[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6322502,"mediaKeyId","2347362-0362f5ddd809aabc2a5d4df347406843","parentId",2347362,"title","Subcommittee advances bill requiring large-scale solar panels to be recycled, sets $20 per-panel penalty for landfill disposal","audioSeconds",1683,"startMs",1860000,"endMs",3543000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2347362-0362f5ddd809aabc2a5d4df347406843&start=1860&end=3543","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2347362-0362f5ddd809aabc2a5d4df347406843/thumbnail_1860000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6322502/Georgia/Subcommittee-advances-bill-requiring-large-scale-solar-panels-to-be-recycled-sets-20-per-panel-penalty-for-landfill-disposal","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6322502-2611eea9502fb8f55e398e78c04d526e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770580975&Signature=nGnKEaBcxRgjXvX6tBBxUaKqPaVejseIQWnEBAOmss-DPoRS6~~JUn4HPaDE4agxRbTHgQ028IheRXoXFzdJbnhjH~JcGmac34EnNkdUMouUkeI7GOaBB1zGRccOkIFuMN552FMvci-mBr4-oH-7V-7-N7zn0xmregP5cL6lHvKfKi0Jp7bmGXlc0gRM5fWe9MN8Sjvb8ENNDl3MLdgv~vYHPXKfx1LdEQ7yqIyMRniLp8FiOMxQK~oupbTlh07FjuF1l65qVJunexUD9Is6L7W-EUwpsO1lSVV~LxYgMPpL1h7sE11HXoSf3BZrfdSrjNs4s2jpRGY7dtluwO5~dw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Georgia State Legislature","date","2025-02-19T00:00:00Z","article","House Bill 320, sponsored by Representative Trey Kelly, would require that panels removed from large, utility‑scale solar power facilities be taken to legitimate recycling facilities rather than disposed in municipal landfills. The bill applies to large commercial solar projects as defined in existing code and does not target residential or small installations, Kelly said.

\"When those panels reach their end of life, that we require them to be taken to a solar recycling facility,\" Representative Trey Kelly said while presenting the measure. Kelly described the bill as a market‑driven approach the state can use to avoid future landfill pressure as solar capacity grows.

Kelly and witnesses cited several figures during the hearing: the state currently has roughly 7,300 megawatts of installed solar capacity, and lawmakers heard an estimate of about 3,600 additional megawatts expected in the next five years, which would raise total capacity to roughly 10,900 megawatts. The sponsor said one megawatt is roughly equal to 3,500 panels and estimated the state could see tens of millions of panels reach end of life in coming decades; he and industry witnesses used an estimate of about 425,000 tons of discarded panels by 2050.

Under the bill, companies that dispose of panels in a landfill could face a civil penalty of $20 per panel. Kelly said the amount was chosen to make landfill disposal more expensive than legitimate recycling while avoiding an excessive penalty. \"We chose $20 because it's not, in my mind, excessive, but it was reasonable as to what it costs to actually recycle a panel,\" Kelly said.

Industry witnesses told the committee they support the approach. Scott Moskowitz, vice president of market strategy and industry affairs at Q Cells, described the bill as \"an extremely straightforward, administrable, and notably a market driven framework\" that would help build an end‑to‑end domestic supply chain for solar manufacturing and recycling without state fiscal cost. He said Q Cells and other manufacturers have invested heavily in Georgia manufacturing and that a recycling ecosystem would preserve the state's competitive advantage for clean‑energy industry investment.

Edward Lindsey, a partner at Dentons testifying on behalf of recycler Pedal Point, said the solar industry can recover large shares of panel materials and estimated that \"about 99% of our solar panels can be recycled,\" including glass, silicon, silver and other metals. Lindsey and other witnesses said recycling can reduce the need for new mineral extraction and prevent hazardous substances from entering landfills in states where panels containing cadmium or other materials have contaminated sites.

Committee members questioned enforcement, whether existing recyclers can handle projected volumes and the adequacy of a $20 penalty. Representative McCollum asked whether companies would comply; Kelly responded that the bill creates a penalty mechanism and that recycling costs are expected to be lower than the penalty. Representative Davis and others pressed on the risk posed by panels made with heavy metals; witnesses said many modern panels are manufactured without those materials but older or non‑domestic panels can contain hazardous elements and that recycling reduces disposal risk.

Representative Williams moved that the subcommittee give HB320 a favorable report to the full committee. The committee approved the motion and directed that the bill be placed on the subcommittee's report for full committee consideration; the hearing record does not include a roll‑call tally.

