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 of lands of significant conservation value, including those that have been previously protected.

Legislative Priorities 

The 2025-2026 legislative session started on January 2, 2025 and will conclude at the end of 2026. MLTC’s top priorities for the session are:

• 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. The Joint Committee on the Environment held a hearing on the bill on July 1, 2025. MLTC submitted written testimony and also signed on to The Nature for Massachusetts Coalition’s joint written testimony as well. Both House and Senate versions of the bill have attracted a very large number of co-sponsors. On August 11, the Senate bill (redrafted as S.2571 ) was reported out favorably and sent to the Joint Committee on Rules, which gave it an ‘ought not to pass’ recommendation before referring it to the Senate Ways and Means Committee. On March 30, 2026, the House sent its version of the bill to study, ending its chances this session. Last summer while legislative action on the bill was pending, many members of the Coalition mounted a parallel effort to place the matter before voters via initiative petition. In December 2025, supporters submitted well over the required number of certified signatures for the Secretary of State to file language of the ballot measure with the Legislature to give them a chance to pass it into law. Because the legislature appears unlikely to do so, supporters will undertake a final round of signature collection from May 7 to June 14 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)
  For the first time since 2018, the state legislature is expected to pass an environmental bond bill that will define capital spending priorities. For the nextseveral years, the state’s annual capital budget for environmental programs will be driven largely by the bonding authority set in this bill. A number of policy provisions are likely to be attached and become law when the bill is signed. MLTC is part of a large Coalition advocating for key priorities to be included. On April 15, the Senate passed its version of the bill, authorizing up to $3.6 billion in potential future state spending on environmental projects, including land acquisition, restoration, and water supply protection. Among Coalition priorities adopted in the Senate version were key elements of a drought management bill that Mass Rivers has long championed, key elements of air quality task force legislation, and expanded funding for coastal resilience. As the House next takes up the bill in coming weeks, MLTC will work closely with our Coalition partners on potential amendments to further strengthen it. Read more. 

• 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. In spring 2026, the House sent its version of the bill to study, effectively ending its chances as a standalone bill this session. The Senate has extended the reporting deadline for its version of the bill to June 25, 2026. Legislative champions led efforts to pass this measure by attaching it to the Senate version of the Environmental Bond Bill and the House version of the FY27 State Operating Budget. Neither of those efforts were successful.

   

• FY2027 State Operating Budget
  In late April, the House passed its version of the state operating budget for FY27. Evidencing concerns about federal Medicaid changes, economic volatility, and a pair of ballot questions that could reshape the state's revenue structure, the House passed a budget even more fiscally cautious than that proposed by the Governor Healey in January. Less than 1% of the state budget is dedicated to energy and environmental programs. In FY26 funding for these programs was cut by $7.7 million, even as the overall state budget grew. The House budget makes even deeper cuts, even while the overall budget grows. The Governor had proposed $19 million in cuts for environmental programs (roughly 4% below FY26 levels), but the House passed even deeper cuts to several lines, including EEA Administration, DEP Administration, and the Environmental Justice Office. As a member of ELM’s  Green Budget Coalition, MLTC supported amendments to increase funding for DEP operations, DCR Parks and Recreation, and the Division of Ecological Restoration, but none were adopted. The Senate will release its version of the budget on May 5, with debate on proposed amendments scheduled for the following week. Read more.

• FY2027 State Capital Budget
  While the operating budget covers most staff and annual operating expenditures of state government, the capital budget is where most funding for land acquisition is set. Last year the Healey-Driscoll Administration issued a two-year capital investment plan covering both FY26 and FY27, so numbers for the coming year were actually set last year. FY26 and FY27 allocations can be seen here. Toggling to "View by Plan Item" shows significant reductions in some lines, due in large part to a decrease in federal funding support. Funding for EEA Agency Land Protection Programs is budgeted to drop from $23.3 million this year to $11.4 million next year; EEA Community Investment Grant Programs (including LAND, PARC and Drinking Water Protection) are forecast to drop from $28.3 million to $25.75 million; and EEA Land Protection Grant Programs (available to both municipalities and nonprofits) are slated to drop from $13.3 million to $4.25 million. It should be noted that EEA has some discretion to adjust spending across these lines to respond to areas of greatest need.

   

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. On March 19, the House bill was reportedly favorably by the House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. The Senate extended the reporting deadline for its bill to June 30, 2026. 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. On March 26, the House bill was sent to study, effectively ending its consideration for this session.
   
• 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. On March 19, the House bill was reportedly favorably by the House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. See a joint letter of testimony that MLTC supported here. While action on the bills is pending, aspects of this measure bill were included as an outside section in the Environmental Bond Bill (S.2542, aka “The Mass Ready Act”) filed by the Governor and pending in the legislature. Mass Audubon continues to lead a campaign to streamline permitting for wetland restoration projects which, ironically, can be hung up in lengthy and costly permitting despite their clear benefits to the environment.
   
• 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. On December 18, 2025, the Senate bill was reported favorably and referred to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. On March 30, the House bill was sent to study, effectively ending its consideration for this session.
   
• 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. On December 31, the Senate bill was reported favorably and referred to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. On December 31, the House bill was redrafted as H. 4855. and reported favorably to the House Ways
  and Means Committee.
   
• 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. On March 16, the House bill was sent to study, effectively ending its consideration for this session.

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). EEA’s Division of Conservation Services (DCS) continues to say 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 February 27, 2026, DCS was tracking a total of 220 applications currently in review. Approximately 50% are with DCS review staff and the other 50% are with applicants, awaiting applicant signatures or responses. Of these, 31 recent submissions are tied to 2026 grant programs, causing a temporary bottleneck. According to DCS staff, average time from submission to approval is now approximately 5 months, with the goal to drop it down to 3 months. 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 summer 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 nominated a group of experienced land trust and legal practitioners to assist EEA with updating the state’s model Conservation Restriction. The group is holding monthly meetings and expects to wrap up its work by the end of 2026.

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 they have yet to be issued, despite EEA having wrapped up three rounds of public comment on draft regulations in spring 2025. On March 6, Dot McGlincy from MACC and Robb Johnson from MLTC were joined by Senator Jamie Eldridge in a meeting with Undersecretary Stephanie Cooper and other EEA staff, where we underlined the public interest in timely promulgation of the regulations. Though officials were unable to commit to a precise timeline, they assured us the regulations would be in full force before bill-filing for the next legislative session begins in December 2026. 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

The Commonwealth has established  new siting and permitting processes for clean energy infrastructure , significantly changing the way that proposed solar and battery storage projects will be reviewed. From April to September, the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions (MACC) is holding a monthly series of free noontime information sessions on the new rules. Each session will be recorded and posted on MACC's website. See details.

Meanwhile, in fall 2025, updated 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. Learn more. 

Fairness in PILOT Payments

On August 2025, Governor Healey issued an Executive Order establishing a Commission on PILOT for State-Owned Land. As of Spring, 2026 the Commission had yet to hold its first meeting. 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. . 

Federal Policy

We will also advocate on select high-priority federal policy matters, with guidance from the Land Trust Alliance and other partners. MLTC has posted some updates on our website related to executive orders and evolving federal requirements.

Prior Policy Priorities >>