State Policy Priorities
The 2025-2026 legislative session started on January 2, 2025. Under the guidance of our Policy Committee, MLTC will focus our administrative and legislative advocacy throughout the session on advancing our strategic objectives:
- To increase state investment in land conservation and in the work of land trusts, and
- To maximize the integrity and natural resource value of protected lands as well as unprotected lands of significant conservation value.
MLTC encourages you to reach out to your state legislators to ask them to support our highest priority bills for the current legislative session. Find your legislators here, and see this message template that you are welcome to use or personalize.
MLTC’s Top Priorities
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The Nature for All Bill (H.901/S.597, Rep Blais, Rep. Montaño & Sen. Feeney)
This bill would dedicate a portion of the existing state sales tax for conservation, restoration and improvement of lands and waters to benefit nature and people.See the Nature for Massachusetts fact sheet to learn more about the bill and its growing list of supporters.
Supporters are launching a campaign for this bill on Thursday, May 8, from 1:30 – 3:30 pm, in Room 428 at the Massachusetts Statehouse. The event will feature remarks from coalition members and lead sponsors Senator Feeney and Representatives Blais and Montaño. Afterwards, attendees will speak directly with legislators about the importance of this bill. Materials and training will be available for anyone who wants to participate.
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An Act increasing the conservation land tax credit (S.2083/H.3147, Sen Tarr and Rep. Jones)
This bill would expand the annual cap on the state's conservation land tax credit program, resolving a long-standing waitlist for landowners willing to permanently conserve their environmentally significant properties.For more information, see this fact sheet and WBUR coverage from Martha Bebinger on the importance of expanding the tax credit.
Our other primary efforts include the following:
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FY2026 State Operating Budget
On April 16th, The House Ways and Means committee released its version of the FY26 operating budget. Overall, the House version came out fairly close to the Governor’s budget recommendation from January, with notable exceptions being the EEA Administrative line item ($1.8M below the Governor's recommendation), and DOER and DPU both allocated around $2 million below her recommendation. The full House begins its budget deliberations on April 28 th , with the Senate to follow in late May. House and Senate versions will subsequently be reconciled in a version submitted to the Governor for approval this summer.MLTC is a member of The Green Budget Coalition, which will advocate for our budget priorities through the remainder of the process. The Coalition is advocating for a FY26 state operating budget that maintains robust investment in environmental programs.
See the FY2026 Green Budget fact sheet for more information.
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Passing a strong Environmental Bond bill that authorizes robust state investment for years to come in programs that are vital to the land conservation sector.
Once every five years or so, the legislature passes an Environmental Bond Bill, which sets capital spending caps for a wide range of state programs that are essential to land conservation and the environment. In addition, a variety of policy changes may be attached as outside sections of the Bond Bill and become law when the Bill passes. The Healey-Driscoll Administration is expected to file its version of the Bond Bill by Summer 2025. For the last several months, MLTC has been working closely with our conservation partners to advocate for the Administration’s bill to authorize investments and include policy changes that align with our priorities. We will continue this advocacy in the Legislature as it debates and amends the bill in coming months.
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MLTC will work with the Administration to advocate for robust measures to avoid, minimize and mitigate impacts on ecological and human communities in new energy-facility siting frameworks to be adopted under the 2024 omnibus climate law. We will work with partners to submit comments on draft regulations expected in coming months.
The 2024 Grid Equity Act, signed into law in November 2024, will bring major changes to how new energy facilities are permitted in Massachusetts, with the goal of accelerating the clean energy transition. As it drafts implementing regulations that must be finalized by spring 2026, The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), is holding a series of stakeholder sessions to discuss proposed changes. The law has a number of provisions intended to mitigate the impacts on communities and the environment, including creation of a financial assistance program for those who face barriers commenting on projects that are under review. These stakeholder sessions provide an opportunity to offer feedback on early drafts of proposed regulations and ask questions. Of particular note is a hybrid session on April 24th, from 5:30 - 8:30 pm, that will cover the intervenor support grant program and community benefit plans; and a hybrid session on May 5th, from 5:30 - 8:30 pm, that will address cumulative impact analysis and site suitability criteria. Written comments will be accepted for two weeks following each session.
Learn more and access the sessions here.
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MLTC will continue to monitor implementation of An Act Preserving Open Space in the Commonwealth which took effect in February 2023. We coordinated a group sign-on letter regarding draft regulations for An Act Preserving Open Space in the Commonwealth (also known as the Public Lands Protection Act) and monitoring their implementation. See our January 2025 comment letter here.
On February 28, 2025, the state announced that it reopened public comment on the draft regulations to implement the law, specifically requesting additional comment on public notice requirements and methods for evaluating the natural resource value of lands impacted under this law.
- Continuing to monitor and advocate for resolution of the long-standing backlog in Conservation Restrictions under review by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA).
- Representing land trusts on EEA-convened working groups, including those related to the Resilient Lands Coalition. We will also advocate for effective implementation of the Farmland Action Plan, Healthy Soils Action Plan and strategic actions to set and achieve statewide Biodiversity Goals.
We will also work with partners to support:
- Bills H.1005/S.549 An Act investing in natural and working lands, to promote acquisition and management of natural and working lands to reduce impacts from climate change.
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Bills H.1964/S.1239, An Act relative to uniform partition of heirs property, to increase protection for legal heirs of property owners who die without a will in place. A hearing on this bill was scheduled for April 22, 2025 before the Joint Committee on the Judiciary.
See the fact sheet on the uniform partition of heirs property for more information.
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Bill S.557, An Act accelerating wetlands restoration projects, to facilitate expanded wetlands restoration. Mass Audubon has launched a new campaign to Accelerate Wetland Restoration across Massachusetts. Healthy wetlands provide many important benefits including clean water, wildlife habitat, and climate resiliency. But our coastal and inland wetlands are degraded by thousands of obsolete dams and historic fill, ditches, and undersized culverts.
Learn more about the bill here.
- Bill S.579, An Act to reimburse the George L. Darey Inland Fisheries and Game Fund, to consistently reimburse MassWildlife for revenue lost from providing free hunting and fishing licenses.
- Bills S.61 and H.121 An Act relative to Urban Farmland, to support conversion of vacant lots and underutilized land in environmental justice communities into urban farms, community gardens, and other agricultural enterprises.
- Bills S.11 and H.71 (Proposal for a legislative amendment to the constitution relative to agricultural and horticultural lands) to authorize lower tax rates for agricultural land regardless of the size of the agricultural parcel.
See our comment letter in support of the bills here.
We will also advocate on select high-priority federal policy matters, with guidance from the Land Trust Alliance and other partners. In this period of on-going uncertainty, MLTC has posted some resources on our website for federal grantees and others seeking to protect themselves. As things continue to evolve, we'll do our best to share relevant updates on that page.