Maine § 479-C. - Conservation lands reporting

§ 479-C.. Conservation lands reporting

For each conservation easement and each parcel owned in fee for conservation purposes in the State, the holder of the conservation easement and the fee owner of each parcel of land that is organized or doing business in the State shall annually report to the department, the municipality, the approximate number of acres protected, the approximate number of acres that are exempt from taxation pursuant to Title 36, section 652 for which the municipality or county does not receive payments in lieu of taxes and such other information as the department determines necessary to fulfill the purposes of this subchapter. The report must be made by a date and in the form established by the department to certify the accuracy of the conservation easement holder's or fee owner's information, avoid duplicative filings when possible, provide public access to the information reported and otherwise reduce administrative burdens. The department is authorized to adopt a form of reporting that results in the creation of a geographic information system map layer that displays the information required by this section. The annual certification must be accompanied by an $80 fee. The department shall maintain a permanent current record of these reporting requirements in a form conducive to public dissemination of the information and shall report to the Attorney General any failure of a holder of a conservation easement disclosed by the filing or otherwise known to the department. The fees established under this section must be held by the department in a nonlapsing, special account to defray the costs of maintaining the reported information and carrying out its duties under this section. For the purposes of this section, "department" means the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.   [PL 2025, c. 471, Pt. C, §1 (AMD).]