Bill Details
S.909 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2026-02-11 - Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 336.
Introduced Date
2025-03-10
Policy Area
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Committees
View committees (1)
Sponsors
Cosponsors
View cosponsors (1)
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AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would let the Secretary of the Interior transfer about 3,400 acres of federal land in La Paz County, Arizona, to the county if the county asks for it. The land would be sold at fair market value, and the county would have to pay the full price plus the costs of surveys, appraisals, and other work needed for the transfer. The bill is meant to support local land use, including possible solar energy development and job creation, while also protecting important natural, cultural, and tribal resources. It also keeps the land from being used for mining or new mineral leasing after the transfer.
- The land must be transferred in a way that respects any existing legal rights and any other conditions the Interior Secretary decides are needed.
- Any parts of the land with important cultural, environmental, wildlife, or recreation value must be left out of the transfer.
- The county, and any later owner, must try to avoid disturbing tribal artifacts, work with the Colorado River Indian Tribes on historic sites, and allow tribal representatives to rebury artifacts found during work.
- The bill allows small map or boundary fixes by agreement, and the money from the land sale would go into a federal account used for land disposal purposes.
Official Summaries
La Paz County Solar Energy and Job Creation Act
This bill directs the Department of the Interior, after receiving a request from La Paz County, Arizona, to convey approximately 3,400 acres of identified land managed by the Bureau of Land Management to the county for fair market value.
Interior must 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 must
- 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.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 909 Reported in Senate (RS)]
<DOC>
Calendar No. 336
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 909
[Report No. 119-107]
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain land to La
Paz County, Arizona, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 10, 2025
Mr. Gallego (for himself and Mr. Kelly) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources
February 11, 2026
Reported by Mr. Lee, without amendment
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain land to La
Paz County, Arizona, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``La Paz County Solar Energy and Job
Creation Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) County.--The term ``County'' means La Paz County,
Arizona.
(2) Federal land.--The term ``Federal land'' means the
approximately 3,400 acres of land managed by the Bureau of Land
Management and designated as ``Federal Land To Be Conveyed'' on
the map.
(3) Map.--The term ``map'' means the map entitled ``BLM
Arizona--La Paz County Land Conveyance Map, Bureau of Land
Management--Colorado River District, Yuma Field Office'' and
dated June 29, 2023.
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
SEC. 3. CONVEYANCE TO LA PAZ COUNTY, ARIZONA.
(a) In General.--Notwithstanding the planning requirement of
sections 202 and 203 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of
1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712, 1713) and in accordance with this section and
other applicable law, as soon as practicable after receiving a request
from the County to convey the Federal land, the Secretary shall convey
the Federal land to the County.
(b) Restrictions on Conveyance.--
(1) In general.--The conveyance under subsection (a) shall
be subject to--
(A) valid existing rights; and
(B) such terms and conditions as the Secretary
determines to be necessary.
(2) Exclusion.--The Secretary shall exclude from the
conveyance under subsection (a) any Federal land that contains
significant cultural, environmental, wildlife, or recreational
resources.
(c) Payment of Fair Market Value.--The conveyance under subsection
(a) shall be for the fair market value of the Federal land to be
conveyed, as determined--
(1) in accordance with the Federal Land Policy and
Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); and
(2) based on an appraisal that is conducted in accordance
with--
(A) the Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal
Land Acquisitions; and
(B) the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal
Practice.
(d) Protection of Tribal Cultural Artifacts.--As a condition of the
conveyance under subsection (a), the County shall, and as a condition
of any subsequent conveyance, any subsequent owner shall--
(1) make good faith efforts to avoid disturbing Tribal
artifacts;
(2) minimize impacts on Tribal artifacts if the artifacts
are disturbed;
(3) coordinate with the Colorado River Indian Tribes Tribal
Historic Preservation Office to identify artifacts of cultural
and historic significance; and
(4) allow Tribal representatives to rebury unearthed
artifacts at or near where the artifacts were discovered.
(e) Availability of Map.--
(1) In general.--The map shall be on file and available for
public inspection in the appropriate offices of the Bureau of
Land Management.
(2) Corrections.--The Secretary and the County may, by
mutual agreement--
(A) make minor boundary adjustments to the Federal
land to be conveyed under subsection (a); and
(B) correct any minor errors in the map, an acreage
estimate, or the description of the Federal land.
(f) Withdrawal.--The Federal land is withdrawn from the operation
of the mining and mineral leasing laws of the United States.
(g) Costs.--As a condition of the conveyance of the Federal land
under subsection (a), the County shall pay--
(1) an amount equal to the appraised value determined in
accordance with subsection (c)(2); and
(2) all costs related to the conveyance, including all
surveys, appraisals, and other administrative costs associated
with the conveyance of the Federal land to the County under
subsection (a).
(h) Proceeds From the Sale of Land.--The proceeds from the sale of
land under this section shall be--
(1) deposited in the Federal Land Disposal Account
established by section 206(a) of the Federal Land Transaction
Facilitation Act (43 U.S.C. 2305(a)); and
(2) used in accordance with that Act (43 U.S.C. 2301 et
seq.).
Calendar No. 336
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 909
[Report No. 119-107]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain land to La
Paz County, Arizona, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
February 11, 2026
Reported without amendment