We need to rapidly ramp up renewable energy generation, but when we ask the question, "what policy should guide where large scale solar and battery storage be sited across the state?" the answer is not simply "Yes". Balance is needed.

Montgomery County's own Senator Brian Feldman has sponsored SB 931/ HB1036 The Renewable Energy Certainty Act, a bill that would override all local master plan protections in the siting of community and industrial scale solar and battery storage installations. Looks like an industry crafted bill. What could possibly go wrong…

That means overriding local level protections across the state for:
-Farms and prime soils (stripping of topsoil is allowed)
-Forests
-Stream buffers and slopes

In Montgomery County, this bill would undo a carefully crafted compromise that allowed solar in the Reserve balanced with farming - ZTA 20-01. MoCo has allowed community solar on up to 3 square miles of sub prime soils in the Ag Reserve, while protecting slopes and forests. This is in addition to the many thousands of projects in the county outside the Reserve.

Maryland's counties and municipalities - including MoCo- have spent decades rightly protecting farmland, forests and sensitive watershed areas at the taxpayer's expense. A broad suite of best practices for siting large scale solar that balances these commitments is readily available. Moreover, while it is clear the solar industry had a hand in crafting this bill, it seems no one in Annapolis consulted farmers or the myriad groups working on forest and water protection. By refusing to acknowledge the complexity of solar siting, this bill is simply raising hackles when it could be building bridges - a missed opportunity that is hindering the aim of more renewable energy.

Farmers and conservationists are mobilizing, MCA is gathering the coalition that collaborated to craft MoCo's careful solar policy. Measures to suggest balanced amendments have not, to date, been fruitful and so we must oppose this bill outright.

Please take a moment to support these efforts and make your voice heard. Click "start writing" to send a message to MoCo's leaders in Annapolis.

If you represent an organization - please take the extra step to sign on to our testimony (by Sunday evening 2/23 please)