Senate File 2321 - Introduced SENATE FILE 2321 BY COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE (SUCCESSOR TO SF 2127) A BILL FOR An Act relating to utility-scale solar energy facilities 1 installation on agricultural land. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 5306SV (2) 89 es/rn

S.F. 2321 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 476A.16 Agricultural land —— solar 1 energy facilities. 2 1. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise 3 requires: 4 a. “Agricultural land” means a parcel of land suitable for 5 use in farming. 6 b. “Utility-scale solar energy facility” or “solar energy 7 facility” means an assemblage of photovoltaic modules, 8 equipment, or structural features that collect and convert 9 incident solar radiation into thermal, mechanical, or 10 electrical energy, store such solar energy, or transform 11 such solar energy to transmission on the electric grid. A 12 “utility-scale solar energy facility” does not include a 13 solar energy facility for which the generated electricity is 14 planned to be primarily consumed on the property or immediately 15 adjacent property. 16 c. “Corn suitability rating” or “CSR” means the most recent 17 corn suitability rating index as determined by the Iowa state 18 university extension and outreach to rate different types of 19 soil for potential row-crop productivity. 20 2. A utility-scale solar energy facility shall not be 21 installed upon agricultural land unless all of the following 22 apply: 23 a. The agricultural land has an average CSR of sixty-five or 24 lower. 25 b. The solar energy facility is not less than a one-half 26 mile distance from another utility-scale solar energy facility. 27 c. The solar energy facility is not less than one thousand 28 two hundred fifty feet from the nearest residence. 29 3. All distances shall be measured horizontally by standard 30 survey methods between the closest point of each location or 31 object. 32 EXPLANATION 33 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 34 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 35 -1- LSB 5306SV (2) 89 es/rn 1/ 2

S.F. 2321 This bill relates to utility-scale solar energy facility 1 installation on agricultural land. 2 The bill defines “agricultural land” to mean land that 3 is suitable for farming. The bill defines “utility-scale 4 solar energy facility” or “solar energy facility” to mean an 5 assemblage of photovoltaic modules, equipment, or structural 6 features that collect and convert incident solar radiation 7 into other specific forms of energy or transform the solar 8 energy to transmission on an electric grid. The bill defines 9 “corn suitability rating” (CSR) to mean Iowa state university 10 extension and outreach’s corn suitability rating index which 11 determines the potential for row-crop productivity for a parcel 12 of land. 13 The bill provides that a utility-scale solar energy 14 facility shall not be installed on agricultural land unless the 15 agricultural land has a CSR of 65 or lower, the solar energy 16 facility is at least one-half mile from the next solar energy 17 facility, and the solar energy facility is located at least 18 1,250 feet from the nearest residence. 19 The bill provides that distances shall be measured 20 horizontally by standard survey methods between the closest 21 point of each location or object. 22 -2- LSB 5306SV (2) 89 es/rn 2/ 2