Agrivoltaics task force approved by committee; bill advances to Ways and Means

The House Climate, Energy, and Environment Committee voted to adopt an amendment and give a due-pass recommendation to House Bill 2063, which would establish an 11-member agrivoltaics task force staffed by the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development. The measure directs the task force to study agrivoltaic systems and submit a report by 2026, and it sunsets the task force and reporting requirements in 2026.

Staff described the dash-1 amendment as adding an instruction for the task force to identify any existing barriers to connecting agrivoltaic systems to the electric grid. Vice Chair Levy moved adoption of the dash-1 amendment; committee members raised questions and comments during the work session but recorded no objections to adopting the amendment. The committee then voted to move the bill to the floor with a due-pass recommendation and to refer it to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means by prior reference.

Members offered a mix of concerns and support during discussion. Representative Helm urged the committee to balance farmland preservation with renewable-energy deployment, saying the tensions mirror long-standing debates about protecting farmland while enabling productive use. Representative Osborne and others emphasized concerns that agrivoltaics should not displace food production and urged the task force to safeguard productive farmland. Several committee members said the bill’s language (subsection f(3)(f)) explicitly requires the task force to study mechanisms ensuring farming remains the primary use of land used for agrivoltaics, which allayed some concerns.

A number of lawmakers volunteered to serve on the task force, and committee members said the study could help rural economies, give growers additional income streams and open options for diversified crops under partial canopy systems. The motion to advance the bill carried on a roll-call vote; members on record voting “Aye” included Representative Anderson, Representative Edwards, Representative Helm, Representative Emerson Levy, Representative Holmes, Representative Marsh, Representative Muron, Representative Osborne, Representative Owen, Vice Chair Gamba and Chair Lively; Vice Chair Bobby Levy was recorded as excused.

Ending: House Bill 2063 as amended was approved by the committee and is headed to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means for further consideration.