Public Policy

The Peconic Land Trust is committed to keeping landowners, donors and our government partners up to date on the latest issues concerning land conservation legislation. Please check back often for updates.

For links to contact your Government officials, click here. 

Latest News

2010 Priorities & 2009 Updates

In 2010, the Peconic Land Trust will continue to work with local, state and federal representatives on land protection issues for our communities, including:

• Lobbying with other New York State land trusts in Albany for state-wide initiatives including:  protecting the funding for the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and the Conservation Partnership Program (which provides grants for land trusts and community conservation organizations), and passing a corrections bill to fix an error in the drafting of the Conservation Easement Tax Credit;
  • ACTION Alert: In January 2010, the Governor's budget proposal called for a 33% cut in the EPF, which includes the elimination of the EPF funding for the state's Open Space acquisitions and a more than 50% reduction in funding for Farmland Protection. These cuts are a direct threat to the vital work that local and regional land trusts do in communities across New York State. If approved by the legislature, these cuts would fundamentally alter New York's only environmental trust fund. We urge you to reach out to your local legislators to voice your dissent and urge the restoration of the fund to its 2009 level of $222 million; including the restoration of the $60 million of Open Space land acquisitions and $23 milion for the framland protection program. Now is the time to act! Over the next few weeks negotiations will be taking place. Let your representatives know how important the EPF is to you. 
  • Update June 1, 2010: A recent compromise was reached on the EPF before the Memorial Day weekend, which staved off proposed "off-loads," including a new one that would have used EPF funding to re-open closed parks. However, the fund will only receive $134 million in the 2010/11 budget, versus the $220 that was requested. A 37% cut from the previous year's funding level. There is also no provision for restoring the nearly $500 million that has been swept. As further negotiations over the budget take place, the Friends of New York's Environment will urge the Legislature to revisit the EPF and create a repayment plan for the swept funds. While such a replayment plan would take effect in the out years, it is necessary for the State to address the large backlog of conservation and restoration projects that have been delayed due to the initial sweeps.
    • The Friends of NY's Environment sends a special thank you to the following Legislators for their leadership and strong support for New York Environmental programs:  Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee Chair Robert Sweeney (Lindenhurst), Senate Environmental Conservation Committee Chair Antoine Thompson (Buffalo), Assembly Tourism Committee Chair Steve Englebright (East Setauket), and Sentate Tourism Committee Chair Jose Serrano (East Harlem).
      
  • • Click here for a sample letter, which you can personalize and send to your local Assembly or State Senate representative. 
    • Links to contact the Governors office and local legislators can be found here. 
    • The Peconic Land Trust has joined a broad industry coalition to support a multi-media campaign to urge the NY State Legislature to restore funding to the EPF: We Love New York. 
      
  • The Peconic Land Trust has signed onto a letter from The Friends of New York's Environment, a coaltion of land conservation and environmental groups from across the state. For a copy of the letter, please contact Julie Zaykowski at 631.283.3195 or email to jzaykowski@peconiclandtrust.org. The Peconic Land Trust participated in the Land Trust Alliance Lobby Day in Albany on March 8, 2010. 
    

• Lobbying in Washington with land trusts nationwide to extend the enhanced conservation easement tax deduction and push for federal Estate Tax deferral legislation for land of conservation value--a program the Peconic Land Trust has been working on for years with our local Congressman, and legislation champion, Tim Bishop. And, support of the Conservation Easement Incentive Act, which would make permanent tax deductions for conservation easement donations. 

2009 Updates

While the economic environment remains in flux, the Trust is continuing its work with our federal legislators, land trusts across the country, and partner organizations to make permanent the enhanced conservation easement tax deduction, as well as working with Congressman Bishop on legislation that would defer federal Estate Taxes for property of conservation value. 

