Golden questions administration over energy development on agricultural lands
WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) today sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack and Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm calling for greater research into the impact of renewable energy development on America’s farmland.
“[Rates of energy development on agricultural land] are deeply troubling and raise the question of whether or not we are sacrificing our nation’s food security as we pursue an aggressive effort to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels…” Golden wrote. “…While our nation pursues an all-of-the-above approach to grow our domestic energy production, we must do so in a way that also protects our invaluable farmland. The collaboration between your agencies to gather this information is vital to both our national energy and food security.”
In 2019, Maine passed a law aiming to decarbonize the state’s electrical grid by 80 percent by 2030 and 100 percent by 2050. This mirrors an even more ambitious DOE goal to reach 100 percent renewable electricity nationwide by 2035. According to the American Farmland Trust, over 80 percent of new solar energy development alone is expected to occur on farmland — and that half of the country’s best lands for producing food and other crops could be lost to solar energy projects.
Golden specifically requested answers for how the Departments of Energy (DOE) and Agriculture (USDA) track the conversion of farmland for renewable energy development, how the agencies coordinate those efforts with individual states and what USDA is doing to monitor the differences between proposed and actual farmland conversion.
“There has been an incredible increase in commercial solar energy projects in the last several years across the country and in Maine, with most of the development occurring on farmland,” said Caitlin Frame and Andy Smith, owners of The Milkhouse Farm & Creamery in Monmouth. “While we don’t dispute the value of renewable energy in meeting our climate goals, we must not recklessly consume our country's finite agricultural lands and imperil our food security. Tracking this development at the federal level is an important first step in balancing the need for both food and energy production and will help guide future legislation to address the issue.”
“America’s farmland is a precious and limited resource that is being lost to development at an alarming rate. The loss of farmland is troubling because farms provide many critical economic, ecological and community benefits – benefits that farmers can only continue to provide to our families and communities when they have access to affordable, high-quality agricultural land,” said Shelley Megquier, policy and research director of the Maine Farmland Trust. “As renewable energy development efforts continue across the country, we must ensure that the right balance is achieved between food production and energy production without compromising rural livelihoods and food security. Maine Farmland Trust deeply appreciates that Rep. Golden has listened carefully to some of the concerns voiced by Maine farmers and is working to ensure that federal agencies gather comprehensive data to better understand how agricultural lands are being impacted by renewable energy development.”
“Step one to understanding how to maximize the benefits from solar-to-farm viability and minimize the conversion of our best agricultural lands out of production is to ask the right questions,” said Samantha Levy, conservation and climate policy manager for American Farmland Trust. “The questions that Congressman Golden is raising with USDA are essential to answer if we are to achieve a Smart Solar buildout that keeps land in agriculture as the nation advances renewable energy.”
Golden’s letter can be found here and is included below in full.
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November 25, 2024
The Honorable Thomas Vilsack
Secretary
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave SW
Washington, DC 20250
The Honorable Jennifer Granholm
Secretary
U.S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Ave SW
Washington, DC 20585
Dear Secretary Vilsack and Secretary Granholm,
I am writing to request information regarding how the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) understand the impacts of clean energy development on farmlands. As the Biden administration continues to make significant investments in solar, wind, and other types of renewable energy, I am concerned that federal agencies are not adequately tracking the amount and quality of agricultural land that we are converting nationally to renewable energy expansion.
Despite our finite acreage for food production, according to recent modeling from the American Farmland Trust, over 80 percent of new solar energy development alone is expected to occur on farmland. Their analysis also estimates that half of the nation’s best lands for producing food and other crops could be lost to solar energy projects.1 If accurate, these trends are deeply troubling and raise the question of whether or not we are sacrificing our nation’s food security as we pursue an aggressive effort to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
That is why I believe further research is needed to fully grasp the impacts of renewable energy development on soil quality and food capacity. This data could then be used to develop strategies that minimize any potential negative consequences that energy projects would have on our farm land and domestic food systems. Increased data gathering would also allow federal agencies to better determine the feasibility and best management practices of siting these projects on farmland. Absent this information, not only are we prevented from having a holistic understanding of land-use patterns across the country, but it also delays our clean energy goals due to local and municipal concerns and moratoriums, litigation, higher installation costs, and longer permitting processes.
In order to facilitate better coordination between your agencies and to provide lawmakers with essential land use data to inform future policy, I am requesting your answers to the the following questions:
- Does DOE or USDA currently track the conversion of farmland for renewable energy development? If so, how? If not, do both of your agencies have a plan to gather this data?
- Do your agencies coordinate directly with the states to take inventory on how much farmland is being utilized for energy projects or other non-agricultural purposes?
- Current USDA regulations only require agencies to report on proposed farmland conversion. How does USDA distinguish between proposed and actual farmland conversion? Does the agency intend to require reporting on both?
While our nation pursues an all of the above approach to grow our domestic energy production, we must do so in a way that also protects our invaluable farmland. The collaboration between your agencies to gather this information is vital to both our national energy and food security.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this important issue and I look forward to hearing from you.
Respectfully,
Jared Golden
Member of Congress
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