Hearings set on conservation tax credit program

The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs will hold public hearings in early June in Boston and Amherst on proposed regulations related to the Massachusetts Conservation Tax Credit Program.

A five-year, $1.66 billion energy and environmental bond bill signed in 2008 included an amendment, sponsored by Rep. Stephen Kulik, that provided for tax credits for property owners who donate land to municipalities, the state, or nonprofit land trusts. Eligible lands include those that protect drinking water supplies, wildlife habitat and scenic vistas. Nearly 60 percent of undeveloped land in Massachusetts is privately owned and unprotected.

Hearings will be held on June 8 in Boston at the Leverett Saltonstall Building, 100 Cambridge St. and on June 9 in Amherst at the Department of Agricultural Resources, 101 University Drive. Both hearings begin at 1 p.m.

Written testimony will be accepted until June 27. The testimony should be sent to Tom Anderson at thomas.anderson@state.ma.us or Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, 100 Cambridge St., Suite 900, Boston, MA 02114.

For more information, visit www.mass.gov/envir.