| january_2015_representative_letter.doc |
January 8, 2015
Dear representative,
I am writing to urge you to vote against HB1488 and HB1572, and instead support private and local land trusts. These bills would greatly change how conservation easements – the legal agreements between land trusts and landowners – are crafted and enforced in Virginia.
These bills would also restrict local, private land trusts’ ability to hold and defend conservation easements. Instead, they would try to transfer power to state agencies, create bigger government, and insert government agencies into private conservation agreements, and reduce landowner choice when it comes to protecting land.
I also urge you to keep the Land Preservation Tax Credit intact. This tax credit has helped many families in my area stay on their farm, providing the commonwealth with Virginia meats, dairy, and vegetables while protecting the beautiful mountain scenery we all love and cherish.
Thanks to the Virginia Land Preservation Credit, our Commonwealth is number one in the southeast and fifth in the nation in number of acres of land conserved. Virginia’s land conservation program works, and doesn’t need meddlesome changes that would render a nationally-acclaimed program ineffective.
Sincerely,
Dear representative,
I am writing to urge you to vote against HB1488 and HB1572, and instead support private and local land trusts. These bills would greatly change how conservation easements – the legal agreements between land trusts and landowners – are crafted and enforced in Virginia.
These bills would also restrict local, private land trusts’ ability to hold and defend conservation easements. Instead, they would try to transfer power to state agencies, create bigger government, and insert government agencies into private conservation agreements, and reduce landowner choice when it comes to protecting land.
I also urge you to keep the Land Preservation Tax Credit intact. This tax credit has helped many families in my area stay on their farm, providing the commonwealth with Virginia meats, dairy, and vegetables while protecting the beautiful mountain scenery we all love and cherish.
Thanks to the Virginia Land Preservation Credit, our Commonwealth is number one in the southeast and fifth in the nation in number of acres of land conserved. Virginia’s land conservation program works, and doesn’t need meddlesome changes that would render a nationally-acclaimed program ineffective.
Sincerely,
