OT - Good News, No More Solar on Farmland

[greenbean.sixpack]

Doing this is stupid, short range thinking driven by greed - glad an end was put to it.

Trump Administration Bans Solar on Farmland | OilPrice.com

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has banned solar and wind projects on farmland, ending subsidies and citing food security concerns.

oilprice.com

 

[GloryDawg]

That one big solar farm south of Canton on hwy 43.

 

[dorndawg]

More freedom & liberty.

Also, chef's kiss on the source. Well done.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

More freedom & liberty.

Also, chef's kiss on the source. Well done.

Ironically I’m pro-Solar because I’m pro-Drill Baby Drill.

I grew up in Jasper County. My family has earned money thanks to the oil & gas industry so I know a lot of folks who were employed in oil & gas as well as made a living because many of their customers were in oil & gas…

If you’re pro-Making Use of Natural Resources whether it’s oil & gas & timber, then you should logically be pro-Solar too…

PS: Agreed on the sourcing— Kudos.

 

[Shmuley]

Certain communities across the State of Mississippi have already taken the step of protecting agricultural properties by prohibiting placement of industrial scale solar on properties zoned agricultural. Most communities have already relegated these eyesores to industrial zoned properties.

 

[DoggieDaddy13]

Ironically I’m pro-Solar because I’m pro-Drill Baby Drill.

If you’re pro-Making Use of Natural Resources whether it’s oil & gas & timber, then you should logically be pro-Solar too…

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

My issue is that placing solar on farmland destroys, or at least damages, a valuable resource for years to come. We may not need that farmland today, but we may next spring or 10 years from now.

Not to mention that a solar farm, much like windmills, doesn’t produce nearly enough electricity to justify the damage it does and cost.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

That one big solar farm south of Canton on hwy 43.

I drive by it all the time. There are more up in the delta covering up good farmland.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

Doing this is stupid, short range thinking driven by greed - glad an end was put to it.

Trump Administration Bans Solar on Farmland | OilPrice.com

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has banned solar and wind projects on farmland, ending subsidies and citing food security concerns.

oilprice.com

I'm convinced we are selling our natural resources (e.g. water) without adequately vetting the potential impact of all these data centers. Just saw another one announced for Brandon area. Anyone here know what kind of environmental impact studies are being done in advance of approving these? I fear we just see $$$$s and say yes.

 

[dorndawg]

My issue is that placing solar on farmland destroys, or at least damages, a valuable resource for years to come. We may not need that farmland today, but we may next spring or 10 years from now.

Not to mention that a solar farm, much like windmills, doesn’t produce nearly enough electricity to justify the damage it does and cost.

Sure, those are reasonable concerns. But shouldn't the farmer be able to do what he/she wants with the land? "We" generally don't get a lot of say in that, outside of zoning laws (which Mississippi is pretty lacking in).

Or are you saying we should nationalize farming??

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

Sure, those are reasonable concerns. But shouldn't the farmer be able to do what he/she wants with the land? "We" generally don't get a lot of say in that, outside of zoning laws (which Mississippi is pretty lacking in).

Or are you saying we should nationalize farming??

Not necessarily, but there are reasonable restrictions on just about everything. For example, you can’t put a chicken house next to a residential neighborhood, you can’t put a shooting range near a business, you can’t put liquor stores next to schools.

 

[The Peeper]

But shouldn't the farmer be able to do what he/she wants with the land?

Next you won't be able to build, lets say, a strip center on farmland (think of all the Dollar Generals that pop up), or a casinuh, or a hospital? Where do you stop telling people what they can and can't do with their land?

 

[dorndawg]

Not necessarily, but there are reasonable restrictions on just about everything. For example, you can’t put a chicken house next to a residential neighborhood, you can’t put a shooting range near a business, you can’t put liquor stores next to schools.

Yep - those are zoning laws. I generally like 'em. They're usually city or county level. Do we have any other blanket, nationwide land-use restrictions on private land like this? For instance, can a farmer still drill for oil on their land if they want?

 

[3407Dewey]

My issue is that placing solar on farmland destroys, or at least damages, a valuable resource for years to come. We may not need that farmland today, but we may next spring or 10 years from now.

Not to mention that a solar farm, much like windmills, doesn’t produce nearly enough electricity to justify the damage it does and cost.

I'm pro-solar energy because it's becoming more and more efficient and cost-effective. But you're right that you have to balance that with the land you're taking out of service. My nephew is an electrical engineer who does installs on the big solar farms. It's actually pretty fascinating hearing how it all works. To me, I don't know why you would put them anywhere other than in the SW where the land is already essentially worthless. All the ones my nephew is working on are in TX, AZ, or CA.

 

[The Peeper]

My issue is that placing solar on farmland destroys, or at least damages, a valuable resource for years to come. We may not need that farmland today, but we may next spring or 10 years from now.

