| 13 | | - | (b) Twenty-one per cent of the state's land area shall be held as open space land. The goal of the state's open space acquisition program shall be to acquire land such that ten per cent of the state's land area is held by the state as open space land and not less than eleven per cent of the state's land area is held by municipalities, water companies or nonprofit land conservation organizations as open space land consistent with the provisions of sections 7-131d to 7-131g, inclusive. Such program shall not affect the ability of any water company to reclassify or sell any land, or interest in land, which was not acquired, in whole or in part, with funds made available under the program established under sections 7-131d to 7-131g, inclusive. [The goal for state open space acquisition shall be three thousand acres acquired in 1999, four thousand acres acquired in 2000, four thousand acres acquired in 2001 and five thousand acres acquired in 2002, provided such acquisition program shall continue until the overall state goal of open space acquisition is achieved. The commissioner] The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Commissioner of Agriculture, the Commissioner of Public Health and the Council on Environmental Quality established under section 22a-11, municipalities, regional planning agencies and private nonprofit land conservation organizations, shall prepare not later than December 15, 2012, and update [as necessary] not less than once every five years thereafter, a comprehensive strategy for achieving the state goal. [and shall set an appropriate additional goal for increasing the amount of land held as open space by municipalities or by private nonprofit land conservation organizations and shall include in such strategy provisions for achieving such goal. ] Such strategy shall include, but not be limited to: [, recommendations regarding: (1) Timetables] (1) An estimate of the acres of land preserved by the state, municipalities, water companies and nonprofit land conservation organizations, (2) an evaluation of the potential methods, cost and benefits of establishing a system for increasing the accuracy of such estimate of acres of land preserved by encouraging the voluntary submittal of information regarding new acquisitions by municipalities, water companies and nonprofit land conservation organizations, including the relative costs and benefits of having a state agency, a constituent unit of higher education or a nongovernmental organization host and operate such system, (3) timetables for acquisition of land by the state, [(2)] (4) plans for management of such land, [(3)] (5) an assessment of resources to be used for acquisition and management of such land, and [(4) acquisition and maintenance of open space land by municipalities and by private entities] (6) the highest priorities for acquisition of land, including the wildlife habitat and ecological resources identified to be in greatest need for immediate preservation, and the general location of each high priority. On or before January [1, 1998, and] first, annually, [thereafter,] the commissioner shall submit a report to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to the environment regarding the strategy and the progress being made towards the goals. For the purpose of this subsection, "to acquire land" includes, but is not limited to, the acquisition in fee simple of land and the acquisition of easements for the conservation of land. |
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| 20 | + | (b) Twenty-one per cent of the state's land area shall be held as open space land. The goal of the state's open space acquisition program shall be to acquire land such that ten per cent of the state's land area is held by the state as open space land and not less than eleven per cent of the state's land area is held by municipalities, water companies or nonprofit land conservation organizations as open space land consistent with the provisions of sections 7-131d to 7-131g, inclusive. Such program shall not affect the ability of any water company to reclassify or sell any land, or interest in land, which was not acquired, in whole or in part, with funds made available under the program established under sections 7-131d to 7-131g, inclusive. [The goal for state open space acquisition shall be three thousand acres acquired in 1999, four thousand acres acquired in 2000, four thousand acres acquired in 2001 and five thousand acres acquired in 2002, provided such acquisition program shall continue until the overall state goal of open space acquisition is achieved. The commissioner] The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Commissioner of Agriculture and the Council on Environmental Quality established under section 22a-11, municipalities, regional planning agencies and private nonprofit land conservation organizations, shall prepare not later than December 15, 2012, and update [as necessary] not less than once every five years thereafter, a comprehensive strategy for achieving the state goal. [and shall set an appropriate additional goal for increasing the amount of land held as open space by municipalities or by private nonprofit land conservation organizations and shall include in such strategy provisions for achieving such goal.] Such strategy shall include, but not be limited to: [, recommendations regarding: (1) Timetables] (1) An estimate of the acres of land preserved by the state, municipalities, water companies and nonprofit land conservation organizations, (2) an evaluation of the potential methods, cost and benefits of establishing a system for increasing the accuracy of such estimate of acres of land preserved by encouraging the voluntary submittal of information regarding new acquisitions by municipalities, water companies and nonprofit land conservation organizations, including the relative costs and benefits of having a state agency, a constituent unit of higher education or a nongovernmental organization host and operate such system, (3) timetables for acquisition of land by the state, [(2)] (4) plans for management of such land, [(3)] (5) an assessment of resources to be used for acquisition and management of such land, and [(4) acquisition and maintenance of open space land by municipalities and by private entities] (6) the highest priorities for acquisition of land, including the wildlife habitat and ecological resources identified to be in greatest need for immediate preservation, and the general location of each high priority. On or before January [1, 1998, and] first, annually, [thereafter,] the commissioner shall submit a report to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to the environment regarding the strategy and the progress being made towards the goals. For the purpose of this subsection, "to acquire land" includes, but is not limited to, the acquisition in fee simple of land and the acquisition of easements for the conservation of land. |
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