Part A of this bill amends the laws governing the Land for Maine's Future program and the Land for Maine's Future Board within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry in the following ways.
1. It defines "interest in property" to include both fee and less-than-fee simple interest for purposes of acquiring property and interests in property.
2. It requires the board to provide public notice of its intent to determine the final award for the land offered for acquisition.
3. It authorizes the board to use its discretion in determining whether to make an award.
4. It provides that the board may not fund the acquisition of a fee interest in land used for commercially harvested or harvestable forest land. Current law does not specify that to be prohibited the acquisition must be of a fee interest.
5. It repeals redundant and conflicting provisions of law regarding how the board may use certain funds.
6. It requires that land acquired by the board have clear title.
7. It removes redundant references to matching requirements and payments to cooperating entities. Part B of the bill authorizes the creation of an option to purchase at agricultural value, which is defined in the bill as an agreement between a fee owner of working farmland property and a governmental entity or nonprofit organization that permits the governmental entity or nonprofit organization to control the purchase price of working farmland property for the purpose of making available and affordable and preserving the permanent availability and affordability of that property as working farmland. Part C of the bill amends the law regarding reporting requirements for conservation easements and parcels of land owned in fee for conservation purposes.