S. Rpt. 119-107 accompanies legislation on energy or environmental policy titled "La Paz County Solar Energy and Job Creation Act". Bills in this area affect emissions, pollution control, energy production, federal lands, wildlife protection, climate change, or utility regulation. The Energy and Natural Resources Committee's report describes the environmental or energy challenge being addressed, the proposed solution, and the expected effects on industry, consumers, and the environment. These reports often include scientific analysis, economic impact studies, and stakeholder views.
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Senate Report 119-107 - LA PAZ COUNTY SOLAR ENERGY AND JOB CREATION ACT
[Senate Report 119-107]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 336
119th Congress } { Report
SENATE
2d Session } { 119-107
=======================================================================
LA PAZ COUNTY SOLAR ENERGY AND
JOB CREATION ACT
----------------
February 11, 2026.--Ordered to be printed
----------------
Mr. Lee, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 909]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was
referred the bill (S. 909), to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to convey certain land to La Paz County, Arizona, and
for other purposes, having considered the same, reports
favorably thereon without amendment and recommends that the
bill do pass.
PURPOSE
The purpose of S. 909 is to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to convey certain land to La Paz County, Arizona.
BACKGROUND AND NEED
More than 60 percent of the land within the county boundary
of La Paz County, Arizona, is owned by the United States and
managed by the Secretary of the Interior through the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM). In 2019, section 1008 of Public Law 116-
9, the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and
Recreation Act, authorized the conveyance to the County of
5,935 acres of BLM lands to allow the County to proceed with
the development of a large-scale solar farm.
S. 909 would require the Secretary of the Interior to
convey an additional 3,400 acres of BLM land in Arizona to La
Paz County, Arizona, at fair market value.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
S. 909 was introduced by Senator Gallego and the
legislation was referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources on March 10, 2025. Senator Kelly is a cosponsor. On
February 6, 2025, Representative Gosar introduced companion
legislation, H.R. 1043. The House Committee on Natural
Resources reported H.R. 1043 on July 2, 2025 (H. Rept. 119-
183). The House of Representatives passed H.R. 1043 on July 21,
2025, and the Senate referred it to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources the following day.
In the 118th Congress, S. 1657 was introduced by Senators
Sinema and Kelly on May 17, 2023. The Subcommittee on Public
Lands, Forests, and Mining held a hearing on S. 1657 on July
12, 2023. The Committee ordered the bill reported favorably
with an amendment on September 21, 2023 (S. Rept. 118-135).
Similar legislation, S. 528, was introduced in the 117th
Congress by Senators Sinema and Kelly on March 2, 2021. The
Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining held a
hearing on S. 528 on October 19, 2021. Companion legislation,
H.R. 1499, was introduced in the House of Representatives in
the 117th Congress on March 2, 2021, by Representative Gosar.
Similar legislation, S. 4475, was introduced in the 116th
Congress by Senators Sinema and McSally on August 6, 2020. The
Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining held a
hearing on S. 4475 on September 16, 2020 (S. Hrg. 116-380).
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in
open business session on September 11, 2025, by a majority
voice vote of a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass
S. 909.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS
Section 1. Short title
Section 1 provides the short title of the bill as the ``La
Paz County Solar Energy and Job Creation Act.''
Section 2. Definitions
Section 2 defines key terms used in the bill.
Section 3. Conveyance to La Paz County, Arizona
Subsection (a) authorizes the Secretary of the Interior
(Secretary) to convey 3,400 acres of land managed by the Bureau
of Land Management, as depicted on the referenced map, to La
Paz County, Arizona, (County) as soon as practicable after
receiving a request from the County to convey such land.
Subsection (b) requires the conveyance of the land to be
subject to valid existing rights and such terms and conditions
as the Secretary determines to be necessary. The subsection
also excludes conveyance of any land that contains significant
cultural, environmental, wildlife, or recreational resources.
Subsection (c) requires that the land being conveyed be
purchased for fair market value and in accordance with the
Federal Land Policy Management Act of 1976 and based on the
Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions and
the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice.
Subsection (d) requires that, as a condition for the
conveyance, the County must take certain steps to avoid or
minimize disturbance of Tribal artifacts, coordinate with the
Colorado River Indian Tribes' Tribal Historic Preservation
Office to identify potential Tribal artifacts, and allow Tribal
representatives to rebury unearthed artifacts at or near where
the artifacts were discovered.
Subsection (e) requires the Secretary to keep the
referenced map on file for public inspection in the appropriate
offices of the Bureau of Land Management and authorizes the
Secretary to make any minor corrections to the map by mutual
agreement with La Paz County.
