Battle over public lands shifts to D.C. as Flake, Gosar push for sale in La Paz County

Less than two weeks after state lawmakers attacked federal ownership of public land in Arizona, members of the state's congressional delegation turned their attention to the issue in Washington, D.C.

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., testified Wednesday before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources about a bill he sponsored aimed at turning federal land in rural La Paz County over to local officials, potentially opening it to energy exploration.

Lawmakers from Western states often square off over how much land the federal government should control in their own states. In January, representatives in the Arizona Legislature introduced a bill that could authorize the state to join a Utah lawsuit over federal ownership of public lands.

READ MORE: Arizona lawmakers want state to take control of public lands

State-owned land could reap a profit for the state, proponents of the measures argue.

Flake in the Senate and Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., in the House have both advanced bills that could open up thousands of acres of western Arizona's La Paz County to energy exploration.

Both pieces of legislation were quick to ignite conservationists' opposition.

The Center for Biological Diversity labeled Flake's bill, which was reviewed among a smattering of public land legislation Wednesday, as "shameless giveaways to private companies that want to make a buck off pristine public lands."

Proponents, like Flake and Gosar, argue that local officials can manage the land more efficiently and implement renewable-energy technology.

'No fan of public lands'

At issue in the latest plans are 8,000 acres of land in La Paz County, which borders California.

"Jeff Flake is no fan of public lands," said Randi Spivak, public lands director for the Center for Biological Diversity.

Conservation groups have taken issue with Flake's track record on environmental policy.

In November, he criticized a Mexican gray wolf recovery plan as a "federal regulatory nightmare" and in October, he voted "yes" on a budget resolution with a provision to open the protected Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.

Elizabeth Jones, press secretary for Flake, said in a statement the La Paz County legislation is a "common sense bill that provides the county with the potential for a larger non-federal land base without touching more valuable conservation lands."

Gosar sponsored a companion bill that cleared the House Committee on Natural Resources with unanimous support.

Gosar's press secretary, Faith Vander Voort, said in an emailed statement that Gosar's bill could bring solar energy that "is great for the environment and for the local economy in La Paz County."

Controversy over 'solar chimney'

Speculation arose that the La Paz County land would be used for energy exploration, though neither bill made any specific reference.

The Center for Biological Diversity released a statement Tuesday that seemed to imply a 2,400-foot "solar chimney" would be built on the 8,000 acres in question.

The release cited a 2010 article from the website inhabitat.com, which reported the Australia-based energy technology company EnviroMission was behind such a tower.

Vander Voort called the release "not only intentionally inflammatory but deliberately factually bankrupt" and accused the center of "claiming the legislation will be used to build a science fiction-style solar skyscraper."

Although most solar technology doesn't come in a tower twice the size of the Empire State Building, it has been on the table for years.

The Arizona Republic in 2013 reported that EnviroMission was seeking to build a 2,400-foot solar tower in the county for $750 million. It would have been one of the tallest human-made structures on the planet.

Solar towers draw hot air up through a set of turbines into cooler air at the top of the tower, like a chimney, according to EnviroMission. The wind from the chimney effect creates the energy needed for electricity.

La Paz County Supervisor D.L. Wilson said the tower was proposed for 5,500 acres near Quartzsite — a different location than the 8,000 acres sought by Flake and Gosar. EnviroMission is still trying to go forward with the tower near Quartzsite, he said.

The 8,000 acres in question are closer to Salome and the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.

Spivak, from the Center for Biological Diversity, said in an interview that the Center's "intention was not to be misleading" and that the release's wording "was an error on our part."

Would it be used for solar power?

Although no solar tower is planned for the land, Wilson said solar power is still the end goal.

He said the county wants to implement horizontal solar panels close to the ground.

The Bureau of Land Management has a solar program in the Southwest that allows some utility-scale projects on certain BLM sites.

One of the sites, Brenda, is in La Paz County.

If Flake and Gosar's bills were to go forward, the county could contract a private company to install the solar panels on non-BLM land.

"We're hoping it goes forward," Wilson said. "It would be a good project for us."

Nothing new for Western states

The public-land debate is nothing out of the ordinary for Western states.

It was most recently, and dramatically, exemplified in December when President Donald Trump — at the behest of Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and others — drastically reduced the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah.

Nevada, too, has recently been the center of public-land lawsuits ranging from oil leases on federal lands, to the Bundy family's standoff with federal agents during a roundup of cattle they kept on public land.

But the debate doesn't always have its moment in the national limelight.

Western-state legislatures on a nearly yearly basis tackle the issue, as well.

The bill in Arizona's Legislature, which looks at the constitutionality of a Utah lawsuit, passed the House Land, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee in late January.

Could La Paz County get the land?

Purchasing public land isn't new, but it's usually done for a specific goal.

In the 1950s and 1960s, public land was purchased for the Maricopa County Parks system, according to Arizona State University.

The land can be purchased using the decades-old Recreation and Public Purposes Act, which states the land in question is "required for recreational and public purposes."

Although solar energy is the end game, Flake and Gosar's bills don't explicitly say so — and that might prove to be a roadblock.

Don Steuter, conservation chair for the Sierra Club's Arizona chapter, said the bills are unusual because they typically state what the land's use will be if conveyed to local authorities.

Flake and Gosar's bills have not — though Wilson, the La Paz County supervisor, confirmed the land would be used for solar power.

"It’s not a park, it’s not for public use," Steuter said. "There would be a great debate if it came down to the fact that the 8,000 acres would be used for the general public interest."

Environmental coverage on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Follow the azcentral and Arizona Republic environmental reporting team at OurGrandAZ on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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