The future of solar energy development took center stage at the Missouri Capitol on Tuesday, as lawmakers debated new rules proposed on the location of solar panels.
Three senators — Sen. Cindy O’Laughlin, R‑Shelbina, Sen. Sandy Crawford, R‑Buffalo, and Sen. Travis Fitzwater, R‑Holts Summit — are each pushing bills to tighten regulations.
O’Laughlin said rural Missourians aren’t against progress, but she said the current process effectively shuts them out of the conversation.
“If the utility‑scale solar projects are truly beneficial, they should be able to withstand early transparency and clear enforceable rules,” said O’Laughlin. “Development that depends on secrecy, speed, and pressure is not sustainable and is not respectful of the community that it impacts.”
Fitzwater said he wants lawmakers to be smart about the protection of Missourians.
“How are we going to have some guardrails?” asked Fitzwater. “A lot of other states have guardrails. They have a taxing structure that makes sense. We want to make sure that if we’re not going to do a moratorium and figure out from a regulatory standpoint, either through DNR or some other entity, how we’re going to regulate these going forward.”
Fitzwater’s proposal would create new statewide siting standards for solar projects, while O’Laughlin and Crawford push for stronger local authority over the location of solar farms.
Missouri Department of Natural Resources Director Kurt Schaefer said that if passed, the bills would bring much‑needed structure to a rapidly expanding industry.
“Based on our research, there’s 36 states right now that regulate this at the state level,” said Schaefer. “That number of states that regulate that over doubled from the year 24 to 25. There’s 14 states that currently do not have state law. We’re obviously one of them. I do think something needs to be done in this space.”
Sen. Tracy McCreery, D‑St. Louis County, questioned why lawmakers are now eager to regulate solar farms when, just a few years ago, many of these same voices opposed placing similar rules on CAFOs — the large industrial livestock operations that concentrate thousands of animals in one location.
Opponents argued that government should steer clear of added solar regulations, saying communities already have tools to protect themselves without slowing Missouri’s renewable energy growth.
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