HF542 is a direct attack on public lands and conservation in Iowa. It should be opposed in its entirety. It changes the blufflands protection program. The bill prohibits the department or a county from accepting and developing lands. The bill allows a county board of conservation to acquire land only in the case of exchange when the property exchanged for is suitable and of substantially the same value as the property exchanged, or if a person donates the land with an accompanying monetary donation to cover the estimated cost of maintaining the land for 10 years. The bill allows the department to accept land for public benefit if a person gifts or devises the land to the department. The department shall give priority to the maintenance and enhancement of currently owned open spaces of statewide significance. The bill prohibits a city from using funds from grants by the department for projects outside of the city’s boundaries.
In this bill, counties would be prohibited from expanding parks, wildlife habitat areas and trails by any amount. Funding the cities and counties have relied on would be restricted, and could not be used for expansion of open spaces and new recreational amenities, including public museums. The state would not be able to purchase land for state parks, wildlife areas or strategic water quality projects. This bill would also strip private landowners of tax incentives for protecting their land by eliminating the Charitable Contribution for Conservation Tax Credit.
The bill prohibits a nonpoint source water pollution
control project from including an acquisition of real property for future
donation or sale to the department, other political subdivision, or the federal
government. The bill also prohibits a political subdivision from acquiring land
that a private entity purchased with the assistance of revolving loan funds
under the federal Clean Water Act. This would hinder cities and counties from
buying land to upgrade their waster water treatment. It would prohibit cities
and counties from buying land to manage their storm water.
Also it prohibits purchasing land for safe drinking water purposes.
Current law allows a person or corporation to claim a tax credit for a charitable conservation contribution to a qualified organization made exclusively for conservation purposes. The bill repeals that tax credit.
A recent study by Iowa Workforce Development shows that among the quality of life factors rated, the largest portion of students (87.0%) respond that having a clean environment that is suitable to live in has absolute importance or is very important in choosing a place to live.
HF542 has begun working its way through the Iowa legislature. The bill would stop Iowa counties, cities, and the state from acquiring land for parks, recreation areas, and access for boating. We should be doing more to protect Iowa’s natural areas and wildlife not less.Please contact your state representative and ask that he or she vote NO on HF542!1. Representative David Sieck's bill would stop all future purchases of land by the county conservation departments, city parks, and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.2. It severely restricts future land donations, by reducing the income tax credit given to those who generously donate their land and by requiring the donor to also donate enough funding to support 10 years of maintenance on the property.3. It restricts the way the Department of Natural Resources uses the Marine Fuel Tax. It even forbids the DNR to acquire more access to public boating waters and forbids acquiring and developing recreation facilities associated with boating.4. It even ties the hands of water pollution control staff in their effort to reduce non-point source of water pollution by preventing them from acquiring real estate for those projects.5. It even stops developing future museums.We should be doing more to protect Iowa’s natural areas and wildlife not less. This bill moves Iowa in the wrong direction. This bill is wrong for Iowans and for our visitors. It is wrong for Iowa’s wildlife and native plants.Iowans love their parks and recreation areas. Yet members of the Iowa House of Representatives are wanting to destroy that. Ask your state representative to oppose HF542!
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