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HB617 • 2026

Solar power facilities; new facilities prohibited for one year

Solar power facilities; new facilities prohibited for one year

Energy Water
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Simpson
Last action
2026-04-01
Official status
Read Second Time in House of Origin
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on the impact of the bill beyond its effective period or on existing solar facilities.

Ban on New Solar Power Facilities

This law stops new solar power plants from being built or used for one year.

What This Bill Does

  • Defines a 'solar power facility' as large ground-mounted panels that make electricity to use elsewhere or sell to others, including all equipment needed to run it.
  • Bans the building and operation of any new solar power facilities not already in progress on the law's start date for one year.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People planning to build new large-scale solar power facilities
  • Companies that operate or plan to operate solar power facilities

Terms To Know

solar power facility
A big setup of panels on the ground that makes electricity from sunlight for use elsewhere or sale to others.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens after one year.
  • It is unclear how existing solar facilities will be affected by this ban.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

QNDIA44-1

Transportation, Utilities and Infrastructure

Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

Plain English: QNDIA44-1 04/01/2026 THR (H) HSE 2026-1318 House Transportation, Utilities and Infrastructure Reported Substitute for HB617 Page 1 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT Relating to solar power; to prohibit the construction and operation of new solar power facilities for one year.

  • QNDIA44-1 04/01/2026 THR (H) HSE 2026-1318 House Transportation, Utilities and Infrastructure Reported Substitute for HB617 Page 1 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT Relating to solar power; to prohibit the construction and operation of new solar power facilities for one year.
  • BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA: Section 1.
  • (a) For purposes of this section, the term "solar power facility" means a large-scale, ground-mounted installation of photovoltaic panels that are designed to generate electricity using solar power for use off-site or sale to a third party , including all equipment and facilities required to operate the facility and transmit generated electricity.
  • (b) In order to protect the coastline and watershed, for one year after the effective date of this act, a solar power facility not operating or under construction on the effective date of this act may not be constructed or operated in any county that borders the Gulf of America .
  • This amendment summary is using official source text because generated interpretation was skipped for this run.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-01 House

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  2. 2026-04-01 House

    Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

  3. 2026-03-12 House

    Pending Committee Action in House of Origin

  4. 2026-03-12 House

    Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Transportation, Utilities and Infrastructure

Official Summary Text

Solar power facilities; new facilities prohibited for one year

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB617 INTRODUCED
Page 0
HB617
CXU4NWW-1
By Representatives Simpson, Givens, Holk-Jones, Fidler, Baker,
Brown, Shirey, Stringer, Bracy
RFD: Transportation, Utilities and Infrastructure
First Read: 12-Mar-26
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CXU4NWW-1 03/11/2026 THR (L)ma 2026-1318
Page 1
First Read: 12-Mar-26
SYNOPSIS:
This bill would prohibit the construction and
operation of new solar power facilities for one year.
A BILL
TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
Relating to solar power; to prohibit the construction
and operation of new solar power facilities for one year.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. (a) For purposes of this section, the term
"solar power facility" means a large-scale, ground-mounted
installation of photovoltaic panels that are designed to
generate electricity using solar power for use off-site or
sale to a third party , including all equipment and facilities
required to operate the facility and transmit generated
electricity.
(b) For one year after the effective date of this act,
a solar power facility not operating or under construction on
the effective date of this act may not be constructed or
operated.
Section 2. This act shall become effective immediately.
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