Queen Anne's County planning panel backs ordinance updating solar rules, adds preservation fee for Class 1 soils

The Queen Anne's County Planning Commission voted to recommend that the Board of County Commissioners approve county-sponsored text amendment 25-10, the Renewable Energy Certainty Act ordinance, which revises local solar regulations to conform with state law and adds a county-level compensatory preservation contribution for projects sited on Class 1 soils.

The amendment, drafted to align county code with Senate Bill 9 31 (SB 931) effective July 1, adds standards for community solar energy generating systems and energy storage devices, removes older utility-scale solar provisions, clarifies zoning districts where solar is permitted, and establishes a fund to offset conversion of high-quality agricultural soils. "It's the most destructive bill in Maryland's history, as it relates to farmland," said Jay Falstad, Queen Anne's Conservation Association, during public comment, but he urged a favorable recommendation because of the compensatory element that protects Class 1 soils.

Why it matters: the change implements state requirements while creating a local mechanism the county says will direct money from certain solar…