The Montana Association of Land Trusts applauds and endorses the introduction of the Charitable Conservation Easement Program Integrity Act of 2019 by Montana Senator Steve Daines. The bill seeks to eliminate the ability of partnership investors to profit from the donation of a conservation easement on land held for a short time. Like legislation first introduced during the previous Congress, this bill’s language makes clear that conservation easement donations, like other charitable donations, are not intended to be profit opportunities. Montana is a national leader in private land conservation, and land trusts have been working with Montana landowners to voluntarily create traditional conservation easements for over 40 years, conserving land and water and helping maintain the essence and character of Montana.
