La Paz County Solar Energy and Job Creation Act of 2021
Key claim: This bill would direct the Department of the Interior to transfer approximately 4,800 acres of federal public land to La Paz County, Arizona, for solar energy development while enforcing tribal artifact protections and withdrawing the parcel from federal mining laws.
Abstract
(HR1499 · 117th Congress) La Paz County Solar Energy and Job Creation Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of the Interior, after receiving a request from La Paz County, Arizona, to convey approximately 4,800 acres of identified land managed by the Bureau of Land Management to the county. Interior shall 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 shall 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 The federal land is withdrawn from the operation of U.S. mining and mineral leasing laws. Latest action (2021-04-21): Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands.
Why this matters
The proposal would shift approximately 4,800 acres from federal ownership to county ownership for solar development, pairing that land-use change with tribal artifact protections and withdrawal from federal mining laws. Its direct implications concern solar developers and competing uses of the parcel, rather than housing supply or affordability for renters and buyers. The finding documents an introduced bill, not a completed conveyance.