To prohibit the head of a Federal agency from using Federal funds for certain solar energy projects that would result in the conversion of farmland, to exclude from certain tax credits relating to clean energy facilities placed in service on prime farmland, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Protecting American Farmland Act prohibits the use of federal funds for ground-mounted solar energy projects that would convert prime farmland away from agricultural use. It also bars solar installations on prime farmland from qualifying for five major federal clean energy tax credits: the residential clean energy credit (Section 25D), the renewable electricity production credit (Section 45), the clean electricity production credit (Section 45Y), the energy investment credit (Section 48), and the clean electricity investment credit (Section 48E).
Who Benefits and How
- Farmers and agricultural landowners: Preserves prime farmland for agricultural use, protecting the long-term viability of farming operations and potentially supporting farmland values for agricultural purposes.
- Agricultural industry and food production sector: Reduces competitive pressure from solar developers bidding up the price of prime farmland or converting productive agricultural land.
- Fossil fuel and conventional energy producers: Reduces competition from utility-scale solar by restricting where solar projects can be sited and removing financial incentives for solar on prime farmland.
- Rural communities dependent on agriculture: Maintains the agricultural economic base that supports local economies, jobs, and food supply chains.
Who Bears the Burden and How
- Solar energy developers and installers: Lose access to federal funding, loans, loan guarantees, and five separate tax credits for projects on prime farmland, significantly increasing costs and reducing the economic viability of such projects.
- Landowners seeking to lease farmland for solar: Lose the option to earn income from solar leases on prime farmland, as projects will become economically less viable without tax incentives and federal support.
- Clean energy consumers and utilities: May face higher electricity costs if the restriction reduces the supply of available land for cost-effective solar installation.
- Federal clean energy goals: The bill restricts a significant category of land from solar development, potentially slowing the pace of renewable energy deployment.
Key Provisions
- Prohibits any federal agency from using funds, loans, or loan guarantees for covered solar energy projects that would convert prime farmland (Section 2)
- Defines "prime farmland" by reference to the Farmland Protection Policy Act (7 U.S.C. 4201(c)(1)(A)) across all sections
- Excludes solar property on prime farmland from the residential clean energy credit under IRC Section 25D (Section 3)
- Excludes solar facilities on prime farmland from the renewable electricity production credit under IRC Section 45 (Section 4)
- Excludes solar facilities on prime farmland from the clean electricity production credit under IRC Section 45Y (Section 5)
- Excludes solar property on prime farmland from the energy investment credit under IRC Section 48 (Section 6)
- Excludes solar facilities on prime farmland from the clean electricity investment credit under IRC Section 48E (Section 7)
- All tax provisions apply to property or facilities placed in service after the date of enactment
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Prohibits the use of federal funds for solar energy projects on prime farmland and excludes solar installations on prime farmland from five major clean energy tax credits in the Internal Revenue Code.
Key Policy Areas
Agriculture, Energy, Taxation, Federal Spending
Primary Purpose
Prohibits the use of federal funds for solar energy projects on prime farmland and excludes solar installations on prime farmland from five major clean energy tax credits in the Internal Revenue Code.
Policy Domains
federal_funding_prohibition
Identified Gains
- Agricultural landowners
- Farming operations
- Fossil fuel energy producers
- Agricultural industry
Identified Costs
- Solar energy developers
- Solar project financiers
- Landowners seeking solar lease income
energy_investment_credit_exclusion
Identified Gains
- Agricultural landowners
- Farming operations
- Fossil fuel energy producers
Identified Costs
- Solar energy developers
- Solar energy investors
- Commercial solar installers
residential_clean_energy_credit_exclusion
Identified Gains
- Agricultural landowners
- Farming operations
- Fossil fuel energy producers
Identified Costs
- Residential solar installers
- Homeowners on farmland
- Solar equipment manufacturers
clean_electricity_investment_credit_exclusion
Identified Gains
- Agricultural landowners
- Farming operations
- Fossil fuel energy producers
Identified Costs
- Solar energy developers
- Clean energy project financiers
- Solar energy investors
clean_electricity_production_credit_exclusion
Identified Gains
- Agricultural landowners
- Farming operations
- Fossil fuel energy producers
Identified Costs
- Solar energy developers
- Clean energy project financiers
- Solar energy investors
renewable_electricity_production_credit_exclusion
Identified Gains
- Agricultural landowners
- Farming operations
- Fossil fuel energy producers
- Conventional electricity generators
Identified Costs
- Utility-scale solar developers
- Solar energy investors
- Clean energy project financiers
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMrs. Blackburn (for herself and Ms. Lummis) introduced the following …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Residential solar installers, Solar energy developers, Utility-scale solar developers
Clean energy project financiers, Solar energy investors, Solar project financiers
Conventional electricity generators, Fossil fuel energy producers
Commercial solar installers
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology