Farm Bureaus Clash Over Solar Power on Farmland

Legislation designed to facilitate solar power projects on agricultural land has caused a rift between the Kern County and California Farm Bureaus. Assembly Bill 1156, proposed by Assemblywoman Buffy Hicks, seeks to relax the Williamson Act, which offers property tax discounts for preserving farmland. While the solar industry backs the bill as a way to develop energy on land affected by drought and groundwater restrictions, the California Farm Bureau opposes it, fearing it could weaken protections and encourage speculative contract cancellations.

In contrast, the Kern County Farm Bureau supports AB 1156, citing the significant impact of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) on local farmland and the need for expanded land-use options. Following the disagreement last legislative session, AB 1156 has undergone revisions, including the removal of language that would have allowed lawsuits against easements violating solar-use easements. Further adjustments are proposed regarding easement duration and mutual consent for cancellation.

Despite these changes, the California Farm Bureau maintains its opposition unless its concerns about broad scope and free contract cancellation are adequately addressed, warning against setting a precedent for other development interests. The Kern County Farm Bureau has not yet issued a statement on the revised bill. In the absence of legislative changes, utility-scale solar developments, such as the Avantus project in western Kern, are proceeding, driven partly by land stress from SGMA regulations.