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Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria announced Thursday that her bill, Assembly Bill 2661, which aims to advance clean energy development in the Central Valley, was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

AB 2661 authorizes Westlands Water District, the water district serving farmers and rural communities on the west side of the counties of Fresno and Kings, to broaden its current ability to oversee energy projects, including the generation, storage and transmission of solar energy.

The bill authorizes a water district to generate and deliver hydro-electric energy and to construct, operate, and maintain works, facilities, improvements, and property necessary or convenient for generating and delivering that electricity. It also authorizes projects to convert fallowed farmland to solar farms, which will create jobs, help farmworkers retrain and transition into skilled trades and spur economic development, according to a news release from Soria’s office.

The daughter of farmworkers, she said she knows how much Central Valley families rely on a thriving agricultural economy for their livelihoods.

“AB 2661 better positions the Central Valley to play a larger role in helping our state meet our ambitious clean energy goals, while finding productive solutions for water constrained lands and ensuring our farmworkers are not left behind,” Soria said.

AB 2661 directs Westlands Water District to develop a community benefits plan with input from local communities.

The bill, however, does not authorize a water district to sell or deliver electricity at retail.

Westlands Water District General Manager Allison Febbo said they are ready to help California meet its renewable clean energy goals.

“We are grateful for Assemblywoman Soria’s leadership in recognizing water districts can play a significant role in generating renewable solar power, especially in the Central Valley where fallowed land needs to be repurposed for productive use,” Febbo said.

The California Independent System Operator, a nonprofit serving California by overseeing the operation of California’s bulk electric power system, transmission lines, and electricity market generated and transmitted by its member utilities, released its transmission plan that calls for 45 transmission projects with a total cost of $7.3 billion, according to an Assembly Bill Policy Committee Analysis.

“The Central Valley is poised to play a key role in California’s clean energy production, and AB 2661 brings a vital partner to the equation,” said Bob Dean, business manager, IBEW Local 1245. “AB 2661 is a pathway to future projects in the Central Valley creating opportunities to not just generate more clean energy but create hundreds of new clean energy jobs as well.”