Bipartisan agrivoltaics bill would create specialty license plate to fund habitat‑friendly solar and define agrivoltaics

House File 2297, sponsored by Representative Myers, would add an agrivoltaics definition to state law, encourage dual land use for solar (grazing, pollinator habitat, crop production beneath panels) and create a voluntary specialty license plate whose proceeds would fund the Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) habitat‑friendly solar program.

Supporters told the committee the voluntary license plate would provide an ongoing funding stream for a program established in 2016 that has helped restore native prairie under solar arrays and boost biodiversity. Colleen Hollinger of Natural Resource Services said the BWSR program was designated to oversee habitat‑friendly solar but was not given ongoing funding at its creation; the specialty plate is intended to provide dedicated funds so the program can scale as solar deployment grows.

The Minnesota Solar Energy Industry Association and the National Audubon Society’s Upper Mississippi River region both testified in favor, saying agrivoltaics can create economic opportunities for farmers, improve pollinator habitat, and make solar land use more compatible with agriculture and wildlife. Audubon emphasized that the habitat program is a cost‑effective way to increase biodiversity on solar sites.

The bill passed a committee procedural motion: an A1 amendment was adopted and Representative Myers’ motion to re‑refer the bill to the Committee on Agriculture carried by voice vote.