Policy Priorities

Under the guidance of our Policy Committee, MLTC focusses its administrative and legislative advocacy on increasing state investment in land conservation and the work of land trusts, and maximizing the integrity and natural resource value of protected lands and unprotected lands of significant conservation value.

Legislative Priorities 

The 2025-2026 legislative session started on January 2, 2025. MLTC’s top priorities for the session are:

• The Nature for All Bill (H.901/S.2571, 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 website to learn more about this proposal and its growing list of supporters. The Joint Committee on the Environment held a hearing on the bill on July 1, 2025. Many of our Nature for Massachusetts Coalition partners testified in favor of the bill. MLTC submitted written testimony and signed on to the Coalition’s joint written testimony as well. The Committee has extended the reporting deadline on the House version of the bill to December 31, 2025. 

  While legislative action on the bill is pending, some members of the Coalition have mounted a parallel effort to place the matter before voters in November 2026 via initiative petition. On December 1, supporters submitted well over the required minimum of 75,000 certified signatures to the Secretary of State’s office. Next the language of the ballot petition, will be filed with the Legislature, giving them a chance to pass it into law. If they fail to do so by the end of June, proponents must submit 12,429 additional certified signatures by July 1, 2026, to place the proposed law on the November 2026 ballot. To add your organization's name to the ballot coalition, fill out this form. See this page to learn about ways to volunteer to help during the campaign. While not legal advice, this article offers a helpful primer on how your organization can advocate for issues like this while protecting your organization's non-profit status.

• Environmental Bond Bill (S.2542)
  On June 24, Governor Healey filed her long-awaited environmental bond bill as S.2542, An Act to build resilience for Massachusetts communities (also known as the Mass Ready Act). Every five years or so, the legislature passes an environmental bond bill to authorize future capital spending for a wide range of state programs essential to land conservation and other environmental programs. A variety of policy changes are attached to bond bills as ‘outside sections’ and become law when the bill passes. MLTC testified at a July 15th hearing on the bill, and subsequent written testimony was submitted by MLTC and also by a large Coalition of which MLTC is a part. On December 1, the bill was reported favorably – without amendments -- by the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. The bill is now in is now before the Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures, and State Assets. Next it is expected to go before the Senate Ways and Means Committee, and then to the Senate floor, where debate is expected early in 2026. As the bill works its way through the Senate, MLTC will work closely with our partners on potential amendments to strengthen it.
   
• 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. The Joint Committee on Revenue held a hearing on the bill on July 15, 2025. Mark Wamsley testified on behalf of Kestrel Land Trust and MLTC’s Policy Committee, alongside Zach Sheldon from TNC and landowner Edith Wislocki, who spoke about her experience donating a CR to Rehoboth Land Trust. See MLTC's written testimony here. As of December 8, 2025, action on both versions of the bill is pending. 
   
• FY2026 State Operating Budget
  On July 4, Governor Healey approved a $60.9 billion operating budget for the fiscal year that began July 1, 2025. The final budget reflects $130 million in vetoes from the version the Legislature sent her on June 30. Reflecting growing concern about looming federal budget cuts, the final budget is more than $1 billion lower than the version the Governor herself filed in January. As a further indication of concerns over fiscal uncertainty, the Governor said she would extend a recently imposed hiring freeze, postpone a 2% raise for executive branch managers, and delay some earmark spending with the option to cancel it entirely if conditions worsen. Environmental programs were among those adversely impacted by the conservative mood. The Department of Ecological Restoration, EEA Admin and the Department of Public Utilities Admin each saw cuts ranging from 8.6 - 9.9% compared to last year’s funding levels, while the Office of Environmental Justice and Equity was cut by over $2.5 million – nearly 29% of its budget. On the positive side, DCR State Parks and DFG Admin each saw increases of just over 2% compared to last year. In conjunction with signing the budget, the Governor also filed a supplemental budget bill that asks the legislature to grant her special authority to further cut state spending midway through FY26 if revenue collections fall at least $400 million below projections or federal funding cuts exceed $400 million. MLTC is a member of The Green Budget Coalition, which will soon begin advocating for robust funding of line items of importance to the conservation community in the FY27 State Operating Budget.

Other Bills MLTC Supports

• An Act investing in natural and working lands (H.1005/S.549 Rep. Meschino & Sen. Comerford) to promote acquisition and management of natural and working lands to reduce impacts from climate change. Read more about the bill here. A hearing before the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources was held on October 7, 2025. See testimony submitted by The Nature Conservancy here.
   
• An Act relative to uniform partition of heirs property (H.1964/S.1239,, Sen. Lovely)  to increase protection for legal heirs of property owners who die without a will in place. This bill was heard on April 22, 2025 before the Joint Committee on the Judiciary. See a letter of testimony submitted by MLTC here. The bill was reported favorably by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary on December 3, and is now pending before the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
   
• An Act accelerating wetlands restoration projects (H.1052/S. 557, Rep. Shand and Rep. Kassner; Sen. Crighton) to facilitate expanded wetlands restoration. This bill is the centerpiece of a Mass Audubon to Accelerate Wetland Restoration across Massachusetts. Learn more about the bill here. The bill was reported favorably by the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources on November 24, and is now pending before the Senate Ways and Means Committee. The House has extended its reporting deadline to December 31. See a joint letter of testimony that MLTC supported here. While Committee action on the bill is pending, aspects of this bill were included as an outside section in the Environmental Bond Bill (S.2542, aka “The Mass Ready Act”) filed by the Governor and now under review by the Environmental and Natural Resources Committee.
   
