The attorney for La Paz County, which includes Quartzsite, said he asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate town officials for possible corruption.

WSJ: Small-Town Politics, All-Out War

"You just feel it's a powder keg in Quartzsite, and something is going to set it off, " said Shelly Baker, recorder for La Paz County.

WSJ: Small-Town Politics, All-Out War

Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA), a public authority that includes 10 municipal utilities and one irrigation district in southern California, purchased an option to buy two large solar updraft towers being developed in the county of La Paz, Arizona.

FORBES: U.S. Utility Buys Option on Arizona's Mega Solar Tower