Jones Leads Bipartisan Effort To Protect Open Space

A release from House Minority Leader Brad Jones:

BOSTON – House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading) led a successful, bipartisan effort to preserve more open space in Massachusetts this week, securing House approval for raising the Conservation Land Tax Credit’s annual cap from $2 million to $5 million.

Offered as an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2020 state budget, Representative Jones’ proposal would increase the tax credit to $3 million on January 1, 2020, with additional $1 million increases planned in both 2021 and 2022. The $5 million cap would remain in effect until December 31, 2029, after which it would revert back to $2 million, barring any further legislative action to extend it.

A total of 63 House members – including Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee Chairman Smitty Pignatelli (D-Lee) – joined Representative Jones in co-sponsoring the amendment, which was unanimously approved on a vote of 151-0 on Thursday.

Representative Jones said the expanded tax credit is needed to help clear the existing backlog of applicants seeking assistance. A total of 32 projects protecting 983 acres of land have already been approved for the $2 million in tax credits available under the program in 2019. Because of the cap restrictions, there is currently a waiting list of nearly $4.7 million in requested projects that would protect an additional 2,184 acres of land.

“Over the last eight years, the Commonwealth has been able to protect thousands of acres of land using the tax credit, and will be able to reap even more environmental benefits once the cap is raised,” said Representative Jones.

Created by the Legislature during the 2007-2008 legislative session, the Conservation Land Tax Credit was first implemented in 2011 to provide an incentive for individuals to donate land in Massachusetts to a public or private conservation agency. The program offers a refundable state tax credit equal to 50 percent of the fair market value of the donated property, with a maximum credit of $75,000 for each qualified donation.

To qualify for the tax credit, the land being donated must have significant conservation value. As of March 26, the program has provided nearly $14.7 million in tax credits for 290 completed projects, resulting in the permanent protection of 12,056 acres of conservation land, including forest land, farm land, land used for wildlife protection, and projects essential to water quality protection.

For every $1 in tax credits paid out, the state has leveraged $4.28 of private land donated value. The total appraised value of protected land donated since the program’s inception is now over $62.7 million.

The House passed similar language to raise the cap during three of the last four budget cycles, first in Fiscal Year 2016 and again in Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019. The proposal still requires Senate approval and Governor Charlie Baker’s signature before it can go into effect.

“This is the fourth time the House has gone on record in support of increasing the cap, and I am hopeful the Senate will follow suit so we can expand the program and move quickly to address the current backlog of applicants seeking funding,” said Representative Jones.