State lawmakers heard competing testimony Monday on a bill that would require solar farm developers to shield their projects from public view.
Sen. David Haggan said his bill aims to protect the Maine’s scenic beauty by requiring some form of barrier around large arrays of solar panels. The Hampden Republican also told members of the Legislature’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee that the measure will protect the views and property values of neighbors of solar energy developments that can cover dozens of acres of land.
“This bill doesn’t say how the solar fields have to be hidden,” said Haggan. “It could be a line of trees or bushes, a mural or a fence. But now matter what is chosen, you can basically guarantee that it will be more attractive than a, than a field of solar panels.”
But Rob Wood, director of the Bureau of Land Resources at the Maine Department of Environmental…
