The House voted on July 17 on H.R. 4719, “The America Gives More Act,” which contains the Conservation Easement Incentive Act.” The bill passed by a bipartisan vote of 277-130.This is the first time every member of Congress has gone on record making the easement incentive permanent.
House to Vote on Conservation Tax Incentive Next Week
Congressional House leadership has scheduled a vote on July 16 or 17 on a bill to permanently enact several charitable tax incentives, including H.R. 2807, the Conservation Easement Incentive Act. The bill will come to the House floor as part of a larger charities package.
This is a unique opportunity for the land trust community. Our provision officially has a bipartisan majority of the House with a total of 222 co-sponsors. But we can’t take anyone’s vote for granted. Benjamin Franklin once said, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” That goes double for a Congressional vote.
Whether or not your congressman or woman was a co-sponsor, please call your representative to urge him or her to support this bill when it comes up for a vote next Wednesday or Thursday, and encourage your land trust supporters and members to call as well. You can reach your representative by calling the House switchboard at 202-225-3121.
Making permanent the enhanced tax deduction for conservation easements has been a priority for the land trust community since 2006. This will be the first time we’ve been able to get a vote on this on the House floor.
HB2013 Defeated
On June 28, 2016, the House voted 123 to 77 to defeat House Bill 2013 (Ellis-R-Butler) which would have opened Pennsylvania’s State Parks to private development. A procedural motion to reconsider the vote by which the bill was defeated was filed. A new vote would be required to bring the bill up for consideration again before the House, but since the legislative body has recessed for the summer no reconsideration of the bill is imminent.
Click Here for a roll call vote to see how your House member voted.
2016-17 Budget Update
Updated 2/12/2016
- The Keystone Recreation, Parks and Conservation Fund: Increase of $8.6 million
- Agriculture Conservation and Easement Purchase Fund: Increase of $1.1 million
- Environmental Stewardship Fund: dispersing $108.4 million (including a $35 million from Oil & Gas Lease Fund and $6.1 million from Marcellus Legacy Fund; Growing Greener II debt service is $36.3 million.
- Oil and Gas Lease Fund: revenue projections at $48 million (down $12 million from 2015-16 and down $66 million from 2014-15).
- Funds from DCNR decreases from $69.7 to $63.2 to $36 million
- No 2016-2017 funds listed as available for State Parks Operations from $45 (2014) and $21.4 (2015)
- No 2016-2017 funds listed as available for State Forests Operations from $17.5 (2014) and $10.5 (2015)
- Gov. Wolf is proposing an increase in the land fill tipping fee by $1.75 per ton.
- increase is expected to generate $35 million/year
- revenue will be deposited into the Oil & Gas Lease Fund and enable transfers (as authorized by Act 13 of 2012) to Environmental Stewardship Fund and Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund
- read memo: Pennsylvania Landfill Disposal Tipping Fees
- Act 13 Impact Fee: revenue slightly down from $186.7 (2015-16) to $186.2 (2016-17).
- Heritage Areas Program: Zeroed out.
Source: Growing Greener Coalition
PALTA Urges Congress to Renew Land and Water Conservation Fund
PALTA advocated for renewal of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which was renewed in December 2015 by Congress. Below is a PALTA opinion piece regarding LWCF published by Pennsylvania media outlets earlier that month:
Senators and Representatives should not leave Washington without renewing a modest program that helps preserve our nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage.
For 50 years, the Land and Water Conservation Fund has provided crucial funding to protect and enhance national icons like the Grand Canyon and Gettysburg battlefields, as well as national wildlife refuges and community parks.
Sadly, Congress let authorization for the Fund lapse this year. As a result, America, the nation that invented national parks, may no longer have a dedicated funding source for protecting natural and historically important lands. Congress, if it fails to act, will deal a harsh blow to efforts to conserve America’s most important places, even as America adds 2-3 million to its population each year.
Monies for the Land and Water Conservation Fund come from royalties paid for extraction of offshore oil and gas. It’s commonsensical – use proceeds from the depletion of one natural (and publicly-owned) resource to invest in others.
The Fund has supported park and conservation efforts across the Commonwealth: the Flight 93 National Memorial, Valley Forge National Historic Park, Johnstown Flood National Memorial, Allegheny National Forest, Brandywine Battlefield and many other significant places.
Bills are pending in Congress to permanently reauthorize and fully fund the program. Our Senators and Representatives mustn’t fail to reach agreement on this bipartisan matter before year’s end. The Land and Water Conservation Fund has made sound conservation investments for decades. Let’s not be the generation that fails to invest in America’s heritage and future.
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