43 U.S.C. § 373
Section 373 · General authority of Secretary of the Interior
Amended 2 times on record
Applied in 24 court decisions — leading case Westlands Water District v. Firebaugh Canal (1993)
Most recently applied in Thames Shipyard & Repair Co. v. United States (November 2003)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
The Secretary of the Interior is authorized to perform any and all acts and to make such rules and regulations as may be necessary and proper for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Act into full force and effect.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
References in Text
This Act, referred to in text, refers both to act June 17, 1902, popularly known as the Reclamation Act, and to act Aug. 13, 1914. See Codification note set out below. For classification of act June 17, 1902 to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 371 of this title and Tables. Act Aug. 13, 1914, is classified to sections 373, 414, 418, 435 to 437, 440, 443, 464, 465, 469, 471, 472, 475, 477 to 481, 492, 493, 494 to 497, and 499 of this title.
Codification
Act Aug. 13, 1914, cited as a credit to this section, did not amend act July 17, 1902, but contained identical provisions.
Section as Unaffected by Submerged Lands Act
Provisions of this section as not amended, modified or repealed by the Submerged Lands Act, see section 1303 of this title.
Cross References
Delegation of powers and duties of Secretary of Interior under reclamation laws, see section 590z–11 of Title 16, Conservation.
Grand Teton National Park, withdrawn lands within exterior boundary, use for reclamation purposes, see section 406d–5 of Title 16.