Proposed Maryland legislation would make solar companies pay counties when building on farmland

The Maryland Association of Counties (MACo), a nonprofit, nonpartisan voice for all 24 counties in the state, is proposing that solar companies with state approval to build solar farms on agricultural land, be required to pay $3,500 to $5,000 per acre to the county where farms are located. The money would be used in that county for conservation or agricultural preservation. “MACo has been having discussions with all the state agencies and with the solar industry and so on, recognizing that next spring there’s more than likely going to be a push for further solar legislation,” Chris Heyn, Carroll County’s Department of Planning and Land Management director said at a solar work session last week.