Conservation Advocate

Just another WordPress site

Donate | Updates | Contact   
You are here: Home / Alert/Update / Congress Passes Permanent Conservation Easement Tax Incentive

Congress Passes Permanent Conservation Easement Tax Incentive

Posted on December 20, 2015

IMG_4787December 20, 2015

The Pennsylvania Land Trust Association joins the Land Trust Alliance in praising Congress for voting to make permanent a tax incentive supporting land conservation.

In a strong bipartisan action, the House voted 318-109 and the Senate voted 65-33 to pass the bills that included the tax incentive.

Farmers, ranchers, the public and generations of future Americans will directly benefit from the incentive that encourages landowners to place a conservation easement on their land to protect important natural, scenic and historic resources. The Alliance led its more than 1,100 member land trusts and 5 million supporters through a collaborative, multi-year campaign to secure the incentive’s permanency.

First enacted in 2006, the incentive is directly responsible for conserving more than 2 million acres of America’s natural outdoor heritage. Lands placed into conservation easements continue to be farmed, grazed, hunted or used for outdoor recreation and wildlife conservation, and these lands remain on county tax rolls, strengthening local economies.

Congress made the incentive permanent as part of a broad, year-end deal the White House supports. Once signed into law, the incentive will be applied retroactively to start Jan. 1, 2015. An earlier version of the incentive expired Dec. 31, 2014.

“As much as this moment energizes me and all who support land conversation, I know our work is not done,” said Andrew Bowman, who will become president of the Alliance when Wentworth retires Feb. 10. “The Alliance has cultivated in Washington and beyond a nonpartisan enthusiasm for land conservation and will build on that consensus to generate essential and lasting support for conservation.”

The incentive advanced through Congress as part of the America Gives More Act, a package of tax incentives to encourage charitable giving. It passed the House earlier this year, 279-137. A standalone version of the incentive, the Conservation Easement Incentive Act, earned 52 Senate sponsors this year. The agreement announced today also encourages donations to food banks and facilitates charitable deductions from IRAs.

“As we celebrate this landmark moment in land conservation, we are immensely grateful to our many champions in Congress, notably including Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Kelly, who was an original sponsor of this legislation and tirelessly worked with us toward this pivotal day,” Rand Wentworth, LTA’s outgoing Executive Director said. “This vote represents what Rep. Kelly has long recognized: It is in all our best interests to permanently protect important natural, scenic and historic resources for public benefit.”

“This commonsense, bipartisan legislation is about supporting farmers who want to preserve our nation’s most cherished natural resources for future generations,” said Rep. Mike Kelly (PA), lead sponsor of the House bill to make the incentive permanent. “Since 2006, conservation easements have conserved hundreds of thousands of acres of America’s farmland and open space for hunting, fishing, hiking and locally-sourced food production.”

Filed Under: Alert/Update, Public Policy Tagged With: conservation easement, legislation

Land Trusts, Trail Groups, Local Governments, and Other Landowners Get New Liability Protection

October 25, 2018

On October 24, 2018, Governor Wolf signed Act 98 into law. Act 98 amends the Pennsylvania Recreation Use of Land and Water Act (RULWA) to better protect from liability those who open their properties to the public for recreation without charge. Improvements to the law include: Explicitly listing paths, paved and unpaved trails, fishing and […]

Governor Signs HB 2468

June 25, 2018

Governor Wolf quietly signed HB 2468 (and several other bills) into law on Sunday, June 24. The bill is now Act 45 of 2018. A correction to the previous PALTA communication: Act 45 should apply retroactively to McCormick Farm, so, hopefully, the Cumberland Valley School District will cease its pursuit of the farm. The district […]

HB 2468 Is on Governor’s Desk

June 25, 2018

Friday evening, after the Senate passed HB 2468 (37-12), the House voted to concur (177-15) with the Senate’s changes to the bill. The governor is expected to sign the bill. This is a thrilling victory for conservation! This landmark, bipartisan legislation provides a crucial safeguard for conservation easements from the unnecessary exercise of eminent domain […]

Issues

  • Public Investments in Conservation
  • Protection of Public Parks & Open Space
  • Conservation Incentives
  • State Budget
  • PA Constitution and the Environment
  • PA Conservation-Related Laws

Advocacy Resources

  • Find Your Legislator
  • Get Out the Vote
  • Become a Conservation Advocate
  • Legislative Outreach Tutorial
  • Rules for Nonprofits
  • Advocacy Links
About Us | Archive
ConservationAdvocate.org is administered by the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association.