[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 123 (Monday, July 23, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H6621-H6623]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   LA PAZ COUNTY LAND CONVEYANCE ACT

  Mr. McCLINTOCK. 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.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2630

       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 Land 
     Conveyance 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 8,800 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 prepared by the 
     Bureau of Land Management entitled ``Proposed La Paz County 
     Land Conveyance'' and dated May 24, 2017.
       (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior.

     SEC. 3. CONVEYANCE TO LA PAZ COUNTY, ARIZONA.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date on 
     which the Secretary receives a request from the County to 
     convey all or a portion of the Federal land, subject to valid 
     existing rights and to such terms and conditions as the 
     Secretary determines to be necessary and notwithstanding the 
     land use planning requirements of sections 202 and 203 of the 
     Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 
     1712, 1713), the Secretary shall convey to the County all 
     right, title, and interest of the United States in and to the 
     Federal land identified on the map.
       (b) Phased Conveyance.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary shall convey the public land 
     described in subsection (a) in parcels over a period of up to 
     20 years, as is required to carry out the phased development 
     of renewable energy or other economic development.
       (2) Payment of fair market value.--A parcel shall be 
     conveyed by the Secretary on payment by La Paz County, 
     Arizona, to the Secretary, of the fair market value of the 
     parcel, as determined under paragraph (3).
       (3) Appraisal to determine fair market value.--The 
     Secretary shall determine the fair market value of the 
     Federal land to be conveyed--
       (A) in accordance with the Federal Land Policy and 
     Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); and

[[Page H6622]]

       (B) based on an appraisal that is conducted in accordance 
     with--
       (i) the Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land 
     Acquisition; and
       (ii) the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal 
     Practice.
       (c) Protection of Tribal Cultural Artifacts.--To the 
     greatest extent practicable, the County and all subsequent 
     owners of land conveyed under this Act shall--
       (1) make good faith efforts to avoid disturbing Tribal 
     artifacts;
       (2) minimize impacts on Tribal artifacts if they are 
     disturbed;
       (3) work 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 they were discovered.
       (d) 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.
       (e) Withdrawal.--The Federal land is withdrawn from the 
     operation of the mining and mineral leasing laws of the 
     United States.
       (f) 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 (b)(3); 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).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. McClintock) and the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. 
Bordallo) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. McCLINTOCK. 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.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. 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.
  Ms. BORDALLO. 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. McCLINTOCK. 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. GOSAR. 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.

[[Page H6623]]

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

                              {time}  1700

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2630, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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