H.R. 1043 — La Paz County Solar Energy and Job Creation Act

This section establishes the short title of the Act as the “La Paz County Solar Energy and Job Creation Act.”

This section defines “County” as La Paz County, Arizona, and “Federal land” as the approximately 3,400 acres of Bureau of Land Management land designated as “Federal Land to be Conveyed” on the June 29, 2023, Bureau of Land Management map entitled “BLM Arizona—La Paz County Land Conveyance Map.” It also defines “map” as that June 29, 2023, Bureau of Land Management map.

This section directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey specified Federal land to La Paz County, Arizona, as soon as practicable after the County requests the conveyance, notwithstanding the land use planning requirements in sections 202 and 203 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712, 1713). The conveyance would be subject to valid existing rights and any terms and conditions the Secretary determines necessary, and the Secretary would exclude any Federal land containing significant cultural, environmental, wildlife, or recreational resources. This section requires the County to pay fair market value for the land, as determined under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 and based on an appraisal conducted under the Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions and the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice. It also requires the County to pay all conveyance-related costs, including surveys, appraisals, and other administrative costs. This section imposes tribal cultural protection conditions on the County and any subsequent owner. As background, the Colorado River Indian Tribes Tribal Historic Preservation Office identifies and protects artifacts and sites of cultural and historic significance. The County and any later owner must make good faith efforts to avoid disturbing Tribal artifacts, minimize impacts if artifacts are disturbed, coordinate with that office to identify culturally and historically significant artifacts, and allow Tribal representatives to rebury unearthed artifacts at or near where they were discovered. This section requires the Bureau of Land Management to keep the map of the conveyance area on file and available for public inspection, and authorizes the Secretary and the County to make minor boundary adjustments and correct minor errors in the map, acreage estimate, or land description by mutual agreement. It also withdraws the Federal land from the operation of the mining and mineral leasing laws of the United States. Finally, it directs that proceeds from any sale of land under this section be deposited in the Federal Land Disposal Account under section 206(a) of the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (43 U.S.C. 2305(a)) and used under that Act.