La Paz County Land Conveyance Act
Floor Speech
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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.
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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.
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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.
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