Land Bank Bill Memo

SUPPORT S. 8027 (Little) / S. 8026 (Little) Adirondack Park and Catskill Park Land Banks The New York League of Conservation Voters supports S. 8027 and S. 8026, which would amend the ECL and article 14 of the constitution to establish a land bank in state forests preserves for the use of utility lines, bicycle paths, and other limited public projects. These forest preserves are a patchwork of public and private lands, where people live within the park and surrounded by wilderness. For this model to be successful long term, and for the Catskill and Adirondack Parks to remain sustainable forever, we must ensure that communities can provide basic services while also maintaining the strong protections for natural resources that exist under Article 14 of the State Constitution. This proposal strikes that balance to ensure sustainability for residents of the park and continued conservation of our valuable resources. The Amendment and implementing legislation would create a 500 acre land bank in the Adirondack Park and 250 acres for the Catskill Park. The land banks could be available to towns, counties, public water supplies and public utilities for bike path, environmental infrastructure, water supply, and public utility projects where no feasible alternative exists. The proposal directs the Department of Environmental Conservation to add 750 acres to the forest preserve and deposits all revenue generated from land transfers to the forest preserve expansion account to ensure there is a net benefit to the Park. The land bank can only be used if there is no feasible alternative. The Amendment and implementing legislation impose careful limits on the projects and requires that acreage taken from the Forest Preserve be replaced with an equal amount. For these reasons the New York League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV) strongly urges passage of this bill. Contact: Christopher Goeken (212) 361-6350 x 209 [email protected] .

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The Catskill Canister Volume 52 Number 1 January - March 2019
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