Utah House requires reclamation plans for large solar farms, limits incentives on cropland

The Utah House on Jan. 22 adopted amendments to House Bill 16 that require large solar generating projects to include a reclamation plan and bar state incentives for projects that would displace crop or grazing land.

The bill's sponsor, Representative Jack, said the amendment swaps three numeric values from the Natural Resources Conservation Service for Utah-specific numbers developed by the Utah Public Lands Council and Utah State University and adds a requirement that developers plan and fund land reclamation. "This will require the same thing for large solar generating plants," Jack said, "we will expect those power plants to have a reclamation program in place before they build it."

Jack told the chamber the measure preserves private property rights while steering state incentives away from productive farmland and grazing land. He said the rule does not prevent landowners from using their property as they wish; it only makes state incentives unavailable where the projects would remove cropland or grazing land from production.

Representatives asked about narrower forms of solar such as floating installations; Jack said the bill would not affect floating solar because "big lakes are not adequate cropland or grazing land." Representative Cutler also asked whether floating solar would be discouraged; the sponsor said it would not (sponsor: "No."). Representative Romero pressed why the bill was needed given scheduled phase-outs of some incentives, and Jack said the reclamation requirement will remain relevant after incentives are gone.

The House adopted Amendment 1 and passed the amended HB16 by a recorded vote of 61 yes and 8 no. The bill will be transmitted to the Senate for further consideration.

What happens next: If the Senate takes up HB16, the reclamation plan requirement and the incentive restrictions will be the core provisions to watch for in committee proceedings and any floor amendments.