Protect Oregon's best farmland from large-scale solar development

Forty-six years ago, Gov. Tom McCall signed Senate Bill 100 into law, creating Oregon’s iconic land use planning system that shapes popular urban centers while providing the backbone for our agricultural industry to thrive.

Without our state’s land use planning system, agriculture would likely hover at the bottom of the list — rather than near the top — as the second largest income-producing sector in the state, and Oregon’s ability to produce a bounty of food would be diminished.

Collectively, our farm operations have contributed to Oregon’s economy for more than 140 years.

We are a short drive from urban centers and farm on some of the highest quality soils in Oregon. Without land use protections, our farms would fade into history. For this reason, we oppose the commercial development of large-scale solar installations on Oregon’s best farmland.

We applaud the Land Conservation and Development Commission for conducting a rulemaking process to address the impact of large-scale solar proposals on Oregon’s agricultural land. The commission spent almost a year developing the rule, convened an advisory committee of stakeholders to inform their decision, and held multiple public hearings. 

Last month, the Commission adopted rules limiting solar facilities on Class I, II, prime, and unique soils. These soils are some of the most productive in the world and are a finite resource that Oregon should steward carefully.

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Blanketing this irreplaceable resource with commercial solar facilities would adversely affect Oregon’s agricultural industry, and is not necessary to support robust solar energy development. 

Through this rulemaking, the commission demonstrated the balance in the state’s commitment to both renewable energy and farmland protection. 

In fact, the threat of climate change makes pursuing both of these objectives even more imperative. As the world’s climate changes, Oregon’s productive farmlands, and particularly its high-value soils with their ability to grow over 200 crops, will become even more valuable. In addition, farmland is expected to play a significant role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through carbon sequestration.

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The rulemaking puts about 6% of Oregon’s land off-limits to solar installations and, unfortunately, omits protections for other valuable soils, especially those of our state’s wine industry.

Oregon's wine grape growing industry depends on Class III and IV soils to grow grapes for our state’s iconic wines. These soils were left unprotected in the recent rulemaking, and also are under pressure from commercial solar development. 

The commission left a treasured sector of Oregon’s agricultural industry at risk; we encourage them to reconsider this decision in future rulemaking.

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As Gov. McCall famously said, "Oregon is an inspiration." We encourage the solar industry to honor Oregon’s irreplaceable farmland and utilize sites that won’t diminish our ability to grow food for Oregonians. 

Protecting our most valuable farmland and siting renewable energy on responsible locations will inspire generations of new farmers and enable the renewable energy sector to thrive.

Jim Gilbert is the owner and operator of Northwoods Nursery in Molalla and the Chair of the Farmer Advisory Committee of 1000 Friends of Oregon. He can be reached at jgilbert@oregonsbest.com Sam Sweeney is the owner and operator of Country Heritage Farms in Dayton and a member of the Farmer Advisory Committee and the Yamhill Soil and Water Conservation Committee. He can be reached at  sweeneyfarm@aol.com