Us Congress 2025-2026 Regular Session

Us Congress House Bill HB1592 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	I
2	2	119THCONGRESS
3	3	1
4	4	STSESSION H. R. 1592
5	5	To limit USDA funding for ground-mounted solar energy systems, and for
6	6	other purposes.
7	7	IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
8	8	FEBRUARY26, 2025
9	9	Mr. B
10	10	OST(for himself, Mr. AUSTINSCOTTof Georgia, Mr. FINSTAD, and Mr.
11	11	T
12	12	AYLOR) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
13	13	mittee on Agriculture
14	14	A BILL
15	15	To limit USDA funding for ground-mounted solar energy
16	16	systems, and for other purposes.
17	17	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1
18	18	tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2
19	19	SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3
20	20	This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Securing Our Lands 4
21	21	and Resources Act’’ or the ‘‘SOLAR Act’’. 5
22	22	SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON USDA FUNDING FOR GROUND- 6
23	23	MOUNTED SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS. 7
24	24	(a) D
25	25	EFINITIONS.— 8
26	26	(1) C
27	27	ONVERSION.—The term ‘‘conversion’’ 9
28	28	means, with respect to covered farmland, any activ-10
29	29	VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:05 Mar 14, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1592.IH H1592
30	30	kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 2
31	31	•HR 1592 IH
32	32	ity that results in the covered farmland failing to 1
33	33	meet the requirements of a State (defined in section 2
34	34	343 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Develop-3
35	35	ment Act (7 U.S.C. 1991)) for agricultural produc-4
36	36	tion, activity, or use. 5
37	37	(2) C
38	38	OVERED FARMLAND .—The term ‘‘covered 6
39	39	farmland’’ means farmland, as defined in section 7
40	40	1540(c)(1) of the Farmland Protection Policy Act (7 8
41	41	U.S.C. 4201(c)(1)). 9
42	42	(3) S
43	43	ECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 10
44	44	the Secretary of Agriculture. 11
45	45	(b) I
46	46	NGENERAL.—The Secretary may not provide fi-12
47	47	nancial assistance for a project that would result in the 13
48	48	conversion of covered farmland for solar energy produc-14
49	49	tion. 15
50	50	(c) E
51	51	XCEPTION.—Subsection (b) shall not apply to 16
52	52	a project if the project— 17
53	53	(1) results in the conversion of less than 5 18
54	54	acres of covered farmland; 19
55	55	(2) results in the conversion of less than 50 20
56	56	acres of covered farmland, and the majority of the 21
57	57	energy produced by the project is for on-farm use; 22
58	58	or 23
59	59	VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:05 Mar 14, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1592.IH H1592
60	60	kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 3
61	61	•HR 1592 IH
62	62	(3) has received a resolution of approval or sup-1
63	63	port, or other similar instrument from each county 2
64	64	and municipality in which the project is sited. 3
65	65	(d) C
66	66	OVEREDFARMLANDPROTECTION.— 4
67	67	(1) F
68	68	ARMLAND CONSERVATION PLAN RE -5
69	69	QUIRED.—A person who has applied to the Secretary 6
70	70	for financial assistance for a project referred to in 7
71	71	subsection (c)(3) shall— 8
72	72	(A) develop a farmland conservation plan 9
73	73	for the project to— 10
74	74	(i) implement best practices to protect 11
75	75	future soil health and productivity, and 12
76	76	mitigate soil erosion, compaction, and 13
77	77	other effects of solar energy production 14
78	78	during construction, operation, and decom-15
79	79	missioning; and 16
80	80	(ii) remediate and restore the soil 17
81	81	health of the farmland to that of the farm-18
82	82	land before the solar energy production 19
83	83	project construction; and 20
84	84	(B) ensure sufficient funds, as determined 21
85	85	by the Secretary, are provided for the decom-22
86	86	missioning of the solar energy production sys-23
87	87	tem and the remediation and restoration of cov-24
88	88	VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:05 Mar 14, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1592.IH H1592
89	89	kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 4
90	90	•HR 1592 IH
91	91	ered farmland to carry out the farmland con-1
92	92	servation plan described in subparagraph (A). 2
93	93	(2) O
94	94	BLIGATION AND DISBURSEMENT OF 3
95	95	FUNDS.—The Secretary may obligate financial as-4
96	96	sistance for a project described under paragraph (1), 5
97	97	but shall not disburse the financial assistance until 6
98	98	the Secretary has determined that the applicant for 7
99	99	the financial assistance has complied with paragraph 8
100	100	(1). 9
101	101	(3) F
102	102	ARMLAND CONSERVATION PLAN IMPLE -10
103	103	MENTATION.—A person referred to in paragraph (1) 11
104	104	shall carry out— 12
105	105	(A) the provisions of the plan that are de-13
106	106	scribed in paragraph (1)(A)(i), on the receipt 14
107	107	by the project of financial assistance from the 15
108	108	Secretary and for the duration of solar energy 16
109	109	production under the project; and 17
110	110	(B) the provisions of the plan that are de-18
111	111	scribed in paragraph (1)(A)(ii), on the cessation 19
112	112	of solar energy production under the project. 20
113	113	(4) C
114	114	OMPLIANCE.—Any project that fails to 21
115	115	comply with paragraph (3) with respect to a project 22
116	116	shall repay to the Secretary the full amount of the 23
117	117	VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:05 Mar 14, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1592.IH H1592
118	118	kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 5
119	119	•HR 1592 IH
120	120	financial assistance provided by the Secretary to the 1
121	121	person for the project. 2
122	122	Æ
123	123	VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:05 Mar 14, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H1592.IH H1592
124	124	kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB