Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro passed a bill yesterday that requires decommissioning plans for solar projects 2 MWAC and larger in the state. Senate Bill 349 was drafted and sponsored by Republican senators, but garnered bipartisan support while working through the state’s legislative chambers.
Credit: Lightsource bp
“This is a bipartisan win for energy affordability, economic strength and supporting landowners in Pennsylvania. Senate Bill 349 provides clear expectations for developers and landowners while ensuring developers are responsible for meeting state requirements. The solar and storage industry applauds Gov. Shapiro, Senator Yaw (R-23) and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for delivering this common-sense solution for Pennsylvania,” said Tim Pawlenty, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association.
SB 349 requires decommissioning plans in lease agreements between land owners and solar project owner. Project owners must provide a decommissioning plan within 30 days of starting construction. The decommissioning plan must be updated every five years of operations. Inactive solar projects must be decommissioned within 18 months of stopping operations — unless they are actively being restarted.
If a decommissioning plan isn’t provided, whoever initiates the project must pay the landowner the estimated cost to decommission the array. That value would be routinely updated by third-party engineers.
SB 349 requires the total removal of the solar project — not including utility-owned equipment — and access roads built for the array, and for the land to be restored to conditions similar prior to construction, such as replacing top soil. The bill also enforces following the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, meaning solar projects could not use components fabricated using forced labor.
Shapiro signed 24 bills into law yesterday, including SB 349.
“Even with one of the only divided legislatures in the country, we are still showing that we can come together to get stuff done for Pennsylvanians,” Shapiro said in a press statement.