Not to mention that a solar farm, much like windmills, doesn’t produce nearly enough electricity to justify the damage it does and cost.

Honest question, how do elevated solar panels "damage" the land "for years to come"? I watched them build the one on campus and it consists of some steel framework holding up solar panels above the ground. Doesn't look much different than some billboards out there.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

Next you won't be able to build, lets say, a strip center on farmland (think of all the Dollar Generals that pop up), or a casinuh, or a hospital? Where do you stop telling people what they can and can't do with their land?

Yuup.

A person may own a copper mine that’s valuaed at $10 mil. The Chinese may offer $100 mil for the mine, but the government may not allow the sale as it’s not in the national interest

 

[skip dog]

Ironically I’m pro-Solar because I’m pro-Drill Baby Drill.

I grew up in Jasper County. My family has earned money thanks to the oil & gas industry so I know a lot of folks who were employed in oil & gas as well as made a living because many of their customers were in oil & gas…

If you’re pro-Making Use of Natural Resources whether it’s oil & gas & timber, then you should logically be pro-Solar too…

PS: Agreed on the sourcing— Kudos.

I'm "Pro-Solar", but I am also a conservationist.....and I do not believe we should be eating up grazing a farmland with solar, and we sure as hell should not be clearing forest/timber for solar........

I Strongly believe that we should have an initiative nationwide to go into urban areas and retrofit roof structures on buildings with solar to supplement the power grid and create storage capacity facilities.

 

[dorndawg]

I Strongly believe that we should have an initiative nationwide to go into urban areas and retrofit roof structures on buildings with solar to supplement the power grid and create storage capacity facilities.

I like that idea but I'm guessing you need a LOT of acreage with panels pretty close together - which would generally preclude doing any big solar projects in urban/suburban areas

 

[skip dog]

UMMMMM.....go into a downtown area and start measuring acreage, and look at foot prints of buildings.....no, it is not a solar field, but it is already a "paved" area. if we did half of all downtown areas nationwide, and injected that power back into the grid, and also did the same in manufacturing and wharehouseing areas we would have the same result with no damage to "existing green" areas

At some point, the balance needed b/w urban, suburban, and untouched grazing, forest land has to be found......and I'm tired of being preached to about green energy from people that think a cow fart harms the environment (that is not a political comment rather, just a comment on the stupidity that is allowed to speak on this subject)

 

[Yeti]

Good points on both sides here. I genuinely don’t know what the damage is to farm land. Couldn’t the panels be taken down quickly to move the land back to farming? I do know I own a few hundred acres in a conservation easement and solar and wind are prevented..

 

[Puppers]

As a farmer/landowner its hard to square not being allowed to do something which could save my farm and provide for my family in the name of food security while everyone grain farmer in this country currently fighting tooth and nail to stay afloat growing food.

 

[LordMcBuckethead]

Certain communities across the State of Mississippi have already taken the step of protecting agricultural properties by prohibiting placement of industrial scale solar on properties zoned agricultural. Most communities have already relegated these eyesores to industrial zoned properties.

Well that is a dumb policy. How about this? Let people use their land based on how they believe it should be used. Why are we celebrating this type of federal or state government overreach.
If I own my property, I should be able to do what I want with it.

 

[LordMcBuckethead]

My issue is that placing solar on farmland destroys, or at least damages, a valuable resource for years to come. We may not need that farmland today, but we may next spring or 10 years from now.

Not to mention that a solar farm, much like windmills, doesn’t produce nearly enough electricity to justify the damage it does and cost.

What? If you need farmland at a later date, you simply remove the Solar farm.... it literally is that simple.

Greenbean.... If you don't want solar panels on your land, don't put them there. If I own property in the middle of nowhere or outside of the city limits, mind your own business.

 

[mcdawg22]

I’ve seen some pictures of covered parking lots mocked up with solar panels on top of the structures. That makes perfect sense to me. Use things that require a roof for solar maybe not lands that’s purpose may need sun.

 

[LordMcBuckethead]

Yep - those are zoning laws. I generally like 'em. They're usually city or county level. Do we have any other blanket, nationwide land-use restrictions on private land like this? For instance, can a farmer still drill for oil on their land if they want?

Zoning laws are fine, for incorporated city limits. In county areas, they are ********.

A national ban on use of farmland for solar, totally ********. First, the Federal Government doesn't have that authority. Second, see the first point.

 

[LordMcBuckethead]

I'm pro-solar energy because it's becoming more and more efficient and cost-effective. But you're right that you have to balance that with the land you're taking out of service. My nephew is an electrical engineer who does installs on the big solar farms. It's actually pretty fascinating hearing how it all works. To me, I don't know why you would put them anywhere other than in the SW where the land is already essentially worthless. All the ones my nephew is working on are in TX, AZ, or CA.

