On February 26, Director of Intergovernmental Relations Dominic Butchko submitted written testimony to the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee in support of SB 683 – Public Utilities – Solar Energy Generating Stations – Siting (Solar Siting and Preservation Credit Act of 2026). 

This bill would clarify that solar projects located on certain sites within a Priority Preservation Area (PPA) count toward the five percent ground-mounted solar cap established under the Renewable Energy Certainty Act of 2025 (RECA).

Enacted during the 2025 “Session of Energy,” RECA established guardrails to balance renewable energy expansion with protection of Maryland’s most productive agricultural land, including a five percent cap on ground-mounted solar within PPAs. By ensuring that solar projects on brownfields, rooftops, and other underutilized sites count toward that threshold, this measure reinforces the law’s original intent to support clean energy growth and safeguard working farmland and local land use priorities.

From MACo Testimony: 

By ensuring that solar developed on brownfields, school rooftops, and other underutilized sites counts toward the five percent threshold, SB 683 offers a practical, commonsense clarification that helps balance two important—and sometimes competing— State goals: expanding renewable energy while protecting working farmland.

More on MACo’s Advocacy: 

• Follow MACo’s advocacy efforts during the 2026 legislative session on MACo’s Legislative Tracking Database
• Learn more about MACo’s 2026 Legislative Initiatives
• Read more General Assembly News on MACo’s Conduit Street blog