Momentum Grows for Land Acquisitions Funding at Both the State and Federal Levels article for the May 1999 edition of The Maine Farmer, publication of the Maine Farm Bureau by U.S. Representative Tom Allen

As Maine enters the new millennium, we have an extraordinary opportunity to preserve its natural beauty for generations to come. In recent years, nearly 15 percent of the land in Maine has been put up for sale. This Spring, the State of Maine agreed to purchase more than 3,000 acres of valuable shorefront land from Plum Creek, Inc. The New England Forestry Foundation also recently secured an option to purchase a $30 million conservation easement on more than 750,000 acres of northern forest land owned by Pingree family- the largest private protection of its kind in the nation.

Despite these recent purchases, only 5 percent of the land in Maine is publicly owned- the lowest percentage in New England -and state legislators have offered ways to fund future acquisitions. State Senate Majority Leader Chellie Pingree has proposed a $50 million bond issue to replenish the Land for Maine's Future (LMF) program, and Maine House Speaker Steve Rowe has introduced legislation to dedicate 45 percent of the state's real estate transfer tax, an estimated $5 million annually, to the LMF fund. Public support for these efforts is growing. Recently, Strategic Marketing Services found 73 percent of those polled favoring a $75 million state bond initiative for land acquisition.

Support for land conservation funding is growing at the federal level as well. The Clinton-Gore Administration has proposed more than $1 billion for federal and state side land acquisition in the fiscal year 2000 budget. This Lands Legacy Initiative would almost fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) at its $900 million authorization.

In addition to FY 2000 appropriations, Congress is now considering several bills that would ensure permanent funding for land conservation, environmental protection and wildlife preservation. These proposals use Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) royalties, collected by the federal government on oil and natural gas revenues, to fund both federal and state conservation programs.

I am a cosponsor of H.R. 701, the Conservation and Reinvestment Act. Introduced by Representatives Don Young (R-AK) and John Dingell (D-MI), it would dedicate 27 percent of OCS revenues to coastal impact assistance, helping coastal states mitigate the environmental impacts of coastal operations such as offshore drilling. Twenty-three percent of OCS revenues would fund the LWCF, providing almost $400 million each for the federal and state side LWCF. Finally, 10 percent of OCS receipts would fund state wildlife preservation programs. In total, H.R. 701 would be expected to dedicate more than $2 billion a year to conservation and wildlife programs.

I am also a cosponsor of H.R. 798, Representative George Miller's (D-CA) Resources 2000 bill. H.R. 798 also dedicates OCS receipts to conservation and wildlife programs, but is more comprehensive than H.R. 701. It provides the maximum $450 million each for the state-side and federal LWCF, includes competitive state-side funding so that smaller states can compete for large land purchases, and funds endangered species and historic preservation programs that are not included in H.R. 701. Unlike H.R. 701, its funding allocation formulas do not favor states that engage in offshore oil drilling, which allows a more equitable division of OCS funds.

Enacting either of these bills would represent a significant improvement over current conservation efforts. Last year, Congress dedicated only $218 million of OCS receipts to the federal LWCF. There has been no state-side funding for several years. Maine could receive approximately $20 million a year for conservation efforts if either of these bills becomes law.

While I prefer many of the provisions of the Resources 2000 bill, it does not have the bipartisan support of the Conservation and Reinvestment Act. Given the current leadership of the House, any final bill will almost inevitably be a modified version of H.R. 701. By supporting both bills, I hope that I can help to ensure that the best provisions of Resources 2000 and the Conservation and Reinvestment Act are included in any final bill.

The recent increase in environmentally valuable land for sale presents Maine with both an opportunity and a challenge. I hope that, by finding ways to increase federal and state funding, we will seize this chance to preserve Maine's natural beauty for future generations.