Bill > HB1492

This bill establishes requirements for the decommissioning, or removal and restoration, of solar power facilities in Mississippi to protect landowners and communities from potential hazards and costs associated with retired or abandoned sites. It defines key terms such as "decommissioning cost" (the cost of removal and restoration minus the estimated salvage value of the facility's components), "grantee" (a company leasing land for a solar facility, excluding public utilities), "landowner" (the owner of the land), "premises" (the land used for the solar facility), and "solar power facility" (equipment used to generate electricity from solar energy, excluding facilities less than five megawatts unless otherwise agreed). The bill mandates that all solar power facility agreements must ensure the grantee removes all components (except buried lines) and restores the land to a condition suitable for its previous use upon termination of the agreement, and requires a decommissioning plan. Crucially, it mandates that grantees provide financial assurance to landowners to cover these removal and restoration obligations, with the amount increasing over time, and specifies acceptable forms of this financial assurance, such as surety bonds, letters of credit, or cash. Local governments can still regulate solar facilities through zoning, but cannot impose removal or financial assurance requirements beyond what this bill mandates. These provisions apply to new solar power facility agreements entered into on or after the bill's effective date of July 1, 2026.

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https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2026/pdf/history/HB/HB1492.xml