Congress Approves Major Conservation Legislation

Dec. 18, 2015 – Today, legislation that supports a permanent federal tax incentive for land conservation passed both houses of Congress in a rare display of bipartisanship. The Appropriations Bill (H.R. 2029) next will go to President Obama’s desk, where he is expected to sign it into law.

Locally, residents and visitors to Dutchess County 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. Dutchess Land Conservancy was among the 1,100 land trusts to support the incentive through a collaborative, multi-year campaign, and is a member of the Land Trust Alliance, the national land conservation organization that led the campaign for permanence.

“The importance of this vote – and this incentive – cannot be overstated,” said Rand Wentworth, the Alliance’s president. “This is the single greatest legislative action in decades to support land conservation. It states, unequivocally, that we as a nation treasure our lands and must conserve their many benefits for all future generations.”

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.

First enacted as a temporary provision in 2006, the incentive is directly responsible for conserving more than 2 million acres of America’s natural outdoor heritage. The incentive grants certain tax benefits to landowners who sign a conservation easement. Such private, voluntary agreements with local land trusts permanently limit uses of the land in order to protect its conservation values. Lands placed into conservation easements can continue to be farmed, hunted, or used for other specified purposes. The lands also remain on county tax rolls, strengthening local economies.

Once signed into law, the incentive will be applied retroactively to Jan. 1, 2015. An earlier version of the incentive expired Dec. 31, 2014.

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, including 26 Democrats, 24 Republicans and 2 Independents. The agreement announced this week additionally encourages donations to food banks and facilitates charitable deductions from IRAs.

Dutchess Land Conservancy thanks Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand for their yes votes and continued support of this important legislation.