The Baltimore County Council delayed voting on two solar bills Monday night to give officials more time to review the impacts of legislation passed during an energy-heavy session of the General Assembly.
Though state lawmakers passed the Renewable Energy Certainty Act in spite of opposition from some local governments across the state, the legislation is now creating uncertainty in Baltimore County, with council members and the county executive seeking additional time to understand how the bill impacts the way the county regulates solar facilities.
Republican Councilman Wade Kach said the state bill stripped away the county’s power in determining the placement of solar panels.
“If you’re going to have a solar field on three sides of your home, 50 feet from your home, it’s going to lower the value of the house, there’s noise associated with solar panels — there’s so many negatives,” he said. “That’s why we need to have local input of elected officials, not government bureaucrats.”
The sweeping state legislation prevents local governments from adopting zoning laws that prohibit the construction or operation of solar energy generating stations or front-of-the-meter energy storage devices if they meet all applicable requirements.
Local governments cannot deny site development plans for those facilities and devices if they meet all the required criteria, and are also required to expedite review and approval of those projects, according to the legislation, which has not yet been signed off on by Gov. Wes Moore.
The effect of the new requirements on local governments’ finances is “unknown at this time, but could be significant,” according to the bill’s fiscal note. It could benefit small businesses that build or consult on solar energy generating stations or energy storage devices, though.
The now-delayed Baltimore County bills, however, would modify the county’s zoning regulations.
One measure proposes restricting how close a new solar facility can be to an existing solar facility to 1,000 feet, though pending amendments could change the final bill. The bill will be heard at a council work session on April 29 and will be up for a final vote on May 5.
Another bill would prevent solar facilities from being developed on prime farmland, or land that has the best combination of physical and chemical characteristics for producing food, feed, forage, fiber and oilseed crops.
Republican Councilman Todd Crandell said the council’s authority over land use decisions is being “consistently eroded” by the General Assembly.
“What we’re finding is that Annapolis does not care what our communities want, doesn’t care what we think — they’re just trying to satisfy a political agenda on their own, and they’re making decisions for neighborhoods that they’ve never, ever set foot in and do not understand,” he said.
Have a news tip? Contact Natalie Jones at najones@baltsun.com.
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