Industry testimony at the hearing named several in‑state recycling efforts and companies — including Q Cells, Solar Cycle and Pedal Point — and presenters said they expect capacity to grow as market demand increases. Supporters described the bill as forward‑looking policy intended to prevent Georgia from becoming a disposal destination as other states tighten disposal rules.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","02.19.25 Natural Resources & Environment Resource Management Subcommittee","oneSentenceSummary","House Bill 320 would require end‑of‑life panels from large utility‑scale solar facilities to be sent to certified recyclers and authorize a $20 per‑panel civil penalty for landfill disposal.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature Georgia , Georgia","taxId",77688,"location","Georgia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6322507,"Subcommittee backs bill to revise Georgia Solid Waste Act, clarify local permitting and public notice",1202,644000,1846000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2347362-0362f5ddd809aabc2a5d4df347406843&start=644&end=1846","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2347362-0362f5ddd809aabc2a5d4df347406843/thumbnail_644000.jpg","/articles/6322507/Georgia/Subcommittee-backs-bill-to-revise-Georgia-Solid-Waste-Act-clarify-local-permitting-and-public-notice","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6322507-c18efa080cb20c626c44c6916ef0840e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770580975&Signature=iHK1HddeUjuD0DQdzdSA2ODlRtSNVjl8X8Fm2h9RvVIgAv1OhKzIsMLc-9SKARE8ARezPbQ9Lm4khEPEhj0mob4bzN1PF7c-7ZEvDuFFV~7n3Lcrsi5WIj8KddAEyMl8yWkSlryyTZ1RMBpCvwuuXfqGqbRmT35FjNbDYldH1j3YvEtZ7MxboaFLF1lG6UJmYdfSgGnFy-QAr5qLTG8Ip2M70wdWAQ00cV1PDKbWOVR23jamW4srBMvH9kVYwld15flXdMHyqB7~oIaN9gX5JrBfQexXPdI2aaI6DKx~6OMFhPr9v8SlTnlMXfKLN3dfkATPU~adLmeWM5lG0FNfNg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","House Bill 351, presented to the Resource Management Subcommittee of the Natural Resources Committee, would revise the state's Solid Waste Act to remove provisions courts have found unconstitutional, harmonize conflicting sections of the law and clarify roles for local governments and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) in permitting solid-waste facilities.

Sponsor Chairman John Corbett, chairman of the Resource Management Subcommittee, told members the bill \"is intended to revise the Solid Waste Act, to do several things. 1, it removes provisions courts have determined to be unconstitutional or unenforceable.\" He said the measure also resolves inconsistencies and clarifies public participation opportunities and EPD responsibilities for reviewing local approvals.

The bill removes the statute's references to \"special solid waste,\" language tied to limits on out-of-state waste that courts have struck down. It also specifies what constitutes a \"major modification\" to an existing facility — changes that substantially alter facility design, waste types or handling methods and would likely affect the facility's ability to protect health and the environment. Examples listed in the bill include expanding landfill capacity, lateral expansions of surface impoundments and adding new handling processes such as baling, shredding or composting operations.

HB351 eliminates a now‑outdated requirement conditioning permits on meeting the state's 1996 waste‑reduction goal and clarifies when local governments must hold public meetings: a local government must hold a public meeting to determine the need for a facility only if it intends to operate that facility, and must hold an informal informational meeting before issuing written verification of consistency with zoning and the local solid‑waste management plan. The bill also sets a maximum age for a local verification at the time of application (stated in the hearing as \"36\") and gives the EPD director discretion to require re‑verification if a proposed facility changes significantly during the application process.

The draft removes several outdated references to the Department of Community Affairs (DCA), including DCA guidance and DCA determinations of a local government's good‑faith effort to adopt solid‑waste plans, shifting reporting and verification duties to the EPD or allowing local governments to post required reports online.

April Lipscomb, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center who said she has intervened in local permitting cases, told the committee she supports the bill. \"I do think this bill absolutely clarifies those provisions and will help prevent litigation in the future,\" she said, while also noting she and her clients asked EPD for additional environmental protections that the agency declined to add.

Mr. Cowan, identified in the hearing as the EPD director, described the Solid Waste Act as \"the act of 1990 with very few changes\" and said the revisions aim to help local governments, the private waste industry and EPD obtain and defend permits more predictably.

After questions from committee members about sign size and notice publication, Representative Trey Kelly moved that HB351 be given favorable consideration and the committee voted to report the bill to the full committee for further action; an exact roll call tally was not provided in the hearing record.

The bill was presented and advanced during a subcommittee meeting that combined agency staff presentations, member questions and a single outside speaker. Committee members and witnesses said the changes are largely technical and intended to reduce litigation and confusion over local verification and public‑participation requirements.","The Resource Management Subcommittee voted to report House Bill 351 out of committee after lawmakers and agency staff said the bill deletes unconstitutional language, defines \"major modifications,\" and clarifies what local governments must provide when verifying consistency for solid-waste permits.","actionData","errors"]

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Subcommittee advances bill requiring large-scale solar panels to be recycled, sets $20 per-panel penalty for landfill disposal

Subcommittee backs bill to revise Georgia Solid Waste Act, clarify local permitting and public notice