Assemblyman David DiPietro (R,C – East Aurora) this morning saw his bill, A.5717, killed in the Assembly Real Property Taxation Committee across partisan lines. The bill would have provided a reduction in assessed value for conservation easement to the land after being given to not-for-profit conservation organizations.

“When an organization is granted a conservation easement, certain uses of the land are eliminated to protect the environment,” DiPietro said. “By limiting what you can do to the land to ensure a healthier environment for future generations, you alter the value of the land. The value of the land should be changed to reflect the conservation easement, which will stay in place permanently. It is unfair to the landowner and to the not-for-profit to continue to assess the property at its full value when the owner and conservation organization are trying to preserve the land for the future.”