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Assembly committee advances bill to allow suspension of Williamson Act contracts for solar use easements
Summary
The Assembly Agriculture subcommittee voted to pass AB 1156 as amended to the Appropriations Committee, advancing a proposal that would let landowners suspend—not rescind—Williamson Act contracts to place solar projects on agriculturally constrained land, amid debate over cancellation fees, prime farmland protections and local control.
AB 1156, a bill that would allow landowners to suspend Williamson Act contracts and place solar projects on lands with insufficient water, passed the Assembly Agriculture subcommittee as amended and was referred to the Appropriations Committee by a 6-1 vote.
The bill’s author, Assemblymember Diane Wicks, described AB 1156 as an update to California’s solar use easement statute intended to allow “suitable lands with significant water constraints to transition from a Williamson Act contract to a solar use easement for the development of renewable energy projects.” Wicks said the suspension would be temporary and that land could return to agricultural production if water conditions improve.
Wicks said the current program has produced few projects—state data cited in committee shows three projects permitted since 2011—and argued changes were needed so that landowners facing water loss have an…
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