Vermont bill H.677 would make Agency of Agriculture a formal party in PUC solar siting cases and require lifecycle audits

Representative Greg Burt introduced H.677 to the committee as a measure to change how large-scale solar projects are reviewed in Vermont, saying, "This is about siting of solar mostly." The bill would require the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets to appear as a party in Public Utility Commission (PUC) proceedings over energy generation projects and would obligate applicants to pay for lifecycle audits of energy payback time and carbon dioxide emissions.

The measure, read into the record by legislative counsel Ellen Jacobs, seeks to amend Section 248 of Title 30 — the Certificate of Public Good process that the PUC uses for energy generation permitting. Jacobs told the committee: "It is called the Certificate of Public Good Process," and explained the bill would change current language so the Agency of Natural Resources and the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets "shall appear as parties" rather than being optional participants.

Why it matters: committee members said farmland is being targeted for utility-scale solar because open fields are convenient to develop, raising questions about loss of productive acreage and long-term food security. Representative Burt framed the bill as balancing…