CT SB00350

Requires posting of a decommissioning bond for solar photovoltaic facilities with capacity of 2 or more megawatts to be located on prime farmland or forestland, effective October 1, 2018.

Bond amount must be sufficient to restore prime farmland to productive agricultural condition or restore land as core forest, as applicable.

Exempts solar facilities selected by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection in solicitations issued prior to July 1, 2017, and exempts facilities on state or municipal property.

Directs Commissioner of Agriculture to convene a working group to develop evaluation standards for solar facilities' effects on prime farmland and core forest, with recommendation due January 1, 2019.

Working group shall include representatives from the solar industry, Connecticut Farm Bureau, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, and state departments of Agriculture and Energy and Environmental Protection.