Conservation group urges county residents to oppose Senate Bill 0931, saying it removes local control over solar and battery projects

Jay Falstead, speaking as a representative of the Queen Anne's Conservation Association, urged Queen Anne's County commissioners during the Feb. 25 meeting to oppose Maryland Senate Bill 0931, calling it “the greatest attack on Maryland's rural areas in the history of our state.”

Falstead said SB 0931 would remove local control over siting for solar projects and battery storage centers, which he said can occupy “thousands and thousands of acres” and displace agricultural production. “That will have a devastating consequence for Queen Anne's County,” Falstead said, and he encouraged residents to contact members of the state Economic Matters Committee and Senate committees considering the bill.

Why it matters: Falstead framed the issue as one of local land-use authority and economic risk to agriculture on the Eastern Shore. He said the county’s public notice about solar-related contracts and the commissioners’ own letter opposing SB 0931 were helpful to local organizing and urged further public outreach.

Commissioners did not take a formal vote on the matter at the meeting. Falstead’s remarks were delivered during the meeting’s public comment period; he urged residents to contact state legislators and to attend hearings in Annapolis.

Context and next steps: Supporters and opponents of SB 0931 are expected to testify in Annapolis; one commissioner and several attendees said they planned to go to the Capitol. The commission’s formal position on state legislation was not changed at the meeting.