aircraft. 
OFFICE OF NATURAL RESOURCES REVENUE 
For necessary expenses for management of the collection and 
disbursement of royalties, fees, and other mineral revenue proceeds, 
and for grants and cooperative agreements, as authorized by law, 
$159,850,000, to remain available until September 30, 2027; of 
which $55,916,000 shall remain available until expended for the 
purpose of mineral revenue management activities: Provided, That 
notwithstanding any other provision of law, $50,000 shall be avail-
able for refunds of overpayments in connection with certain Indian 
leases in which the Secretary of the Interior concurred with the 
claimed refund due, to pay amounts owed to Indian allottees or 
tribes, or to correct prior unrecoverable erroneous payments. 
GENERAL PROVISIONS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 
(INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF FUNDS) 
EMERGENCY TRANSFER AUTHORITY—INTRA-BUREAU 
SEC. 101. Appropriations made in this title shall be available 
for expenditure or transfer (within each bureau or office), with 
the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, for the emergency 
reconstruction, replacement, or repair of aircraft, buildings, utilities, 
or other facilities or equipment damaged or destroyed by fire, flood, 
storm, or other unavoidable causes: Provided, That no funds shall 
be made available under this authority until funds specifically 
made available to the Department of the Interior for emergencies 
shall have been exhausted: Provided further, That all funds used 
pursuant to this section must be replenished by a supplemental 
appropriation, which must be requested as promptly as possible. 
EMERGENCY TRANSFER AUTHORITY—DEPARTMENT-WIDE 
SEC. 102. The Secretary of the Interior may authorize the 
expenditure or transfer of any no year appropriation in this title, 
in addition to the amounts included in the budget programs of 
the several agencies, for the suppression or emergency prevention
H. R. 6938—115
of wildland fires on or threatening lands under the jurisdiction 
of the Department of the Interior; for the emergency rehabilitation 
of burned-over lands under its jurisdiction; for emergency actions 
related to potential or actual earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, storms, 
or other unavoidable causes; for contingency planning subsequent 
to actual oil spills; for response and natural resource damage assess-
ment activities related to actual oil spills or releases of hazardous 
substances into the environment; for the prevention, suppression, 
and control of actual or potential grasshopper and Mormon cricket 
outbreaks on lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary, pursuant 
to the authority in section 417(b) of Public Law 106–224 (7 U.S.C. 
7717(b)); for emergency reclamation projects under section 410 of 
Public Law 95–87; and shall transfer, from any no year funds 
available to the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforce-
ment, such funds as may be necessary to permit assumption of 
regulatory authority in the event a primacy State is not carrying 
out the regulatory provisions of the Surface Mining Act: Provided, 
That appropriations made in this title for wildland fire operations 
shall be available for the payment of obligations incurred during 
the preceding fiscal year, and for reimbursement to other Federal 
agencies for destruction of vehicles, aircraft, or other equipment 
in connection with their use for wildland fire operations, with 
such reimbursement to be credited to appropriations currently avail-
able at the time of receipt thereof: Provided further, That for 
wildland fire operations, no funds shall be made available under 
this authority until the Secretary determines that funds appro-
priated for ‘‘wildland fire suppression’’ shall be exhausted within 
30 days: Provided further, That all funds used pursuant to this 
section must be replenished by a supplemental appropriation, which 
must be requested as promptly as possible: Provided further, That 
such replenishment funds shall be used to reimburse, on a pro 
rata basis, accounts from which emergency funds were transferred. 
AUTHORIZED USE OF FUNDS 
SEC. 103. Appropriations made to the Department of the 
Interior in this title shall be available for services as authorized 
by section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, when authorized 
by the Secretary of the Interior, in total amount not to exceed 
$500,000; purchase and replacement of motor vehicles, including 
specially equipped law enforcement vehicles; hire, maintenance, 
and operation of aircraft; hire of passenger motor vehicles; purchase 
of reprints; payment for telephone service in private residences 
in the field, when authorized under regulations approved by the 
Secretary; and the payment of dues, when authorized by the Sec-
retary, for library membership in societies or associations which 
issue publications to members only or at a price to members lower 
than to subscribers who are not members. 
AUTHORIZED USE OF FUNDS, INDIAN TRUST MANAGEMENT 
SEC. 104. Appropriations made in this Act under the headings 
Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education, and 
Bureau of Trust Funds Administration and any unobligated bal-
ances from prior appropriations Acts made under the same headings 
shall be available for expenditure or transfer for Indian trust 
management and reform activities. Total funding for settlement 
support activities shall not exceed amounts specifically designated
H. R. 6938—116
in this Act for such purpose. The Secretary shall notify the House 
and Senate Committees on Appropriations within 60 days of the 
expenditure or transfer of any funds under this section, including 
the amount expended or transferred and how the funds will be 
used. 
REDISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS, BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS 
SEC. 105. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
Secretary of the Interior is authorized to redistribute any Tribal 
Priority Allocation funds, including tribal base funds, to alleviate 
tribal funding inequities by transferring funds to address identified, 
unmet needs, dual enrollment, overlapping service areas or inac-
curate distribution methodologies. No tribe shall receive a reduction 
in Tribal Priority Allocation funds of more than 10 percent in 
fiscal year 2026. Under circumstances of dual enrollment, overlap-
ping service areas or inaccurate distribution methodologies, the 
10 percent limitation does not apply. 
ELLIS, GOVERNORS, AND LIBERTY ISLANDS 
SEC. 106. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
Secretary of the Interior is authorized to acquire lands, waters, 
or interests therein, including the use of all or part of any pier, 
dock, or landing within the State of New York and the State 
of New Jersey, for the purpose of operating and maintaining facili-
ties in the support of transportation and accommodation of visitors 
to Ellis, Governors, and Liberty Islands, and of other program 
and administrative activities, by donation or with appropriated 
funds, including franchise fees (and other monetary consideration), 
or by exchange; and the Secretary is authorized to negotiate and 
enter into leases, subleases, concession contracts, or other agree-
ments for the use of such facilities on such terms and conditions 
as the Secretary may determine reasonable: Provided, That for 
purposes of 54 U.S.C. 200306(a), such lands, waters, or interests 
acquired under this heading shall be considered to be within the 
exterior boundary of a System unit authorized or established. 
OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF INSPECTION FEES 
SEC. 107. (a) In fiscal year 2026, the Secretary of the Interior 
shall collect a nonrefundable inspection fee, which shall be deposited 
in the ‘‘Offshore Safety and Environmental Enforcement’’ account, 
from the designated operator for facilities subject to inspection 
under 43 U.S.C. 1348(c). 
(b) Annual fees shall be collected for facilities that are above 
the waterline, excluding drilling rigs, and are in place at the start 
of the fiscal year. Fees for fiscal year 2026 shall be—
(1) $10,500 for facilities with no wells, but with processing 
equipment or gathering lines; 
(2) $17,000 for facilities with 1 to 10 wells, with any com-
bination of active or inactive wells; and 
(3) $31,500 for facilities with more than 10 wells, with 
any combination of active or inactive wells. 
(c) Fees for drilling rigs shall be assessed for all inspections 
completed in fiscal year 2026. Fees for fiscal year 2026 shall be—
(1) $30,500 per inspection for rigs operating in water depths 
of 500 feet or more; and
H. R. 6938—117
(2) $16,700 per inspection for rigs operating in water depths 
of less than 500 feet. 
(d) Fees for inspection of well operations conducted via non-
rig units as outlined in title 30 CFR 250 subparts D, E, F, and 
Q shall be assessed for all inspections completed in fiscal year 
2026. Fees for fiscal year 2026 shall be—
(1) $13,260 per inspection for non-rig units operating in 
water depths of 2,500 feet or more; 
(2) $11,530 per inspection for non-rig units operating in 
water depths between 500 and 2,499 feet; and 
(3) $4,470 per inspection for non-rig units operating in 
water depths of less than 500 feet. 
(e) The Secretary shall bill designated operators under sub-
section (b) quarterly, with payment required within 30 days of 
billing. The Secretary shall bill designated operators under sub-
section (c) within 30 days of the end of the month in which the 
inspection occurred, with payment required within 30 days of 
billing. The Secretary shall bill designated operators under sub-
section (d) with payment required by the end of the following 
quarter. 
CONTRACTS AND AGREEMENTS FOR WILD HORSE AND BURRO HOLDING 
FACILITIES 
SEC. 108. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, 
the Secretary of the Interior may enter into multiyear cooperative 
agreements with nonprofit organizations and other appropriate enti-
ties, and may enter into multiyear contracts in accordance with 
the provisions of section 3903 of title 41, United States Code (except 
that the 5-year term restriction in subsection (a) shall not apply), 
for the long-term care and maintenance of excess wild free roaming 
horses and burros by such organizations or entities on private 
land. Such cooperative agreements and contracts may not exceed 
10 years, subject to renewal at the discretion of the Secretary. 
MASS MARKING OF SALMONIDS 
SEC. 109. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service shall, 
in carrying out its responsibilities to protect threatened and endan-
gered species of salmon, implement a system of mass marking 
of salmonid stocks, intended for harvest, that are released from 
federally operated or federally financed hatcheries including but 
not limited to fish releases of coho, chinook, and steelhead species. 
Marked fish must have a visible mark that can be readily identified 
by commercial and recreational fishers. 
CONTRACTS AND AGREEMENTS WITH INDIAN AFFAIRS 
SEC. 110. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, during 
fiscal year 2026, in carrying out work involving cooperation with 
State, local, and tribal governments or any political subdivision 
thereof, Indian Affairs may record obligations against accounts 
receivable from any such entities, except that total obligations at 
the end of the fiscal year shall not exceed total budgetary resources 
available at the end of the fiscal year.