Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly is preparing to take legal action against proposed solar panel and battery energy storage projects on prime agricultural land in the county.
The Maryland General Assembly passed Senate Bill 931 in 2025, stripping local governments of zoning authority over community solar and battery energy storage projects. The Maryland Public Service Commission, the state agency that regulates utilities and energy projects, now has the power to approve such projects in Harford County regardless of local zoning rules.
What’s Important: The county council approved hiring outside legal counsel Tuesday. G. Macy Nelson, an attorney from Towson, will represent the county.
How This Affects Real People: Proposed projects would place solar panels across dozens of acres of Harford County farmland and require battery energy storage units on prime agricultural land.
“We must protect our farmland and our communities from the potential dangers of these so-called green energy projects that can cause lasting harm to public health,” Cassilly said. “Fire officials have warned that battery energy storage fires must either burn out, which can take weeks, or be extinguished with chemical-laden fire suppressants. Such contaminants seep into the ground and smoke from the fires can contaminate area wells. We also know very little about how solar panel arrays are decommissioned and recycled. With so much unknown, we must be ready to take every regulatory and legal step to safeguard our quality of life.”
The Path Forward: Cassilly has also launched a work group and a public webpage on the county government website to keep residents informed. The work group held its first meeting last week. Members include county departments of law, planning and zoning, inspections, public works, volunteer fire companies, the health department, the county council, community organizations, and individual residents.
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