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History
- Referred to investigations and government operations
- Referred to investigations and government operations
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the public lands law, in relation to limiting the interest the state may acquire in forest land to a conservation easement
Purpose
To prohibit the state from purchasing forest land in fee title and to only allow purchases by conservation easement.
Summary of provisions
Section one - amends subdivision one of section 27 of the public lands law, as added by chapter 513 of the laws of 1989 to provide that notwithstanding any other provision of law, when such real property is forest land, as defined in subdivision five of section 9-0101 of the environmental conservation law, the state shall take no other interest in the property than a conservation easement. The conveyance of any other interest in forest land to the state shall be null and void.
Section two - contains the effective date
Justification
Since 1995 New York State has acquired over a million acres of land that has been added to the forest preserve. This has included thousands of acres of forest land being removed from active timbering which has a significant impact on the economic stability of the communities located in the Adirondack Park. Article 14 of the Constitution states that the forest preserve shall be kept forever wild and such lands shall not be leased, sold or exchanged. Conservation easements allow for much more flexibility in the use of the lands including the harvesting of timber, which North County paper mills depend upon.
According to a report from the Northeast State Foresters Association, "each 1,000 acres of forestland in New York supports 2.6 forest-based manufacturing jobs with a payroll of $83,000 and .78 forest-related recreation and tourism jobs with a payroll of $14,485. The annual contribution of forest-based manufacturing and forest-related recreation and tourism to the New York economy is over $9 billion."
In the 2009-2010 Executive Budget, there was a proposal to freeze the real property tax payments the state makes to local governments on forest preserve lands. Fortunately, the Legislature rejected this initiative which would have had a devastating effect on communities within the Adirondack and Catskill Parks. In light of this proposal and the possibility of it being considered again next year, it would be prudent to end the practice of the state acquiring forest lands for inclusion into the forest preserve and only allow for the acquisition of this type of land through conservation easements.
Legislative history
New bill
Fiscal implications
The State would save money by purchasing land using conservation easements instead of in fee title.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to conveyances occurring on or after such effective date.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.