La Paz County Solar Energy and Job Creation Act

This law directs the Department of the Interior to transfer approximately 3,400 acres of federally managed land in La Paz County, Arizona to the county at fair market value. The transfer is intended to facilitate solar energy development and job creation in the region. The county requested this land conveyance, and the federal government will proceed with the transfer upon that request.

The law includes important protections for Native American cultural resources. The Department of the Interior must exclude from the transfer any federal land containing significant cultural, environmental, wildlife, or recreational resources. This ensures that lands with important historical or ecological value remain under federal protection and are not conveyed to the county.

As a condition of receiving the land, La Paz County and any future owners must follow specific requirements to protect tribal artifacts and cultural sites. These requirements include making good faith efforts to avoid disturbing tribal artifacts during development, minimizing impacts if artifacts are accidentally disturbed, and coordinating with the Colorado River Indian Tribes Tribal Historic Preservation Office to identify culturally significant artifacts. Additionally, tribal representatives have the right to rebury any artifacts that are unearthed at or near their original discovery locations.

Finally, the transferred federal land is withdrawn from U.S. mining and mineral leasing laws, meaning that mining operations and mineral extraction will not be permitted on the conveyed land. This restriction ensures the land can be used for solar energy development without competing mineral extraction activities.