Carbondale Reporter

U.S. Representative Mike Bost from Illinois has introduced a new bill aimed at preserving prime and unique farmland for agricultural production. The proposed legislation, known as the PANELS Act, seeks to limit federal tax credits for companies that convert these lands into solar panel tracts. According to the bill, while farmers retain the right to lease their land for solar development, the economic incentives for companies would be reduced.

"Prime farmland should be used for farming, not for corporate solar developers to gobble up acre after acre," stated Bost. "We’re losing precious and productive farmland to companies installing solar panels, which threatens America’s agricultural supply chain, food security, and rural economies. That’s why I’ve reintroduced the PANELS Act—to stop federal tax credits from being used to convert prime and unique farmland into solar farms. Farmers should have the right to make decisions about their land, but we shouldn’t be incentivizing companies to take fertile prime farmland out of production."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture describes prime farmland as having optimal physical and chemical properties for producing food with minimal inputs like fuel and fertilizers. Unique farmland is designated for specific high-value crops such as citrus fruits and tree nuts.