The primary issue at hand was land. Where should land be devoted to solar power, and more specifically, what type of land.
(The Center Square) — Solar power in Louisiana has become a subject of controversy and lawmakers took a look at both sides of the argument in a hearing this week.
The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee met Thursday to hear testimony from both sides of the argument on solar power. Legislators got what they were looking for, with over eight hours of industry and public testimony.
The primary issue at hand was land. Where should land be devoted to solar power, and more specifically, what type of land.
Only a certain type of ground is good for solar farms. Farm soil is best because it’s flat, easily accessed and not over any pipelines or channels.
Although it would be more convenient in theory to have them in a place such as bayous and marshes because it wouldn’t hurt any other industry, environmentalists strongly opposed that because it would hurt species’ habitats. That’s not even considering how much harder it would be to manage a plant of any kind on such shaky infrastructure.
The problem is giving up prime land to futuristic energy production. If large land owners sell their land to solar companies, tenant farmers who operate on leases won’t be able to afford to keep up.