FARMING: Farmland Protection update provided | Agriculture | fltimes.com

Ny State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball final week introduced The discharge of the Interim Report from the State’s Farmland Safety Working Group (FPWG).

It focuses on preliminary strategies to combine renewable power sources into working landscapes with minimal influence on agriculture, collectively with The want for extra evaluation; the potential for monetary incentives; and proposed devices for State And native governments. These strategies Shall be expanded and explored by the FPWG in a final Report again to be launched late this yr, So as To utterly understand their influence on renewable power siting and agricultural assets.

“It is my privilege to be Inside the place to facilitate such important discussions That focus on local climate change, renewable power, and agriculture,” Ball said. “On this Interim Report, the Working Group has currentd early insights on subjects Which will evolve into promising consensus strategies. Our work as A gaggle is simply starting, And that i am enthusiastic Regarding The Prolonged time period conversations Which will strengthen companionships forming round agricultural and renewable power enchancment.”

The report particularly focuses on prioritized subjects And a quantity of fullly different associated preliminary method summaries That are being expanded and explored by the FPWG To utterly understand their influence on renewable power siting and agricultural assets.

Preliminary strategies embrace:

• Facilitate further evaluation associated to twin-use or co-utilization of agricultural manufacturing and utility-scale renewable power tasks, collectively with the expanded use of revolutionary “agrivoltaics” in enterprise design.

• Provoke a research assessing all financial pressures influenceing Ny’s agricultural financial system and land use. This research will construct on The information contained Contained in the September 2020 CLCPA Final SGEIS and associated environmental critiques, and decide the potential advantages and/or burdens of renewable power enchancment and non-photo voltaic land-use conversions associated to Ny’s agricultural enterprise.

• Encourage environmental, habitat, and ecosystem providers research of working photo voltaic tasks, with a Think about grassland chook and threatened and endangered species advantages and influences.

• Incentivize constructers and landowners to proceed to make the most of land for farming Contained in the enterprise website, co-current with photo voltaic tasks.

• Discover decisions on how biggest to disburse Agricultural Mitigation Funds To assist native agriculture-assisting efforts.

• Create a state-diploma working lands administration plan.

• Replace native farmland protection plans To mirror siting of renewable power amenities.

• Replace NYSERDA’s mannequin photo voltaic power native regulation To reinformationrce remedy of And current decisions To deal with agricultural factors.

• Create a plan to extra fullly pre-display web websites for presence of pure assets.

Division of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said, “DEC is proud to companion with The fullly different members of the State’s Farmland Safety Working Group, working To Guarantee a extra sustainable and prosperous future for Ny farms. The interim report ideas launched right now current strategies To deal with local climate change by way of renewable power decisions that assist farmers whereas furtherly promoting the protection of critically important farmland in Ny State.”

Office of Renewable Energy Siting Authorities Director Houtan Moaveni said, “ORES acinformations The worth and significance of conserving extremely productive agricultural lands in Ny State. ORES, in shut coordination with The mannequin new York State Division of Agriculture and Markets, conducts A radical evaluation of potential vital antagonistic influences of primary renewable power amenities to agricultural assets on a case-by-case basis in compliance with its full set of regulations. We look forward to proceedd discussions with the Working Group and fullly different stakeholders as we proceed To look for pragmatic options to stability The Need to effectively advance primary renewable power amenities whereas furtherly defending farmland and farmers.”