La Paz County Solar Energy and Job Creation Act

The law enables local development while requiring fair payment and safeguards for sensitive natural, cultural, wildlife, and recreational resources.

What the law does ​

• Directs the Department of the Interior to convey eligible land after the county requests it.
• Requires the county to pay fair market value and all survey, appraisal, and administrative costs.
• Excludes land with significant cultural, environmental, wildlife, or recreational resources.
• Preserves existing rights and allows the department to impose necessary conditions.
• Requires current and future owners to minimize harm to Tribal artifacts, coordinate with the Colorado River Indian Tribes, and allow nearby reburial of unearthed artifacts.
• Withdraws the land from federal mining and mineral leasing laws.
• Deposits sale proceeds in the Federal Land Disposal Account for authorized uses.

Who it affects ​

• La Paz County and any later owners of the conveyed land.
• The Colorado River Indian Tribes and people concerned with Tribal artifacts.
• Users and stewards of the area’s natural, wildlife, and recreational resources.

Breakdown ​

La Paz County Solar Energy and Job Creation Act ​

This law directs the Interior Department, upon La Paz County’s request, to sell the county about 3,400 acres of federally managed land in Arizona. The county must pay fair market value and all transaction costs, while land with significant cultural, environmental, wildlife, or recreational resources must be excluded.

Key takeaways

• The Interior Department must convey the identified federal land to La Paz County as soon as practicable after the county requests it.
• The conveyance remains subject to existing rights and any necessary conditions set by the Interior Department.
• The county must pay the land’s appraised fair market value and all survey, appraisal, and administrative costs.
• The county and any later owner must seek to avoid or minimize harm to Tribal artifacts, coordinate with the Colorado River Indian Tribes, and permit reburial of unearthed artifacts near where they were found.
• The land is withdrawn from federal mining and mineral leasing laws.
• Sale proceeds must be deposited in the Federal Land Disposal Account and used under the law governing that account.