La Paz County Solar Energy and Job Creation Act
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The bill would direct the Interior Department to sell about 3,400 acres of federal land near La Paz County, Arizona, to the county at fair market value once the county requests it, while excluding any land with significant cultural, environmental, wildlife, or recreational value.
It would also require the county and any future owners to protect tribal artifacts on the land and would withdraw the land from federal mining and mineral leasing laws, shaping how the property could be used for solar development and other local projects.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would require the Secretary of the Interior, upon request from La Paz County, Arizona, to convey roughly 3,400 acres of Bureau of Land Management land to the county, notwithstanding standard federal land-use planning requirements. The county would pay fair market value based on a formal appraisal, plus all survey and administrative costs, and sale proceeds would go into the Federal Land Disposal Account for reuse under existing law. The Secretary must exclude from the sale any land containing significant cultural, environmental, wildlife, or recreational resources. As a condition of the conveyance, the county and any later owner would have to make good-faith efforts to avoid disturbing tribal artifacts, minimize any disturbance that occurs, coordinate with the Colorado River Indian Tribes Tribal Historic Preservation Office, and let tribal representatives rebury unearthed artifacts near where found. The land would also be withdrawn from federal mining and mineral leasing laws, but the bill does not itself authorize any specific development on the land.
Key provisions
- 1Would require the Secretary of the Interior to convey about 3,400 acres of BLM land to La Paz County upon the county's request, bypassing standard land-use planning requirements
- 2Would exclude from the conveyance any federal land containing significant cultural, environmental, wildlife, or recreational resources
- 3Would require the county to pay fair market value based on a formal appraisal plus all survey and administrative costs
- 4Would require the county and future owners to protect tribal artifacts, coordinate with the Colorado River Indian Tribes Tribal Historic Preservation Office, and allow reburial of unearthed artifacts
- 5Would withdraw the conveyed land from federal mining and mineral leasing laws
- 6Would direct sale proceeds into the Federal Land Disposal Account for use under the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act
Who would be affected
La Paz County, Arizona, and its government, which would gain ownership of the land; the Bureau of Land Management and Interior Department, which would manage the conveyance; the Colorado River Indian Tribes, whose historic preservation office would be consulted; and any future private owners or developers of the transferred land.
Why it matters
If enacted, the county would gain roughly 3,400 acres it could use for solar energy projects or other local economic development, while paying the federal government fair market value. Tribal cultural sites on the land would receive specific legal protections during and after the transfer, and the exclusion of sensitive land limits what the county can acquire.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712, 1713) (Sec. 3(a))
Waives the Act's planning requirements for this specific land conveyance to La Paz County
Amends Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (43 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.) (Sec. 3(h))
Directs proceeds from this land sale into the Federal Land Disposal Account established under that Act
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- Conveyance of the federal land to La Paz County occurs after the county requests it
Funding and costs
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates that S. 909 would increase the federal deficit by $13 million over the 2026–2035 period, primarily by redirecting solar energy right-of-way receipts from the federal government to La Paz County.
CBO estimates that enacting S. 909 would increase net direct spending (mandatory spending not subject to annual appropriations) by $13 million over the 2026–2035 period, with no effect on revenues. The main cost driver is the loss of federal receipts from an existing 30-year solar energy right-of-way: under current law, half of those receipts (averaging about $4 million annually) flow to the federal budget, but once the roughly 3,400-acre parcel is conveyed to La Paz County, Arizona, the county would receive all right-of-way payments as the new landowner. The net effect of the land sale itself on direct spending would be negligible, because sale proceeds would be deposited in the Federal Land Disposal Account and spent shortly thereafter on eligible land purchases. CBO identified no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates in the bill.
How implementation would work
Once La Paz County formally requests the land, the Bureau of Land Management would identify and exclude any parcels with significant cultural, environmental, wildlife, or recreational value, using the referenced 2023 conveyance map, which stays on file for public inspection. An appraisal under federal appraisal standards would set the fair market value the county must pay, along with survey and administrative costs. The Secretary and county could jointly make minor boundary or mapping corrections. As ongoing conditions, the county and later owners must coordinate with the Colorado River Indian Tribes' preservation office and follow specified artifact-protection steps.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 336.
Official CRS summary
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This bill directs the Department of the Interior, after receiving a request from La Paz County, Arizona, to convey approximately 3,400 acres of identified land managed by the Bureau of Land Management to the county for fair market value.
Interior must exclude from the conveyance any federal land that contains significant cultural, environmental, wildlife, or recreational resources.
As a condition of the conveyance, La Paz County and any subsequent owner must
- make good faith efforts to avoid disturbing tribal artifacts;
- minimize impacts on tribal artifacts if they are disturbed;
- coordinate with the Colorado River Indian Tribes Tribal Historic Preservation Office to identify artifacts of cultural and historic significance; and
- allow tribal representatives to rebury unearthed artifacts at, or near, where they were discovered.
The federal land is withdrawn from the operation of U.S. mining and mineral leasing laws.
Legislative subjects
Arizona; Historical and cultural resources; Indian lands and resources rights; Land transfers; Public Lands and Natural Resources
Committee report
S. Rept. 119-107