A work group convened by highly debated 2022 legislation to hammer out the details of new regulations for the siting of solar projects on farm and forest lands failed to reach consensus on most of what it was brought together to debate.
The regulatory advisory panel created by House Bill 206 delivered its report to the General Assembly on Dec. 1 in a 717-page document that included discussion of 41 proposals around definitions, processes and who should be involved with implementing the new regulations.
The work group reached consensus on only four of those proposals and came close to consensus on 14. But on 23 — more than half of those considered — they remained deadlocked.
Republican Del. Michael Webert, R-Fauquier, sponsored the 2022 legislation, which stated that solar projects that disturb more than 10 acres of prime agricultural soils or more than 50 acres of contiguous forest lands create a significant adverse impact and must provide a mitigation plan.
Two years after the Clean Economy Act set sweeping targets for renewable energy development across Virginia, the General Assembly is trying to balance a boom in solar construction with the desire to preserve farmland and forests. In more rural parts of the state, particularly in the wealthier upper Piedmont region, some residents have complained about … Continue reading
The bill relied on the U.S. Department of Agriculture...
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