Image via CalCom Solar

The California Farm Bureau and other U.S. agricultural groups are praising a California lawmaker for pausing a bill they say could have threatened farmland.

The Farm Bureau, along with organizations including the American Farmland Trust (AFT) and the California Cattlemen’s Association, expressed appreciation to Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) for moving Assembly Bill 1156 to the inactive file, effectively making it a two-year bill.

AB 1156 would have made it easier to convert farmland without adequate water supply into solar farms. Under the proposal, land could be converted back to agricultural use while maintaining tax breaks under the Williamson Act.

“We are grateful to Assemblymember Wicks for her decision to place AB 1156 on the Assembly Inactive File,” said Peter Ansel, director of policy advocacy for the California Farm Bureau, which represents more than 26,000 farm and ranch families statewide.

The bureau and its partners raised concerns about the bill and said Wicks’ decision to move it reflects the weight of those concerns.

AB 1156 raised questions about the integrity of the Williamson Act, Ansel said, because the bill created a pathway for industrial-scale solar and battery projects on prime farmland without a contractually agreed-upon early termination fee.

He added that the pause allows the bill’s author more time to gather input on how to balance agricultural sustainability with broader policy goals.

The state Department of Conservation reports that agricultural land declined by more than 1.6 million acres between 1984 and 2018, averaging 47,000 acres lost each year.

Tom Stein, AFT’s California regional director, said the group remains committed to advancing agriculturally compatible solar development that supports both clean energy and groundwater management goals.

“We look forward to working closely with Assemblymember Wicks and other leaders in the state Legislature to ensure that the Williamson Act continues to protect our state’s most productive agricultural land while supporting farmers who face depleted water resources. Where possible, renewable energy development can and should be harmonized with continued agricultural production,” Stein said.