MD State Senator Mary Beth Carozza Supports Referendum on Solar Legislation

Image courtesy Farmers Alliance for Rural Maryland (F.A.R.M.)

A referendum campaign has been launched by the Farmer’s Alliance for Rural Maryland or FARM to give voters in Maryland the opportunity to decide whether Senate Bill 931/House Bill 1036 should remain law. This is the Renewable Energy Certainty Act, which will eliminate the ability of local counties to enforce land use ordinances tied to locally developed Comprehensive Plans when it comes to solar energy facilities and battery storage systems.

State Senator Mary Beth Carozza called on Gov. Moore to veto the measure, which she says is especially harmful to the farming community on the Eastern Shore.

Additional information from Senator Carozza:

Senator Mary Beth Carozza (R-District 38), who called on the Governor to veto Senate Bill 931/House Bill 1036, has joined this grassroots effort to call for a direct vote by the electorate. 

“SB 931/HB 1036 eliminates the ability of local counties to enforce land use ordinances tied to locally developed Comprehensive Plans when it comes to solar energy facilities and battery storage systems,” said Senator Carozza, who represents Worcester, Wicomico, and Somerset Counties. “It overrides protections for Priority Preservation Areas – lands long designated to safeguard Maryland’s most productive farmland – and imposes a top-down, one-size-fits-all approach to land use that disregards local needs and decision-making. This is especially harmful to our farming community on the Eastern Shore.”

Senate Bill 931 places a five percent cap on solar development in each county’s Priority Protection area, after which zoning authority would revert from the Public Service Commission back to the county. The Maryland Energy Administration has stated that 18,000 acres statewide would be needed to meet the State’s renewable energy goals. The five percent cap in Senate Bill 931 would allow for 54,000 acres of solar siting on Maryland’s Eastern Shore alone, without any local input.

“This bill will harm our farmers, our rural communities, and the ability of our county governments to act in the best interest of our local communities regarding the regulation of renewable energy,” said Carozza.

Information and updates on the referendum are available on the Farmer’s Alliance for Rural Maryland website and the F.A.R.M. Facebook page. You can download petition form and instructions from the website www.farmersallianceruralmaryland.org.