Years in the making, regulations governing large-scale solar projects in Virginia have been finalized and went into effect Wednesday, June 18.
These regulations establish standards for mitigation when a solar project causes significant impacts to farms and trees.
To mitigate, a developer can secure their own permanent conservation easement on comparable land or pay into a fund that the state will use to carry out conservation on the developers’ behalf. The regulations also include incentives for developers to improve site construction practices like limiting grading and preserving topsoil or even planting trees along waterways on land identified for conservation, which can reduce mitigation requirements.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation Virginia Staff Attorney Patrick Fanning issued the following statement:
"The regulations strike an important balance, protecting forest cores and farms while we accelerate renewable energy deployment to reach Virginia Clean Economy Act goals.
“The solar mitigation regulations will improve utility scale solar facility siting, help developers avoid our highest conservation value lands, and create a flexible framework for mitigation where avoidance is not feasible. Where it is required, importantly, mitigation in the form of permanent conservation easements will protect prime farm and forest lands while advancing clean energy."
