Georgia House passes solar farms bill

ATLANTA — Legislation aimed at ensuring the huge number of solar farms springing up across rural Georgia don’t become permanent eyesores has cleared the state House of Representatives.

House Bill 300, which passed unanimously, requires companies that lease property for solar farms to restore the land to its natural state after the lease expires.

Restoration activities include removing the foundations of solar arrays from the ground to a depth of at lease 3 feet, filling holes that have been dug to accommodate solar panels, and removing cables and overhead power and communications lines.

The bill also requires the companies to provide financial assurance at least equal to the estimated cost of removing solar arrays and returning the property to its natural state.

The original version of the measure called for creating a state trust fund to finance restoring land used for solar farms. However, the bill’s backers decided a trust fund wasn’t necessary, and money to pay for restoration activities could come through the private sector.

House Bill 300 now moves to the Georgia Senate.

File Photo