• Update on the Estate Tax: Congressman Bishop introduced legislation in early March 2009, Farmland Preservation and Land Conservation Act of 2009 (HR 1328), which seeks to exclude land of conservation value from estate tax consideration. Click here for a PDF of the legislation.  There are currently 3 co-sponsors for the legislation: Representatives Maurice Hinchy (NY), Carolyn Maloney (NY) and Jim Gerlach (PA) (as of August 26, 2009). The Trust has prepared two explantory documents: a white paper on the impact of Federal Estate Tax policy on farmland and natural lands and the Trust's recommendations for policy revision; and a white paper on the key points of HR 1328. As of January 2010, the federal Estate Tax has lapsed. Expectation is that 2009 levels will be restored for 2010. Future plans are still on hold.
  • In December, Trust President John v.H. Halsey wrote a letter to the editor of the New York Times in response to a recent Op-Ed (and subsequent letters) regarding the Estate Tax and Farmers. To read the letter, click here. 
• Update on the Conservation Easement extension: In late March 2009, Representatives Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Eric Cantor (R-VA), along with 93 original co-sponsors -- including New York Representatives Tim Bishop, Elliot Engel, Maurice Hinchey, Brian Higgens, Steve Israel, Peter King, Nita Lowey, Carolyn Maloney,and Anthony Weiner -- introduced the Conservation Easement Incentive Act (HR 1831), which would make permanent the enhanced tax deduction for conservation easement donations that are scheduled to sunset at the end of 2009. The House bill has a 257 co-sponsors (as of November 10, 2009), including Congressman Charles Rangel, Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. Additionally, a comapanion Senate Bill has been introduced by Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), Rural Heritage Conservation Extension Act of 2009 (S.812). To date, the Senate bill has 35 co-sponsor (as of November 10, 2009), including both New York Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.
  • At the end of 2009, no permanent conservation easement tax credit has been realized. However, the House has passed the Tax Extenders Act of 2009, HR 4213, which extends for one year 49 tax incentives that were expected to expire by the end of the year, including this one. A Senate version of the bill is not expected before the end of the year. 

On the State level, during the first quarter of 2009, the Trust actively engaged in:

• Protecting funding for the EPF--which was under threat of significant cuts from both FY2008-09 Deficit Reduction Bill and the FY2009-10 Executive Budget Proposal -- with a focus on protecting the Conservation Partnership Program (CPP) -- as well as again lobbying for the corrections bill for the Conservation Easement Tax Credit;
  • Update from the 2009/2010 State Budget: Most of the funding for the EPF was restored in the recent NYS Budget, including the $1.575 million for the CPP program. Also maintained the Real Estate Transfer Tax as the funding stream for the EPF. The corrections bill, however, still has not been addressed.
    
    • As of the end of the year 2009, the EPF has averted a major reduction when the Assembly and Senate voted to reduce the fund by only $10 million, versus the $30 million that was outlined in an earlier proposal from the Governor's office. The Trust also signed on to a letter from Friends of New York's Environment in December to the Governor regarding EPF appropriations for the 2010/2011 budget. To read the letter, click here.
• Supporting the Bigger Better Bottle Bill legislation. 
  • Update from the 2009 State Budget: On the Bigger Better Bottle Bill front, nickel deposits have been extended to water bottles. However, while the State will now receive some revenues from the unclaimed nickels, that funding will go instead to the State's General Fund. 
    • In the spring 2009, challenges were brought against the bill by the International Bottled Water Association and two bottlers. The injunction was lifted in mid-August with the Judge ruling that the bottled water industry must comply with the expanded bottle bill by October 22. Stay tuned. (updated August 26, 2009)

If you would like to learn more about these, or other public policy issues affecting land conservation in our communities, please contact Julie Zaykowski at 631.283.3195 or email to jzaykowski@peconiclandtrust.org. Additionally, the Land Trust Alliance's website provides additional information on public policy issues impacting land conservation. 

Join our eNewsletter list for periodic updates on our Public Policy activities. 

Interested in reaching out? Here are links for Government Officials:

Suffolk County Legislature: www.co.suffolk.ny.us/

Nassau County Legislture: www.nassaucountyny.gov

New York State Governor's Office: www.ny.gov/governor/contact/index.html

New York State Senate: www.senate.state.ny.us/

New York State Assembly: www.assembly.state.ny.us/

U.S. Senate: www.senate.gov/

U.S. House of Representatives: www.house.gov/