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Preamble:
WHEREAS the Government of Alberta and the Government of Canada have a mandate to transition to a low carbon economy; and
WHEREAS renewable energy has been determined to be one way to transition to a low carbon economy; and
WHEREAS renewable energy projects in Alberta have been and continue to be located on productive agricultural lands; and
WHEREAS Alberta’s Renewable Energy Act has mandated that 30% of electricity generated must come from renewable energy sources by 2030; and
WHEREAS the Alberta Electric System Operator calculates, for 2021, 17% of electricity generation in Alberta comes from renewable energy sources; and
WHEREAS achieving this growth in renewable energy generation by 2030 could result, according to industry calculations, in a further 120,000 acres (187.5 sections) of agricultural land being lost; and
WHEREAS no quantitative studies have been completed in Alberta that calculate the overall effect to the economy from the loss of agricultural land and subsequent food production as the result of renewable energy projects;
Operative Clause:
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Rural Municipalities of Alberta request the Government of Alberta to work collaboratively on policy that will find a balance between the development of renewable energy and protection of valuable agriculture lands.
Member Background:
Albertans must ensure that the development of small and large scale renewable energy projects do not come at the price of losing productive agriculture lands. Without oversight as to where these developments may occur, the price of farmland will significantly increase, putting it out of reach for agriculture producers and into the hands of speculators who believe they can profit from the land rental rates being offered by the renewable energy companies.
The Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) approval process for renewable energy projects on private land currently has little to no regard for the rural municipalities’ statutory plans or requirement for consultation with the Municipalities. Rural municipalities have historically been the stewards of long-term land use planning within municipal borders, through municipal development plans, land use bylaws and area structure plans. The creation and update of these plans include significant public consultation with residents, landowners, businesses, and our neighboring municipal partners. Most, if not all rural municipalities are proud to say agriculture producers are valued, and this is reflected in the focus on preservation of agriculture lands in all our statutory documents.
Mountain View County supports the provincial strategy of development of renewable energy and reductions in carbon emissions; however, it is imperative to learn from past mistakes, with the focus being on upfront development of resources with no consideration for the unintended or ignored long-term costs. Since the province retains full authority over land use planning with respect to renewable energy development, we also believe the Government of Alberta should be responsible for implementing policy to protect agriculture lands and find a balance to protect the two most important industries in Alberta: energy and agriculture.
The first step in this process is the collection and analysis of all pertinent data in order to provide a complete picture of the long-term costs and benefits. This cannot be another short-sighted approach to an issue without understanding and calculating the future consequences it brings.
RMA Background:
RMA has no active resolutions directly related to this issue.
Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation
In 2016, the Renewable Energy Act established the “30 in 30” target, which states at least 30 per cent of the electric energy produced in Alberta must be produced from renewable energy resources by 2030. In addition, the deregulated electricity market and rich solar and wind resources have resulted in a surge of investment in renewable energy projects in Alberta. Protecting individual property rights, conserving Alberta’s finite agricultural land base and the growth of renewable energy resources are important – and at times conflicting – priorities.
Agriculture and Irrigation (AGI) is committed to working collaboratively with Rural Municipalities of Alberta and other stakeholders to identify issues with commercial solar developments on agricultural land and opportunities to resolve them.
Affordability and Utilities
Electricity projects must be approved by the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC), who review all projects to ensure that they are in the public interest. The AUC’s review process takes into consideration impacts to people, land, and the environment and can include noise, visual impact, traffic/roadways, land use, impacts to irrigation, and a variety of other environmental impacts such as species at risk, native grasses, water, wastewater, and conservation of soil.
Commercial wind and solar developments are only built on private land in Alberta and provide another source of revenue for landowners. Respecting property rights is a tenet of the Government of Alberta and limiting development options for private landowners would infringe on these rights. The AUC does not determine if and where in the province power generation should occur as electric generation is deregulated in Alberta.
The AUC decision-making process is independent and individual project applications are not influenced by government departments outside alignment with relevant legislation. I would encourage the RMA and its members to contact the AUC to discuss the value of agricultural lands to the local communities and how this can be further considered in its assessment process.
Development:
In 2022, RMA formed a member committee to review the mandates of quasi-judicial agencies, as well as if and to what extent they act in the public interest and the role of municipalities in their approval processes. Additionally, in 2023, the AUC launched an inquiry and engagement process for possible changes to Rule 007 and other policy changes related to renewable energy development. For both the quasi-judicial agencies member committee and for the AUC’s recent inquiry, RMA provided the following recommendations, among others:
In early 2024, the AUC announced new policy changes as a result of the inquiry in its Module A report, which emphasizes an “agriculture-first” approach to renewable energy development. Using the Land Suitability Rating System (LSRS), new renewable energy projects are no longer permitted on Class 1 and 2 lands. This is a promising change indicating that RMA and member feedback has been considered and that the provincial government along with AUC recognize the value in minimizing economic losses to both the agricultural and renewable energy sectors. However, there is still a lack of clarity regarding how the new regulations will account for nuance in local conditions, considerations of other productive land classes, the presence of irrigation or the implementation of agrivoltaics.
In December 2024, the new Electric Energy Land Use and Visual Assessment Regulation was announced, which seeks to follow the “agriculture-first” approach previous outlined as a priority for the provincial government. According to this regulation, agricultural impact assessments are required for renewable energy proponents as a condition of constructing and operating on high-quality agricultural land. RMA will monitor the impacts of this regulation on members and assess its effectiveness as its implementation progresses.
RMA assigns this resolution a status of Accepted in Principle. RMA will review the resolution after the requirements of the regulation are implemented into the project approval process to determine whether the policy achieves a proper “balance,” as per the resolution request.
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