SB 316 Connecticut Senate · 2026 Regular Session

AN ACT CONCERNING THE TESTING OF SOILS AT CERTAIN SOLAR FACILITIES.

SB 316 requires Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to implement a biennial soil testing program at utility-scale solar facilities starting October 2026. The program tests for contaminants like lead, cadmium, arsenic, and zinc, and mandates that results be disclosed to property owners, remediation costs recovered from responsible parties, and public notifications including land use restrictions. Solar facility owners or operators will pay a biennial testing fee to cover program costs. This law directly affects large solar installations by adding environmental monitoring and remediation requirements to their operations.

Issues: ✓ Environment

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 26, 2026 Last action Apr 14, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Raised Bill → ENV Joint Favorable Substitute · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was converted from a 'Raised Bill' to a 'Substitute Bill' with significant policy changes. The original version required the state agency to create a general biennial testing program for all solar arrays, while the new version mandates immediate soil testing for specific large-scale facilities (2+ megawatts) before they are even approved. The new version also removes the requirement for the state to charge a fee to cover testing costs, shifting the financial burden entirely to the solar project developers.

Scope change

The scope narrowed from a general program applicable to all utility-scale solar arrays to a specific requirement only for facilities with a capacity of two megawatts or greater.

REQUIREMENT

Changed from a reactive program where the state conducts biennial testing to a proactive requirement where applicants must test soil before receiving approval.

ELIGIBILITY

Limited the requirement to apply only to solar facilities with a capacity of two megawatts or more, rather than all utility-scale arrays.

FISCAL

Removed the provision allowing the state to assess a biennial fee on owners to cover testing costs, meaning developers must now pay for all testing themselves.

TIMELINE

Shifted the testing schedule from a general biennial cycle to a specific timeline: one test before construction approval and a second test two years after construction.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a legal requirement that soil test results must be submitted to the Siting Council before any certificate or ruling is issued.

Floor votes

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Joint Favorable

upper

Mar 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Joint Favorable Substitute

upper

Feb 26, 2026

Committee

REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Environment

upper

2 primary · 0 co-sponsors