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LD830 • 2025

An Act to Protect Maine's Scenic Beauty by Requiring Solar Panel Fields to Be Hidden from View

An Act to Protect Maine's Scenic Beauty by Requiring Solar Panel Fields to Be Hidden from View

Energy
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Senator David Haggan
Last action
2025-06-03
Official status
Taken from the table by the President Subsequently, The Majority Ought Not To Pass Report ACCEPTED PREVAILED Roll Call Ordered Roll Call Number 297 Yeas 19 - Nays 14 - Excused 1 - Absent 1 Sent down for concurrence
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act to Protect Maine's Scenic Beauty by Requiring Solar Panel Fields to Be Hidden from View

An Act to Protect Maine's Scenic Beauty by Requiring Solar Panel Fields to Be Hidden from View Sponsor: Senator David Haggan Reference committee: Environment and Natural Resources Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP/OTP-AM

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to Protect Maine's Scenic Beauty by Requiring Solar Panel Fields to Be Hidden from View Sponsor: Senator David Haggan Reference committee: Environment and Natural Resources Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP/OTP-AM

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

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

Filed

Plain English: Page 1 - 132LR1767(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.

  • Page 1 - 132LR1767(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.
  • 830 2 Date: (Filing No.
  • S- ) 3ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES 4 Reproduced and distributed under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate.
  • 5STATE OF MAINE 6SENATE 7132ND LEGISLATURE 8FIRST SPECIAL SESSION 9 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT “ ” to S.P.

Bill History

  1. 2025-06-03 House

    Reports READ . On motion of Representative DOUDERA of Camden, the Majority Ought Not to Pass Report was ACCEPTED . ROLL CALL NO. 286 (Yeas 75 - Nays 70 - Absent 6 - Excused 0) In concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH. Placed in the Legislative Files. ( DEAD )

  2. 2025-06-02 Senate

    Taken from the table by the President Subsequently, The Majority Ought Not To Pass Report ACCEPTED PREVAILED Roll Call Ordered Roll Call Number 297 Yeas 19 - Nays 14 - Excused 1 - Absent 1 Sent down for concurrence

  3. 2025-05-15 Committee

    Reported Out; ONTP/OTP-AM

  4. 2025-03-26 Committee

    Work Session Held

  5. 2025-03-26 Committee

    Voted; Divided Report

  6. 2025-03-04 Committee

    Referred to Committee on Environment and Natural Resources.

Official Summary Text

An Act to Protect Maine's Scenic Beauty by Requiring Solar Panel Fields to Be Hidden from View
Sponsor:
Senator David Haggan
Reference committee:
Environment and Natural Resources
Latest committee action:
Reported Out; ONTP/OTP-AM

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Printed on recycled paper
132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 830
S.P. 357 In Senate, March 4, 2025
An Act to Protect Maine's Scenic Beauty by Requiring Solar Panel
Fields to Be Hidden from View
Reference to the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources suggested and ordered
printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator HAGGAN of Penobscot.
Cosponsored by Representative MCINTYRE of Lowell and
Representatives: FOSTER of Dexter, JAVNER of Chester, PAUL of Winterport, QUINT of
Hodgdon, WADSWORTH of Hiram.

Page 1 - 132LR1767(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 38 MRSA §484, sub-§11 is enacted to read:
311. Special provisions; solar energy development. In the case of a solar energy
4 development, the proposed development will be surrounded by a barrier, which may
5 include, but is not limited to, a fence, trees, bushes or other vegetation. The barrier must be
6 designed to sufficiently conceal the solar energy development from view from abutting
7 properties, as determined by the department.
8SUMMARY
9 This bill amends the site location of development laws to require that, prior to
10 approving a solar energy development proposal, the Department of Environmental
11 Protection find that the proposed development will be surrounded by a barrier designed to
12 sufficiently conceal the development from view from abutting properties.
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