La Paz County Solar Energy and Job Creation Act

This bill would let the Department of the Interior sell about 3,400 acres of federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management to La Paz County, Arizona, if the county asks for it. The county must pay fair market value, and any areas with important cultural, environmental, wildlife, or recreation resources must be left out of the sale. The county also pays all costs tied to the transfer, like surveys and appraisals, and the sale proceeds go into the Federal Land Disposal Account for use under existing law.

To protect tribal heritage, the county and any later owners must try to avoid disturbing tribal artifacts, limit any damage if something is found, work with the Colorado River Indian Tribes’ Tribal Historic Preservation Office to identify items, and allow tribal representatives to rebury unearthed artifacts near where they were discovered. The land is also taken out of federal mining and mineral leasing programs, meaning no new mining or mineral leases there.

• Who is affected: La Paz County; the Colorado River Indian Tribes; people who live near or use the land.
• What changes: Interior may sell the land at fair market value; sensitive areas are excluded; strong protections for tribal artifacts; no new mining or mineral leases; county pays all transfer costs; proceeds go to a federal land account .
• When: After the county requests the sale; Interior acts as soon as practicable. A public map is on file, and small boundary corrections can be made by agreement.