• An Act to reimburse the George L. Darey Inland Fisheries and Game Fund (S.579, H.1066), Sen. Durant, Rep. Vieira) to consistently reimburse MassWildlife for revenue lost from providing free hunting and fishing licenses. A hearing before the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources was held on July 1, 2025.
   
• An Act relative to Urban Farmland, (S.61/H.121, Sen. Gómez, Rep. Duffy) to support conversion of vacant lots and underutilized land in environmental justice communities into urban farms, community gardens, and other agricultural enterprises. A hearing before the Joint Committee on Agriculture was held on September 16th. See written testimony submitted by MLTC here.
   
• Proposal for a legislative amendment to the constitution relative to agricultural and horticultural lands (S.11/H.71, Sen. Comerford, Rep. Blais) to authorize lower tax rates for agricultural land regardless of the size of the agricultural parcel. A hearing on this bill was held before the Joint Committee on Revenue on March 25, 2025. See our written testimony in support here. The Senate bill was reported out favorably on May 1 2025, but on the same day, the House bill received an “ought not to pass” decision. Supporters are currently exploring next steps.
   
• An Act to reform payments in lieu of taxes for state-owned land (S.1939/H.3032, Sen. Comerford, Rep. Blais) to improve equity in the distribution of state payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) to municipalities that host state land and facilities. The bill would revise payment formulas to provide additional reimbursement for the value of ecosystem services provided by state-owned land, such as drinking water protection, habitat for endangered or threatened species, outdoor recreation, carbon sequestration, and landscape connectivity. The bill was reported favorably by the Senate Committee on Revenue on November 20, and is now pending before the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. Action by the House Committee on Revenue is pending.

MLTC's Priorities for Administrative Advocacy

Conservation Restriction Backlog

We continue to advocate for resolution of the long-standing backlog in Conservation Restrictions (CRs) under review by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA). On November 18, EEA’s Division of Conservation Services (DCS) reported that their review team is making progress on reviewing CRs more efficiently, with continued assistance from three auxiliary reviewers. Certain CRs that have been determined to be “on hold” and not proceeding at this time for reasons outside of DCS control have been removed from the list of active CRs the DCS is tracking. Any on-hold CR will re-enter the system immediately upon request of the original proponent. As of November 17th, 2025, DCS was tracking a total of 202 active CRs, including 78 under review by EEA and 124 where EEA is waiting for documents, information or signatures of the parties. The DCS team, with assistance from EEA’s IT team, has developed a proprietary CR Tracking System, which will allow submission of CRs and document uploads, incorporate electronic messaging, and provide live status updates. This system will enable DCS to retain all information related to a specific CR in one place. Representatives from several land trusts are currently helping test the system, which DCS hopes to launch in January 2026. Training sessions will be announced, and live assistance office hours will be made available.

Updating the Model Conservation Restriction 

At the invitation of DCS, MLTC has nominated a group of experienced land trust and legal practitioners to assist EEA with updating the state’s model Conservation Restriction. DCS hopes to launch this process in January 2026, and to complete it in approximately one year. 

Open Space Act (“PLPA”) Implementation 

MLTC continues to advocate for effective implementation of An Act Preserving Open Space in the Commonwealth (the "Open Space Act", formerly known as PLPA), which took effect in February 2023. Under the law implementing regulations were supposed to be promulgated by August 2024, but as of December 8, 2025, they have yet to be issued, despite EEA having wrapped up three rounds of public comment on draft regulations in spring 2025. MLTC coordinated a group comment letter in January 2025, which can be viewed here. See our second comment letter from March 2025 here. The state’s Open Space Act webpage provides a variety of important resources on the Open Space Act, including a Tracker with information submitted about proposed Article 97 actions, and list of Article 97 change-of-use petitions that passed in the 2023-2024 legislative session. 

Regulatory Changes for Energy Facilities Siting

MLTC is working with partners 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 Climate Act, which aims to accelerate the development of clean energy facilities. State agencies are working fast to meet the law’s spring 2026 deadline to finalize a complex set of implementing regulations. Comments on a series of guidance documents and draft regulations were collected in the fall of 2025, and additional hearings and comment windows continue. The array of proposed changes is significant and multi-faceted, and includes new provisions for assessing site suitability, providing community benefits, and providing grants to help under-resourced community groups get involved during the permitting process. See this page for a complete overview, including a schedule of in-person and hybrid information sessions and public hearings. Among MLTC’s partners, detailed and thoughtful comments have been submitted by Mass Audubon, The Nature Conservancy and the Environmental League of Massachusetts.

Meanwhile, on September 12, 2025, updated draft emergency regulations took effect for the SMART 3.0 program, which governs state incentives available for the development of certain solar energy facilities. The regulations include a new approach to scoring parcels hosting eligible ground-mount projects, using environmental/land use/electric grid criteria and a system for mitigation fees. A series of guidelines and materials released on a rolling basis since September provide details on program implementation. Learn more. 

Fairness in PILOT Payments

On August 13th, Governor Healey issued an Executive Order establishing a Commission on PILOT for State-Owned Land. The Commonwealth owns over 500 million acres of land across the state, and makes payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) to municipalities that host state land and facilities to help offset some of the revenue lost from having those properties on the tax rolls. Municipalities with the most state-owned land are primarily in Western Massachusetts, but under the current funding formula they receive lower payments than communities in eastern Massachusetts due to lower property values. The Commission will be charged with evaluating potential changes, with particular attention to geographic equity. MLTC believes that equity in state PILOT payments is important to preserve municipal support for conservation in communities that host a large amount of conservation land. 

Other EEA Initiatives

We will aim to represent 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. 

Federal Policy

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.

Prior Policy Priorities >>