SB209 - Revise term length of conservation easements

[BourbonSnowCone]

The party of private property rights at it again. Bill would make it illegal for CEs to be longer than 40 years. Really enjoyed Randy’s podcast with RMEF and MT Land Reliance and this bill would largely halt their good work. Start calling legislators. Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee. Members below:

 

[ismith]

Nope, conservation easements should be permanent and irrevocable.

 

[Straight Arrow]

The party of private property rights at it again. Bill would make it illegal for CEs to be longer than 40 years. Really enjoyed Randy’s podcast with RMEF and MT Land Reliance and this bill would largely halt their good work. Start calling legislators.

Yep, let's strongly oppose this bill.
More info please. Bill status? Committee assignment?
I know that info is available for me to find, but when initiating an alert, it's nice to have it up front.

 

[BourbonSnowCone]

Yep, let's strongly oppose this bill.
More info please. Bill status? Committee assignment?
I know that info is available for me to find, but when initiating an alert, it's nice to have it up front.

Edited. Doesn’t appear to be scheduled for a committee hearing yet.

 

[nrpate05]

private property advocates telling people what they can and can't do with their private land. How do they get away with it?! If anyone with a D next to their name tried this they'd be branded as communists.

 

[Forkyfinder]

Wow.

When you sell something - its perpetual. When you subdivide something - its perpetual. When you grant the power company an easement - its perpetual. When a group of senators have a dumb idea to shit on their constituents - its perpetual.

 

[ismith]

private property advocates telling people what they can and can't do with their private land. How do they get away with it?! If anyone with a D next to their name tried this they'd be branded as communists.

Grifters aren’t unique to one party or the other. The political class in general are snakes and should be treated with skepticism and contempt.

 

[Beignet]

Land transfer, ending FWP easements, and ending perpetual easements are published planks in the party platform. Can’t be surprised when they try to act on what they said they’d do. Maybe time to let them know that these planks ought to be replaced?


Source is Pg. 13 of the current MTGOP platform.

 

[The_Yuki_Yama]

Wow.

When you sell something - its perpetual. When you subdivide something - its perpetual. When you grant the power company an easement - its perpetual. When a group of senators have a dumb idea to shit on their constituents - its perpetual.

I deal with right of ways / easements almost daily at work that are not in perpetuity. I disagree with this policy, but just noting that this argument may not be the best way to oppose it.

 

[Forkyfinder]

I deal with right of ways / easements almost daily at work that are not in perpetuity. I disagree with this policy, but just noting that this argument may not be the best way to oppose it.

Right. And not all CEs are perpetual...

 

[The_Yuki_Yama]

Land transfer, ending FWP easements, and ending perpetual easements are published planks in the party platform. Can’t be surprised when they try to act on what they said they’d do. Maybe time to let them know that these planks ought to be replaced?

View attachment 358556
Source is Pg. 13 of the current MTGOP platform.

I generally lean conservative, as do many of my friends/family, including many of both in Montana. I don't know any of them that agree with the GOP on this.

 

[The_Yuki_Yama]

Right. And not all CEs are perpetual...

Okay maybe I don't understand the point you were trying to make. You said, "When you grant the power company an easement - its perpetual." But I work for an energy company and our easements are not all perpetual.

 

[ismith]

Land transfer, ending FWP easements, and ending perpetual easements are published planks in the party platform. Can’t be surprised when they try to act on what they said they’d do. Maybe time to let them know that these planks ought to be replaced?

View attachment 358556
Source is Pg. 13 of the current MTGOP platform.

Let’s end landowner preference tags then, as that is an obvious subsidy.

 

[Beignet]

I generally lean conservative, as do many of my friends/family, including many of both in Montana. I don't know any of them that agree with the GOP on this.

I don’t think a majority of folks who lean conservative and hunt & fish agree with them on it either.

I’d love for those people to tell the state party to stick a fork in it. Our current level of political entrenchment makes elected leaders less accountable for bad policy.

 

[Big Fin]

Wyoming's Legislature is trying to do the same. This is a concerted effort by many of the dark money groups to pass "model laws against perpetuity" in each state. They have paid lobbyists and made the maximum donation amounts to try accomplish this in places where a small investment will pay big dividends.

Here's one today in the RMEF newsletter - https://www.rmef.org/elk-network/swath-of-southwest-wyoming-habitat-conserved/

Thanks to a family that cherishes the high wildlife values of their land, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation protected 6,987 acres of habitat in southwest Wyoming.

The Michael B and Maurene Samuelson Smith family and RMEF instituted a voluntary conservation agreement for this beautiful property located about 10 miles south of the small community of Mountain View.

“This action is yet another example of Mike and Maurene’s conservation ethic and legacy as it protects diverse, yearlong elk habitat that also benefits mule deer, pronghorn antelope, grouse and other species,” said RMEF Managing Director of Mission Operations Jenn Doherty.

The Smiths are life members who joined RMEF in 2008. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) named the Smith family its 2009 landowner of the year for demonstrating outstanding practices in wildlife management, habitat improvement, conservation and wise stewardship of natural resources.

The Thunderbolt Voluntary Conservation Agreement covers acreage adjacent to public land managed by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, thus securing a vast undeveloped landscape for wildlife. Much of the property is open for public access via enrollment in WGFD’s Walk-In Access Program for Elk Hunt Area 107.

The accessible property features upper-elevation aspen and conifer forests, sagebrush steppe benches, grasslands and riparian habitat due to several perennial creeks that cross it.

Here we have a willing landowner, a landowner who has been recognized by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, voluntarily exercising their property rights in a way that benefits wildlife, hunters, and the long-term plans they have for their land. It is incomprehensible to me as to why we would want to reduce, eliminate, or in any way infringe on that property right.

 

[Beignet]

It is incomprehensible to me as to why we would want to reduce, eliminate, or in any way infringe on that property right.

This is puzzling to me as well. What’s the motivation behind restricting these easements? Future ability to develop?

 

[ismith]

This is puzzling to me as well. What’s the motivation behind restricting these easements? Future ability to develop?

Probably $$$

 

[RandanP]

This is puzzling to me as well. What’s the motivation behind restricting these easements? Future ability to develop?

Conspiracy theories about agenda 21, 30x30, new world order, etc.

 

[Beignet]

Okay maybe I don't understand the point you were trying to make. You said, "When you grant the power company an easement - it’s perpetual." But I work for an energy company and our easements are not all perpetual.

I’m not him but believe he was speaking more generally. There is flexibility on the duration of utility easements here, depending on how the contract was written. There isn’t a restriction against making a utility easement perpetual as the legislature is proposing for other types of easements (conservation).

 

[Forkyfinder]

I’m not him but believe he was speaking more generally. There is flexibility on the duration of utility easements here, depending on how the contract was written. There isn’t a restriction against making a utility easement perpetual as the legislature is proposing for other types of easements (conservation).

Exactly.