Subsection (f) withdraws the land to be conveyed from the
mining and mineral leasing laws of the United States.
Subsection (g) requires the County to be responsible for
the costs associated with the conveyance.
Subsection (h) directs the proceeds from the sale of the
land to be deposited into the Federal Land Disposal Account (43
U.S.C. 2301 et seq.) and used in accordance with that Act.
COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS
In accordance with paragraph 11(a) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate and section 403 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee provides the
following cost estimate, prepared by the Congressional Budget
Office:
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
S. 909 would require the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to
convey approximately 3,400 acres of land at fair market value
to La Paz County, Arizona, subject to valid existing rights, if
the county requests the land.
In January 2025, BLM granted a 30-year right-of-way on that
parcel of federal land in La Paz County to an energy developer
and approved the construction of a solar energy project. Under
the act, that land would be conveyed to the county. Based on
information from BLM, CBO expects the county would request to
purchase the land specified in the act. That sale and its
effect on the approved solar energy project would, on net,
increase direct spending.
The costs of the legislation, detailed in Table 1, fall
within budget function 300 (natural resources and environment).
TABLE 1.--ESTIMATED BUDGETARY EFFECTS OF S. 909
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By fiscal year, millions of dollars--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 2035 2026-2030 2026-2035
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Estimated Budget Authority.................................. 0 0 0 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 13
Estimated Outlays........................................... 0 0 0 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 13
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CBO estimates that administrative costs to implement S. 909 would total less than $500,000 over the 2026-2035 period; any associated spending would be
subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
Land conveyance: Based on typical time frames for federal
land conveyances, CBO expects that the transfer would take
about three years to complete. Proceeds from the land sale
would be recorded in the budget as offsetting receipts, that
is, as reductions in direct spending. Those receipts would be
deposited in the Federal Land Disposal Account where they could
be spent without further appropriation to purchase eligible
land; thus, CBO estimates that the net effect on direct
spending from conveying the land would be negligible because
the proceeds would be spent shortly thereafter.
Additionally, La Paz County would be required to pay for
all costs associated with the conveyance under S. 909. However,
CBO expects that some administrative costs incurred to update
maps would not be reimbursed by the county. We estimate those
costs would be insignificant; any related spending for such
administrative expenses would be subject to the availability of
appropriated funds.
Energy right-of-way: Using information from BLM, CBO
estimates that the energy project will begin producing in 2027
and the right-of-way will generate an average of $4 million in
receipts annually beginning in that year. Under current law,
Arizona and La Paz County would receive one-quarter of those
receipts each; the other half would be recorded in the budget
as offsetting receipts (that is, as reductions in direct
spending) and would not be available to spend.
Because the land conveyance would be subject to valid
existing rights, the solar energy project would continue to
move forward; however, La Paz County would receive the receipts
from the right-of-way as the owner of the land with the right-
of-way. On that basis, CBO estimates that enacting S. 909 would
increase net direct spending by $13 million over the 2026-2035
period.
Previous CBO estimate: On October 8, 2025, CBO transmitted
a cost estimate for H.R. 1043, the La Paz County Solar Energy
and Job Creation Act, as ordered reported by the Senate
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on September 11,
2025. The two bills are similar, and CBO's estimates of their
budgetary effects are the same.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Lilia Ledezma.
The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy
Director of Budget Analysis.
Phillip L. Swagel,
Director, Congressional Budget Office.
REGULATORY IMPACT EVALUATION
In compliance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes the following
evaluation of the regulatory impact which would be incurred in
carrying out S. 909. The bill is not a regulatory measure in
the sense of imposing Government-established standards or
significant economic responsibilities on private individuals
and businesses. No personal information would be collected in
administering the program. Therefore, there would be no impact
on personal privacy. Little, if any, additional paperwork would
result from the enactment of S. 909, as ordered reported.
CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING
S. 909, as ordered reported, does not contain any
congressionally directed spending items, limited tax benefits,
or limited tariff benefits as defined in rule XLIV of the
Standing Rules of the Senate.
EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS
There was no hearing on S. 909 during the 119th Congress.
In the 118th Congress, the Committee held a hearing on
identical legislation, S. 1657, on July 12, 2023. The testimony
of the Bureau of Land Management on S. 1657 appears on pages
192-194 of S. Hrg. 118-285.
CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW
In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee notes that no
changes in existing law are made by S. 909 as ordered reported.
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