Summary: ZTA 20-01 is a proposal to allow 3 square miles of commercial scale solar on farmland in the Ag Reserve. The ZTA was voted out of committee on 7/22 without meaningful protections for forests, water quality or productive soils in the only area of the county set aside for farming. The report of the county's own climate change working group needs to chart the way forward - a report that suggests taking farmland out of production for solar is not the way to achieve carbon cutting goals. This ZTA will be taken up by the Council in September, stay tuned.
On 7/22 the T+E and PHED joint committees met for a third time to discuss ZTA 20-01. Of interest in this hearing were discussions on soils, forests and slopes.
Soils: In the previous hearing, the committee members discussed soil classifications 1-3 being productive soils. At MCA we thought that discussion was missing something and created this table to shows that many farms in the Reserve are growing bountiful table crops on zones 2 and 3. Councilmember Glass must have been unclear on our aim and mentioned our table as his vote made a majority to protect just class 1 soils (the red spots below, mostly river banks that are not farmable under water conservation measures.)
Soils: In the previous hearing, the committee members discussed soil classifications 1-3 being productive soils. At MCA we thought that discussion was missing something and created this table to shows that many farms in the Reserve are growing bountiful table crops on zones 2 and 3. Councilmember Glass must have been unclear on our aim and mentioned our table as his vote made a majority to protect just class 1 soils (the red spots below, mostly river banks that are not farmable under water conservation measures.)
Only the productive soils in red were protected by the committee.
Soils Classes 1,2 and 3 are all considered productive soils. A vote to allow solar on these soils is a vote to allow a large scale commercial and industrial use on productive farmland in the only part of the county that is protected for farming.
Councilmember Friedson made a motion to protect soil classes 1 and 2 (red and orange and in the map above, class 3 is peach- green is higher than 3) but did not have the votes though Councilmember Jawando joined him to protect slightly less land under a different definition of prime soils. Councilmembers Friedson addressed key points on the consequences not just for soils but also economics in the Ag Reserve. Friedson urged caution and seemed to understand the Reserve's purpose - when Councilmember Riemer said "the Ag Reserve was not meant to last forever, it can change." Friedson retorted that indeed it was supposed to last forever. MCA for our part is helping the Reserve get the next generation of farming growing, the Reserve does need to change but in a way that grows more farmers and more food under the purpose it was established for - Agriculture.
Councilmembers Friedson and Jawando also called out Councilmember Riemer's comments that attempted to negate the importance of soil classification - Riemer equated the different classes of soil to different colors of roof that solar panels might be affixed to. "Why not just only limit it to blue roofs?" He asked sarcastically. His statement is of course ludicrous and shows a complete lack of understanding (or care?) for Ag Reserve farms, while at the same time insisting that "agrivoltaics" (growing crops in the shade and drought conditions created by beneath solar arrays) is the way of the future.
Forests and Water Quality:
Council staff Jeff Zyontz finally highlighted what MCA has been saying for a long time, the ZTA as written has no real protections for forests. The committee added "tree removal should be minimized" and left the rest up to forest conservation efforts already in place in the Ag Reserve. On water quality, the committee declined to go beyond prohibiting arrays on 15% slopes, which still leaves lots of slopes where the channeling of water off the arrays, hitting the naked soil below them will cause extensive runoff. When wetlands were discussed, the protection of them was left to the Planning Board's site plan process, where Chair Casey Anderson has already wondered aloud why putting them in wetlands would be a bad idea.
This ZTA is not substantively improved by this committee and serious concerns are still held by people that are otherwise supportive of renewable energy - both urban and Reserve residents. This issue is controversial as it pits environmental factions against each other. The path forward is an acceptance of the nuance and care needed to green the grid while protecting existing natural systems - which includes forests, water quality and agriculture. We can get solar right - we must first do no harm.
Stay tuned, the ZTA is headed to the Council in September.
Council staff Jeff Zyontz finally highlighted what MCA has been saying for a long time, the ZTA as written has no real protections for forests. The committee added "tree removal should be minimized" and left the rest up to forest conservation efforts already in place in the Ag Reserve. On water quality, the committee declined to go beyond prohibiting arrays on 15% slopes, which still leaves lots of slopes where the channeling of water off the arrays, hitting the naked soil below them will cause extensive runoff. When wetlands were discussed, the protection of them was left to the Planning Board's site plan process, where Chair Casey Anderson has already wondered aloud why putting them in wetlands would be a bad idea.
This ZTA is not substantively improved by this committee and serious concerns are still held by people that are otherwise supportive of renewable energy - both urban and Reserve residents. This issue is controversial as it pits environmental factions against each other. The path forward is an acceptance of the nuance and care needed to green the grid while protecting existing natural systems - which includes forests, water quality and agriculture. We can get solar right - we must first do no harm.
Stay tuned, the ZTA is headed to the Council in September.
MCA is the lean, tenacious and award winning organization born of and for Montgomery County's Ag Reserve. Since 2001 we have been the boots on the ground focused on the protection of the small farms in the Ag Reserve, local food production and the protection of our shared water supply. We would be honored by your financial support.
