Administration

In carrying out the provisions of section 553 of this title the Secretary of the Interior is authorized— to secure, by contract or otherwise, and without regard to the civil service laws and chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, for work of a temporary, intermittent, or emergency character, such personal services as may be deemed necessary for the efficient and economical performance of the work; to hire, with or without personal services, work animals and animal-drawn and motor-propelled vehicles and equipment, at rates to be approved by the Secretary of the Interior and without regard to the provisions of section 6101 of title 41; to procure all or any part of the surveys, investigations, and control or extinguishment work by contracts with engineers, contractors, or firms or corporations thereof; to acquire lands or rights and interests therein, including improvements, by purchase, lease, gift, exchange, condemnation, or otherwise, whenever necessary for the purposes of this chapter; to repair, restore, or replace private property damaged or destroyed as a result of, or incident to, operations under this chapter; and to receive and accept money and property, real or personal, or interests therein, as a gift, bequest, or contribution, for use in any of the activities authorized under this chapter; and to conduct any of the activities authorized under this chapter in cooperation with any person or agency, Federal, State, or private. Any money so received shall be deposited in the Treasury of the United States in an available trust fund to be disbursed by the Secretary of the Treasury upon certification by the Secretary of the Interior in accordance with the terms of the grant, and shall remain available until expended for the purposes for which received and accepted.