Congress Approves Provision Aimed at Conserving America's Agricultural Lands, Improving the Environment
August 5, 2006
Rep. Thompson: “This measure is a landmark victory for preventing urban sprawl from swallowing up our nation’s remaining farming lands and open spacesâ€
Last night, the U.S. Senate gave final approval to legislation that is intended to help protect thousands of acres of agricultural lands and open space throughout California and the nation. The measure is an important tax provision that will expand deductions available to landowners who donate their land for conservation purposes. As a member of the Way and Means Committee, Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA) championed the provision, securing its approval in the House of Representatives last month. The bill now goes to the President for his signature into law.
“This measure is a landmark victory for preventing urban sprawl from swallowing up our nation's remaining farming lands and open spaces,” said Thompson. “By providing our farmers and ranchers with the opportunity to protect their land from development, we are taking a significant step toward preserving our country's agricultural heritage and improving the quality of our environment.”
The improved provision is expected to encourage more landowners to build upon currently existing deductions in a way that will help our working farmers remain in agriculture, rather than sell to developers, which translates into cleaner air and water for both humans and animals. Thompson credited Napa Valley agriculturalist Andy Beckstoffer for his leadership and hard work in helping to secure a broad coalition of grassroots support that spans farming, environmental, wildlife and local government stakeholders.
“This could do as much to preserve the Napa Valley in the long term as the agricultural preserve ordinance itself,” said Andy Beckstoffer, president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers. “We are doing a good job of preserving the hillsides; this provision will give us the chance to preserve the truly premium vineyard land as well.” Thompson also received strong support from conservation groups, such as The Land Trust of Napa County.
“This provision is a significant boost for our conservation efforts,” said John Hoffnagle, Executive Director of The Land Trust of Napa County. “It is absolutely vital that we protect our agricultural land from development, and this opportunity for landowners is a landmark achievement.”
Specifically, the provision expands the current tax law in two ways: 1) It raises the cap for such deductions to 50 percent of donor income for all individuals except ranchers and farmers who are capped at 100 percent of donor income. The current cap is 30 percent for all landowners. 2) It extends the carry-forward period for conservation easement deductions to 15 years from the currently-allowable five years.
“This measure is a landmark victory for preventing urban sprawl from swallowing up our nation's remaining farming lands and open spaces,” said Thompson. “By providing our farmers and ranchers with the opportunity to protect their land from development, we are taking a significant step toward preserving our country's agricultural heritage and improving the quality of our environment.”
The improved provision is expected to encourage more landowners to build upon currently existing deductions in a way that will help our working farmers remain in agriculture, rather than sell to developers, which translates into cleaner air and water for both humans and animals. Thompson credited Napa Valley agriculturalist Andy Beckstoffer for his leadership and hard work in helping to secure a broad coalition of grassroots support that spans farming, environmental, wildlife and local government stakeholders.
“This could do as much to preserve the Napa Valley in the long term as the agricultural preserve ordinance itself,” said Andy Beckstoffer, president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers. “We are doing a good job of preserving the hillsides; this provision will give us the chance to preserve the truly premium vineyard land as well.” Thompson also received strong support from conservation groups, such as The Land Trust of Napa County.
“This provision is a significant boost for our conservation efforts,” said John Hoffnagle, Executive Director of The Land Trust of Napa County. “It is absolutely vital that we protect our agricultural land from development, and this opportunity for landowners is a landmark achievement.”
Specifically, the provision expands the current tax law in two ways: 1) It raises the cap for such deductions to 50 percent of donor income for all individuals except ranchers and farmers who are capped at 100 percent of donor income. The current cap is 30 percent for all landowners. 2) It extends the carry-forward period for conservation easement deductions to 15 years from the currently-allowable five years.
Issues:Energy & Environment