Sponsors (4)
The bill prioritizes protecting prime farmland and its environmental/food-production values by denying federal financial incentives for placing utility-scale or other energy equipment on prime soils, but that protection comes at the cost of higher costs, slower deployment, and added complexity for some renewable energy projects and applicants.
Farmers and rural communities keep prime farmland in agricultural production because federal incentives are denied for converting prime soils to large-scale solar, helping preserve farm income, soil health, and local food production.
Owners/operators of non-prime land and non-farm projects retain eligibility for federal clean energy credits, so solar development and related investment remain supported on lower‑quality or non‑farmland sites.
Taxpayers and the federal tax system benefit from clearer limits on improper credit claims for projects on prime farmland, supporting credit program integrity and reducing misuse of incentives.
Developers, utilities, project owners, and some farmers lose eligibility for major federal incentives (tax credits and in some cases grants/loan support) for projects on prime farmland, increasing project costs and discouraging investment.
Consumers, rural communities, and the broader clean‑energy transition may face slower renewable deployment, fewer local clean‑energy jobs, and potentially higher electricity prices because fewer low‑cost solar projects proceed on prime farmland.
Homeowners and farmers who place residential or on‑farm solar on prime farmland can lose residential clean energy tax credits, reducing adoption of rooftop or small-scale ground‑mounted systems on those properties.
Based on analysis of 7 sections of legislative text.
Stops federal funding and federal tax credits for ground‑mounted solar projects that convert prime farmland, effective for projects placed in service after enactment.
Introduced May 8, 2025 by David J. Taylor · Last progress May 8, 2025
Prohibits federal support and federal tax incentives for ground-mounted solar electricity projects that convert prime farmland. The bill bars federal agencies from using federal funds (including grants, loans, and loan guarantees) to support such projects and excludes solar property on prime farmland from multiple federal tax credits and production/investment credits for projects placed in service after enactment.