La Paz County Land Conveyance Act

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bipartisan bill, H.R. 2630, the La Paz County Land Conveyance Act.

La Paz County, Arizona, is a county in western Arizona defined by the Colorado River, the vast Arizona desert, and a massive Federal footprint. This bipartisan bill helps facilitate a land transfer from the Bureau of Land Management to the county.

Specifically, H.R. 2630 directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey 8,800 acres of Federal land to La Paz County for the purpose of economic development opportunities and facilitating renewable electrical generation. The bill allows the county to take advantage of one of the best assets they have--sunshine--and pursue utility-scale solar energy production.

This legislation requires the county to pay fair-market value for the land involved in this transfer. H.R. 2630 also requires the county to pay for all costs related to the conveyance, including all surveys, appraisals, and all other administrative costs.

I would like to provide a little more background about La Paz County to help explain why this bill is so important.

By population, La Paz is Arizona's second smallest county, with just under 21,000 permanent residents. More than a third of those people are over the age of 65.

The unemployment rate in the county is stubbornly high, with La Paz County consistently ranking in the top 5 counties in Arizona, out of 15, in terms of highest unemployment rate.

Currently, only 6 percent of the land in La Paz County is in private ownership. Federal, State, or Tribal governments own almost 95 percent of the land within the county, nearly two-thirds of which is owned by the BLM. Because of the immense Federal footprint in the county, a land conveyance is necessary to allow for new opportunities for economic development.

H.R. 2630, will help create new, good-paying jobs for La Paz County residents and generate new revenues to fund important county services like education, transportation, and law enforcement.

The plot of land the county has identified, with the assistance of the BLM, is ideally situated on the edge of the La Paz-Maricopa County line, adjacent to existing and proposed fiber optic, electric, and natural gas transmission lines. Further, the transferred parcels are conveniently located next to the Ten West Link, a 114-mile transmission line that will further interconnect Arizona and California.

Initial review shows that the land does not contain any endangered species, cultural resources, and already has a significant level of surface disturbance.

The legislation was drafted at the request of the county in collaboration with the Tribes and other stakeholders. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill will generate $6 million for the Federal Government.

Solar energy development on land conveyed by the bill will provide good-paying local jobs and help empower the county to determine its own economic future.

Finally, the renewable energy generated as a result of this bill will assist with ensuring a balanced portfolio and provide clean, renewable power to help meet the electricity demands of the West.

I am pleased to have had La Paz County Supervisor D.L. Wilson out to testify in favor of the bill, and I appreciate all the county's hard work on behalf of this effort.

I am also pleased to have received a letter of support for the bill from the Colorado River Indian Tribes, which started, in part: ``While we acknowledge that this legislation only addresses a small portion of the county, it is our hope that we can use this cooperative model to ensure that future developments on other lands are also conducted in a culturally sensitive way.''

This is good public policy. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' in favor of this bipartisan jobs bill that embraces a true all-of-the- above energy strategy.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2630) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain land to La Paz County, Arizona, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2630, the La Paz County Land Conveyance Act, is authored by Congressman Paul Gosar of Arizona. It directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey 8,000 acres of Federal land to La Paz County, Arizona, at fair market value for the construction of a solar field.

La Paz County is among the few counties in the United States with nearly 95 percent of its land owned by the Federal, State, or Tribal governments. Because of the immense Federal footprint in the county, a land transfer is necessary so that it can secure enough space for this type of development. The county will not only pay for the land, but all the administrative costs of the transfer as well.

The county has already worked with the BLM to identify a site adjacent to preexisting and proposed electric, fiber optic, and natural gas transmission lines. A review of the proposed site by the BLM has not revealed any endangered species or historic resources in the area, and much of the proposed site already has a significant amount of surface disturbance.

La Paz County suffers high unemployment, and this land conveyance will not only provide additional energy to the growing southern California and Phoenix markets, but it will also bring good-paying jobs to many families in the county.

I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar), the author of this measure, the chairman of the Western Caucus of the House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, I would ask all of the Members to consider what plight their districts would be in, their counties would be in if 95 percent of the land in that county was off the public tax rolls, with severe restrictions on its use. The effect is economically devastating.

This is a small step in the direction of giving La Paz County a little more control over its economic future. It is an excellent bill, and I urge its adoption.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

This bill, authored by Representative Paul A. Gosar, authorizes the conveyance of approximately 8,800 acres of Bureau of Land Management land to La Paz County, Arizona, for the development of renewable energy. The BLM land has been identified as suitable for disposal, and the county is required to pay full-market value and all the administrative costs associated with the conveyance. The bill also includes important safeguards for Tribal cultural property and is supported by the Colorado River Indian Tribes.

This is a targeted sale of public land for a very specific public purpose that ensures a fair return for taxpayer-owned assets. Our support for this bill does not mean that we support the wholesale disposal of public land.

Federal land is a public resource, and the conveyance of any part of this resource should include guarantees to protect the public's interest. The proceeds of any conveyance authorized by Congress should be reinvested back into land conservation efforts.

Without this important safeguard, the accumulation of individual conveyances potentially threatens the viability of our system of public lands. This is not yet included in this bill, so I do hope, Mr. Speaker, that we can work with our Senate colleagues to make this bill even better as it moves through the legislative process.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.