Land-use bill taps farmland for solar sites
Proposed state legislation to modify California’s longstanding farmland conservation law could pave the way for large swaths of farm acreage to be repurposed as sites for renewable energy projects. The California Land Conservation Act of 1965, commonly known as the Williamson Act, preserves farmland by assessing property taxes based on the land’s agricultural value rather than its full market value. Landowners with Williamson Act contracts, which cover about half the state’s 30 million acres of farm and ranchland, generally see a 20% to 75% reduction in property taxes. … The proposed legislation seeks to align the state’s renewable energy and groundwater management goals. California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, or SGMA, requires users to bring groundwater basins into balance within the next two decades.
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