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Board approves letter asking DOI for mitigation of tax-base impacts from proposed Rio Tinto land donation
Summary
Supervisors approved a county letter asking the Department of the Interior to mitigate property-tax revenue losses if Rio Tinto’s proposed donation of 3,209 acres to Death Valley National Park proceeds, asking for equivalent acreage or other mitigation.
The Inyo County Board of Supervisors authorized a county letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior on May 26 asking the federal government to mitigate local tax-base losses associated with a proposed donation of roughly 3,209 acres of privately owned mining lands by US Borax (Rio Tinto) to Death Valley National Park.
Deputy CAO Megan McCammon told the board the transfer could reduce county, school and special-district property-tax revenues by an estimated $34,000 annually. County officials and Southern Inyo Hospital have discussed options with federal and state elected officials; the hospital proposed an endowment funded by purchase at market value, while the county staff proposed either an endowment or that the federal government transfer an approximately equivalent acreage suitable for private ownership back to local control.
Supervisors suggested refining the letter to request ‘‘equivalent acreage suitable for private ownership’’ or an equivalent assessed-value trade; staff agreed to adjust agency contact names and wording. The board approved the letter as amended.
What’s next: the county will send the letter, coordinate with hospital and school district stakeholders, and pursue discussions with congressional and DOI staff about revenue-replacement approaches.
Source: Staff presentation and board vote, Inyo County Board meeting, May 26, 2026.
