AB 1156: Williamson Act contracts: cancellation fees: photovoltaic solar facilities.

This bill revises the definition of a solar-use easement to include solar energy storage and appurtenant renewable energy facilities. It requires the conversion of a Williamson Act contract into a solar-use easement for the term of the easement, rather than rescission, if the Department of Conservation determines the parcel is eligible. The bill also expands eligibility criteria to include land with insufficient surface water or groundwater, and requires the land to meet certain additional requirements relating to its historical use as cropland and conservation easements. The bill requires mitigation measures on land subject to the easement to have an essential nexus and be roughly proportional to the impact to be mitigated, and deletes the requirement for a performance bond. It also permits the county or city to require a provision for termination of the easement under prescribed circu…