Solar energy bills target Arizona’s La Paz County, with bipartisan support in Congress
Arizona lawmakers are pushing for more solar development in the state, particularly in rural La Paz County, even as the Trump administration advocates moving away from “intermittent” renewable energy.
Republicans and Democrats have introduced at least two bills promoting solar and wind energy in Arizona since the new Congress started work in January. Lawmakers say the bills promote economic development in rural parts of the state while boosting the country’s power supply.
“Solar developments create jobs and power Arizona homes with affordable, sustainable energy,” said Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., in a press release.
One of the bills would transfer federal land in western Arizona to local control, while both could bring more money to local governments from renewable energy projects. Solar projects are controversial in western Arizona communities, offering economic opportunity while transforming local landscapes.
Arizona lawmakers are pushing for more solar development in the state, particularly in rural La Paz County, even as the Trump administration advocates moving away from “intermittent” renewable energy.
Republicans and Democrats have introduced at least two bills promoting solar and wind energy in Arizona since the new Congress started work in January. Lawmakers say the bills promote economic development in rural parts of the state while boosting the country’s power supply.
“Solar developments create jobs and power Arizona homes with affordable, sustainable energy,” said Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., in a press release.
One of the bills would transfer federal land in western Arizona to local control, while both could bring more money to local governments from renewable energy projects. Solar projects are controversial in western Arizona communities, offering economic opportunity while transforming local landscapes.
Revenue could help local governments
The bill has been introduced in both the House and Senate. The House version is sponsored entirely by Republicans, including Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., who represents La Paz County. The Senate version of the bill is sponsored by both of Arizona’s Democratic senators, Gallego and Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.
The second bill, sponsored by Gosar, is designed to encourage solar projects on federal lands across the country, including the vast areas of public land in Gosar’s district. The bill would also use revenues from those solar projects — fees and rents collected by the federal government — to fund local governments and conservation efforts.
This is Gosar’s eighth time introducing the legislation, which he has put forward in various forms since he was elected in 2010. The previous bills have never reached a House floor vote, though they had strong support from Republicans and Democrats. Gosar’s office says components of the bills have passed through other legislation.
“Congressman Gosar has led this overwhelmingly bipartisan bill for years and while much of the bill was passed in previous years, this legislation will finish the job Congressman Gosar started,” a spokesperson from Gosar’s office said in an email.
Federal officials are considering eight solar projects that would be located in Gosar’s district or just outside of it, making up the vast majority of solar projects proposed on federal land in Arizona. If they are all approved, these projects would produce a combined 4.7 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power almost 800,000 homes when operating at full capacity.