… The valley that was once a refuge for people fleeing the Dust Bowl is facing its own reckoning with dust and water scarcity. … Now, California lawmakers are wading in, with a bill that aims to clear away a financial hurdle for energy developers and landowners eager to plant solar farms with battery storage on fallowed fields. … Authored by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, a Democrat from Oakland, the bill tackles the Williamson Act. … Wicks’ bill would allow farmers and ranchers to suspend their Williamson Act contracts if they plant solar and storage on water-stressed farmland. Property taxes would go back up, but they would avoid the cancellation fees. 

Other water and solar news:

• Turlock Journal (Calif.): Construction complete on TID canal solar panel project