House bill would ban landfilling of solar panels and related components; committee advances bill to general register

House File 1040, sponsored in committee by Representative Scott, was amended and recommended to be placed on the general register after a committee vote.

The bill, as adopted into the DE2 shape and with an oral clarification offered by the author, would bar the disposal of solar photovoltaic modules “or system installation components” and prohibit landfill disposal of wind energy conversion system components. Representative Scott told the committee the legislation was pared back from an initial stewardship-program concept and is intended as “a moratorium on the dumping of that stuff right now” to prevent potential human-health and groundwater harms. “It costs over $20,000,000 to clean that up and I just don't want that happening anywhere else,” Representative Scott said, referencing a hazardous-waste cleanup she worked on previously.

Why it matters: Testimony from state agency staff and several advocacy and industry groups focused on two issues: environmental and public-health risks if components enter landfill leachate, and the readiness of regional recycling infrastructure to handle increasing volumes of retired solar panels and wind components as deployments grow.

Kirk Koudelka, assistant commissioner at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), told the committee the MPCA supports the bill and recommended the amendment clarifying that the prohibition cover “system installation components” as well as panels. Koudelka said MPCA's report on solar-panel reuse and recycling recommended a disposal ban and additional work to build capacity and supply chains for higher-level recycling beyond aluminum-frame and glass recovery.

Conservation Minnesota and the Minnesota Solar Energy Industries Association (MNSEA) both testified in favor of the amended bill for solar. James Lehner of Conservation Minnesota said adopting a landfill ban “is a good, sensible step” to make Minnesota's clean-energy grid and waste management more sustainable. David Moberg of MNSEA said his organization, representing more than 70 member companies and about 5,000 Minnesota employees, supported the landfill ban for panels and commended Representative Scott for working with stakeholders.

The American Clean Power Association (ACP) expressed conditional support for addressing end-of-life solar waste but urged the committee to remove wind infrastructure from the bill or to adopt a phased approach for utility-scale projects. Madeline Smarillo of ACP argued that Minnesota currently lacks sufficient recycling infrastructure for utility-scale projects, warning that an immediate, comprehensive landfill ban for utility-scale projects could force project owners to truck material out of state or store waste on-site. ACP recommended separate treatment for projects larger than 50 megawatts and a phased enforcement schedule while recycling capacity expands. ACP also cited the MPCA-contracted Eunomia study and said module recycling demand will not spike until after 2040, allowing time to scale capacity.

Committee action: Committee leadership moved House File 1040 and the DE2 amendment into the bill record; the committee adopted an oral amendment to insert the phrase “or system installation components” after “solar photovoltaic modules” to align solar language with the bill's wind-component language. Following that amendment and discussion, the committee renewed the motion and re-referred the bill to the general register.

Votes and formal actions recorded in the transcript: the committee chair moved the bill and the committee adopted the oral amendment and advanced the bill to the general register. The transcript records members responding verbally to voice votes; a named roll-call tally was not recorded in the transcript excerpt.

What remains: Speakers from industry and the MPCA said further work is needed to expand recycling capacity and refine options for utility-scale wind and solar material management. ACP asked for additional amendments or a phased approach for large projects. MPCA and stakeholders said they will continue working through a multi-stakeholder process and may recommend additional legislative or administrative steps if necessary.

Ending: With the committee vote, House File 1040 moves to the general register. Committee testimony indicates agreement on preventing landfill disposal of solar panels but disagreement about the appropriate timing and treatment for utility-scale wind infrastructure — an issue the bill's author and stakeholders indicated they would continue to discuss.