All of those locations are phenomenal for solar, but so is the South East US.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

Well that is a dumb policy. How about this? Let people use their land based on how they believe it should be used. Why are we celebrating this type of federal or state government overreach.
If I own my property, I should be able to do what I want with it.

Welcome to the 21st century. There’s many things you can’t do with your land. There are several examples in this thread.

 

[patdog]

Zoning laws are fine, for incorporated city limits. In county areas, they are ********.

A national ban on use of farmland for solar, totally ********. First, the Federal Government doesn't have that authority. Second, see the first point.

It's not a ban on solar farms on farmland. It's a ban on Federally subsidizing solar farms on farmland. Which effectively bans them. And brings up the point that without the subsidies, nobody would be building these things because they don't make economic sense.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

What? If you need farmland at a later date, you simply remove the Solar farm.... it literally is that simple.

Greenbean.... If you don't want solar panels on your land, don't put them there. If I own property in the middle of nowhere or outside of the city limits, mind your own business.

Heh…

That’s another thing I’ve mentioned to my Jasper & Jones county friends who have been in oil & gas…

They're all for people making use of their mineral rights when it comes to oil & gas but don’t like it when landowners want to make use of their property in a way that they don’t like but it’s the same exact thing… using your land’s natural resources to make some money…

 

[patdog]

All of those locations are phenomenal for solar, but so is the South East US.

Actually, not so much. We get significantly more cloud cover than most of the southwest does.

 

[dorndawg]

Actually, not so much. We get significantly more cloud cover than most of the southwest does.

I guess the transmission infrastructure makes the SE desirable? BC otherwise yeah, I'm not sure why you'd ever build a solar farm outside of the SW .

 

[Darryl Steight]

Well that is a dumb policy. How about this? Let people use their land based on how they believe it should be used. Why are we celebrating this type of federal or state government overreach.
If I own my property, I should be able to do what I want with it.

Hey friend, can I interest you in a discussion about the 2nd Amendment?**

 

[ckDOG]

Is this a straight up ban or just ending federal subsidies? If there's a decision to end the subsidy part, so be it. Let the voters judge whether that was good or bad. If there's a blanket ban on farm land use, I'd say that's an unnecessary overreach by the federal govt. We should let the markets settle out based on risks landowners want to take considering current and projected food/energy costs. Unless there is some kind of significant pollution impact that solar farms have on the land. I doubt this admin has that in mind here though...

 

[Anon1665155225]

The one thing that has been on my mind concerning all this, when this stuff goes bust, the cleanup is going to be a ***** and a lot of landowners are going to get stuck with the bill.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

I’m not a fan of either solar or wind mills on highly productive farmland but there’s some total crap farmland that shouldn’t have ever been cleared that could handle a solar farm.

Also for what they offer to pay for the solar farm on your land the amount of money is very tempting especially with the farm economy in freefall.

I don’t like an outright ban.

It will be changed back after Trump is out of office.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

Is this a straight up ban or just ending federal subsidies? If there's a decision to end the subsidy part, so be it. Let the voters judge whether that was good or bad. If there's a blanket ban on farm land use, I'd say that's an unnecessary overreach by the federal govt. We should let the markets settle out based on risks landowners want to take considering current and projected food/energy costs. Unless there is some kind of significant pollution impact that solar farms have on the land. I doubt this admin has that in mind here though...

It’s cutting the subsidy. The government will no longer subsidize these solar companies.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

Why is solar good or bad? It’s whatever you invest in. Hard for me to believe solar is worse than planting 17ing pine trees.

 

[22yardpunt]

I'm "Pro-Solar", but I am also a conservationist.....and I do not believe we should be eating up grazing a farmland with solar, and we sure as hell should not be clearing forest/timber for solar........

I Strongly believe that we should have an initiative nationwide to go into urban areas and retrofit roof structures on buildings with solar to supplement the power grid and create storage capacity facilities.

So you want to go into urban areas and put solar on rooftops of houses

I'm "Pro-Solar", but I am also a conservationist.....and I do not believe we should be eating up grazing a farmland with solar, and we sure as hell should not be clearing forest/timber for solar........

I Strongly believe that we should have an initiative nationwide to go into urban areas and retrofit roof structures on buildings with solar to supplement the power grid and create storage capacity facilities.

Wut. So force people and businesses to put solar systems on their roof? Also you know that a lot of buildings in urban areas are old, right?

 

[Anon1665155225]

Why is solar good or bad? It’s whatever you invest in. Hard for me to believe solar is worse than planting 17ing pine trees.

Pine trees don’t put lethal forever chemicals in the dirt.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

Pine trees don’t put lethal forever chemicals in the dirt.

Fair enough. I don’t know enough about solar farms. I figured it was all electrical.