Accomplishments and Activities

July 7, 2011

Governor Corbett signs Act 44 into law. The product of a multi-year educational campaign by PALTA, the Act amends the Agricultural Area Security Law to ensure that state-funded agricultural easements are no longer vulnerable to extinguishment after just 25 years.

June 24, 2011

Governor Corbett signs Act 8 of 2011 to prohibit private transfer fees in real estate transactions. PALTA succeeds in carving out an exception for conservation easements, strengthening the ability of land trusts to raise funds for easement stewardship.

February 1, 2011

PALTA and Piedmont Environmental Council, along with five other entities, filed a lawsuit in 2008 challenging the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) designation of the Mid-Atlantic National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor. DOE had not conducted an appropriate environmental review, nor had it consulted with affected states prior to its action. On 2/1/11, the 9th Circuit Court ruled in PALTA’s favor and to the benefit of good energy planning.

March 25, 2010

The PA Supreme Court rules in favor of conservation. On 7/8/09, PALTA had filed an amicus curiae brief in the Erie Golf Course case to prevent municipalities from liquidating their “protected” open spaces for easy revenue. In its ruling, the court quoted PALTA’s brief and other briefs inspired and supported by PALTA.

2009-2010

PALTA co-leads coalition that successfully protects Pennsylvania State Forests from a drilling free-for-all.

2008 to present

PALTA co-leads coalition to renew Growing Greener and advocates for establishment of a natural gas severance tax and/or impact fee with a portion of revenues dedicated to land, water and wildlife conservation.

Spring into Summer 2007

The Senate passes a bill to slash $40 million a year from the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund, and the Governor makes a budget deal that includes the cuts. PALTA and allies flood legislators, the Governor and the media with calls, emails, letters and visits. Ultimately PALTA and allies prevail.

Spring 2007

PALTA defends the Secretary of DCNR’s record of public service. The Senate reconfirms the Secretary in a vote of 44-4.

2007 to present

PALTA takes national lead with Piedmont Environmental Council to stop looming threats to land and energy conservation: New federal condemnation powers for the first time can over-ride state control on the placement of high voltage electrical lines. Federal preference would be given to eminent domain and old polluting coal plants over proven energy efficiency, demand-side management and local generation technologies that do not require new transmission lines.

November 29, 2006

Governor Rendell signs Act 154 into law. The Act, a PALTA legislative priority, empowers local governments to give land, easements and cash to land trusts in support of conservation.

2006 to present

PALTA works in partnership with LTA to permanently extend the federal tax incentives for conservation easements.

August 17, 2006

PALTA’s initiative and continued efforts lead to President Bush signing greatly expanded conservation easement tax incentives into law.

July 13, 2005

Governor Rendell signs legislation to implement Growing Greener 2. PALTA’s advocacy results in $80 million dedicated to farmland preservation and $90 million to open space protection – dwarfing the open space monies previously available under Growing Greener.

May 17, 2005

After PALTA and partners worked tirelessly to educate, Pennsylvanians vote 60.5% to 39.5% to authorize a $625M Growing Greener bond.

2005

PALTA initiates an ambitious and assertive push for expanding federal conservation easement tax incentives – this at a time when most land trusts had taken defensive positions as a result of Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation proposals to gut incentives.

2004

PALTA leads effort to boost state conservation funding. The Rendell Administration adopts the concepts (and much of the prose) championed by PALTA.

2003

PALTA lays groundwork for a new state conservation funding initiative, building consensus around the working paper Protecting Special Places and Building Healthy Communities: A Conservation Strategy for Pennsylvania.

2002

PALTA plays a lead role in the establishment of a dedicated funding source – a landfill tipping fee – to support the extension of Growing Greener. PALTA also leads the effort that stops the zeroing out of the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund.

June 22, 2001

Governor Ridge signs Act 29. PALTA led the long effort to achieve enactment of the Conservation and Preservation Easements Act in order to strengthen the enforceability of conservation easements under Pennsylvania law.