Senate adopts one-year moratorium on new solar farms after narrow amendments
April 08, 2026 | Senate, Alabama Legislative Sessions, Alabama
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The Alabama Senate on April 7 approved a one-year moratorium on certain new utility-scale solar facilities to give legislators time to review notice, hearing and land-reclamation processes.
Senator Albrittain, sponsor of SB 354, said the moratorium is temporary and aimed at preventing new developments from proceeding without effective local public notice and clear reclamation responsibilities. “The purpose of that moratorium is…so that we can look as a state and find out why the residents were unaware of this production and this construction that was going to take place until it was a done deal,” Albrittain said on the floor.
The bill drew questions about its statewide scope and the status of projects already underway. Senator Stewart and others said they were concerned about unintended impacts on projects that had advanced and private investments already made in counties that do not share the sponsor’s concerns.
Senator Singleton offered an amendment that limited much of the moratorium’s stricter provisions to Mobile and Baldwin counties along the Gulf Coast, incorporated federal "under‑construction" language to protect projects already in active construction, required a public hearing be held within 30 days for affected projects, and clarified that municipal governments may not adopt rules more stringent than the enacted state standards. Singleton described the change as balancing the need to protect existing investments while responding to constituent concerns about notification and land use.
Senator Carley later offered technical clarifications to the bill’s construction definitions and other provisions; the body adopted that amendment as well. After the amendment votes, the Senate took the long roll and approved the amended SB 354 (final reported tally 27 ayes, 4 nays).
Supporters described SB 354 as a pause for review, not an industry ban, while opponents warned the moratorium could stall economic development and hurt projects that had already invested in permitting or construction. The chair recorded the amendments and the final passage; the bill now moves toward transmission as amended.
The Senate will transmit the amended SB 354 to the House as part of the day’s business.
Senator Albrittain, sponsor of SB 354, said the moratorium is temporary and aimed at preventing new developments from proceeding without effective local public notice and clear reclamation responsibilities. “The purpose of that moratorium is…so that we can look as a state and find out why the residents were unaware of this production and this construction that was going to take place until it was a done deal,” Albrittain said on the floor.
The bill drew questions about its statewide scope and the status of projects already underway. Senator Stewart and others said they were concerned about unintended impacts on projects that had advanced and private investments already made in counties that do not share the sponsor’s concerns.
Senator Singleton offered an amendment that limited much of the moratorium’s stricter provisions to Mobile and Baldwin counties along the Gulf Coast, incorporated federal "under‑construction" language to protect projects already in active construction, required a public hearing be held within 30 days for affected projects, and clarified that municipal governments may not adopt rules more stringent than the enacted state standards. Singleton described the change as balancing the need to protect existing investments while responding to constituent concerns about notification and land use.
Senator Carley later offered technical clarifications to the bill’s construction definitions and other provisions; the body adopted that amendment as well. After the amendment votes, the Senate took the long roll and approved the amended SB 354 (final reported tally 27 ayes, 4 nays).
Supporters described SB 354 as a pause for review, not an industry ban, while opponents warned the moratorium could stall economic development and hurt projects that had already invested in permitting or construction. The chair recorded the amendments and the final passage; the bill now moves toward transmission as amended.
The Senate will transmit the amended SB 354 to the House as part of the day’s business.
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