La Paz County Solar Energy and Job Creation Act
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
Signed into LawReceived; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy …
Passed House (inferred from eh version)
Passed Senate (inferred from enr version)
Enrolled Bill (inferred from enr version)
Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the …
Additional sponsor: Mr. Schweikert
Mr. Gosar (for himself and Mr. Biggs of Arizona) introduced …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill allows the federal government to sell approximately 3,400 acres of Bureau of Land Management land in La Paz County, Arizona to the county government at fair market value. The land transfer can bypass normal federal planning requirements and is intended to facilitate solar energy development in the area.
Who Benefits and How
La Paz County government benefits most directly by gaining the ability to purchase 3,400 acres of federal land and then sell or lease it to solar developers at market rates, creating a significant revenue opportunity. Solar energy companies benefit by getting faster access to land for solar projects—instead of navigating federal BLM approval processes, they can work directly with the county government. Real estate developers also stand to gain from new development opportunities once the land is under county control.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Bureau of Land Management loses 3,400 acres from its federal land inventory and must conduct appraisals and administrative work to process the transfer. Mining and mineral extraction companies are blocked from future operations on this land because the bill explicitly withdraws it from mining and mineral leasing laws. Environmental groups may face reduced protections since the bill bypasses standard Federal Land Policy and Management Act planning requirements, though the Interior Secretary can exclude lands with significant environmental or cultural value.
Key Provisions
- Expedited land transfer: Directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey the land "notwithstanding" normal BLM planning requirements, streamlining the approval process
- Fair market value sale: La Paz County must pay the appraised value plus all administrative costs (surveys, appraisals, etc.)
- Mining prohibition: The land is withdrawn from mining and mineral leasing operations
- Tribal artifact protections: County and future owners must coordinate with the Colorado River Indian Tribes to protect and properly handle any cultural artifacts discovered on the land
- Environmental safeguards: Secretary can exclude parcels containing significant cultural, environmental, wildlife, or recreational resources from the sale
- Revenue allocation: Sale proceeds go to the Federal Land Disposal Account for future federal land transactions
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to convey approximately 3,400 acres of BLM-managed federal land in La Paz County, Arizona to the county government for solar energy development at fair market value.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Facilitate solar energy development in Arizona by transferring federal land to local government control, bypassing standard BLM planning requirements"
Likely Beneficiaries
- La Paz County government
- Solar energy developers who will lease or purchase the land from the county
- Real estate developers
Likely Burden Bearers
- Federal taxpayers (losing federal land)
- Environmental and conservation groups (potential loss of protected lands)
- BLM (reduced land management authority)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_county"
- → La Paz County, Arizona
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
The map prepared by the Bureau of Land Management entitled BLM Arizona—La Paz County Land Conveyance Map and dated June 29, 2023
La Paz County, Arizona
Approximately 3,400 acres of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management and designated as Federal Land to be Conveyed on the map
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology