Keep It Colorado’s policy priorities are developed with input from coalition members, a leadership advisory council and partners. During the legislative session we hold regular community policy calls, share policy briefings with our membership and have ongoing conversations with legislators. At our annual Fall Policy Summit, our members gather to set priorities for the upcoming legislative session.

Keep It Colorado will spend 2022 focusing on policy priorities that will build more support for conservation, and specifically private lands conservation. Keep It Colorado will remain active at the Colorado State Capitol and in Washington D.C., continuing to promote existing conservation tools and look for new opportunities to increase investments in conservation.

STATE POLICY PRIORITIES

Tax Credit: Promote and Defend – Ensure that the conservation easement program and the tax credit retain public and legislative support. Specific actions include but are not limited to:

• Emphasize the credit, and conservation in general, as economic drivers and tools for climate action to legislators, state agencies and local officials.

• Ensure the appropriate implementation of HB21-1233.

• Defend the tax credit and conservation easement program from any damaging legislative action.

Reauthorization: Map the Pathway – Establish a political strategy for reauthorization of the state’s tax credit program. Build political capital and support by developing relationships with more legislators, providing education the on the positive impacts of the program and the conservation community and the importance of reauthorizing the program in the near future. Develop strategic partnerships with like-minded organizations to establish a stronger coalition of support for conservation funding. Additional action items include:

• Collecting data to back up reauthorization, including the ROI of the tax credit program, tracking impacts to conservation goals after the 90% increase and considering new opportunities for investments in conservation in addition to the tax credit.  

• Exploring the equity impacts of the tax credit program.

Climate Action: Collaborate on and support sound policy – Monitor, track and, where appropriate, collaborate on and support climate action policy. Specific policy areas of focus include:

• Land conservation

• Water conservation

• Natural and working lands and soil health

• Forest health

• Renewable energy transmission

Recreation Access: Support landowner protection and incentives – Monitor case law and legislation that impacts landowner protection for voluntarily providing recreational access. Support increased protections and incentives to expand voluntary recreation access.

Track impacts to conservation easement law – Monitor differing applications and treatment of conservation easements across the state. Take positions on local issues when appropriate to defend state law and the conservation easement tool. Consider future opportunities to ensure consistent use of easements and consistent application of state and federal law.

Coordinate with state and federal agencies on conservation easement impacts – Collaborate with state and federal agencies on policies and practices impacting consistent treatment of conservation easements, including drafting language and notice requirements.

Track and take positions on local matters as applicable – Monitor and take positions on local measures that have a close nexus with conservation or climate work and/or align with our established policy priorities.

FEDERAL POLICY PRIORITIES

Ending syndicated conservation – Work closely with The Land Trust Alliance to pass the Charitable Conservation Easement Integrity Act. Explore additional opportunities and policy needs to fully stop syndicated conservation in Colorado and across the country.

Engaging in 2023 Farm Bill updates – Work with established conservation groups on requests and recommendations for improving the 2023 Farm Bill programs.

Supporting federal climate action – Monitor and support sound policy development that focuses on combatting climate change and advancing conservation.

Increasing funding for private land conservation – Build more legislative support for federal funding that supports private land conservation, stewardship and restoration as critical elements for climate action and economic recovery.