Bill Text: CT SB00070 | 2014 | General Assembly | Chaptered
Bill Title: An Act Concerning The Grant Of Property Interests In Property Held By The Departments Of Agriculture And Energy And Environmental Protection And The Establishment Of A Public Use And Benefit Land Registry.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2014-06-11 - Signed by the Governor [SB00070 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2014-SB00070-Chaptered.html
AN ACT CONCERNING THE GRANT OF PROPERTY INTERESTS IN PROPERTY HELD BY THE DEPARTMENTS OF AGRICULTURE AND ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PUBLIC USE AND BENEFIT LAND REGISTRY.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection may designate lands owned by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection as lands of public use and benefit. The commissioner may place conservation or preservation restrictions, as defined in section 47-42a of the general statutes, on any lands owned by the department. For the purposes of this section and section 23-8 of the general statutes, as amended by this act, "lands of public use and benefit" means land that is used for conservation purposes, public enjoyment purposes, recreational purposes or any activity associated with improving or maintaining such conservation, public enjoyment or recreational purposes.
Sec. 2. Subsection (e) of section 23-8 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(e) To further the efforts to preserve open space in the state and to help realize the goals established in subsection (b) of this section, on or before [October 1, 2014] January 1, 2015, the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall establish a publicly accessible geographic information map system and database that contains a public use and benefit land registry that is capable of providing, at a minimum, the following information for lands owned by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, other state agencies, municipalities, land conservation organizations and state-owned water supply lands: (1) The location and ownership information for such lands, (2) categorizations for any such lands that are based on the use and level of protection applicable to such lands, (3) information data sheets for such lands that include any applicable deed, easement, land survey, maps and data for each parcel that constitutes such lands, and (4) whenever available, management and stewardship plans for such lands. In establishing such registry, the commissioner, in consultation with each state agency, shall identify lands owned by the state that are in the custody of each state agency and that are valuable for conservation purposes or that are lands of public use and benefit. Said commissioner shall consult with the Commissioner of Public Health about any lands owned by the state that are identified as water supply lands. The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall make such public use and benefit land registry available on the department's Internet web site not later than January 1, 2015. Not later than January 1, 2015, such public use and benefit land registry shall include the minimum information required pursuant to this subsection for three state parks, as selected by the commissioner. On and after January 1, 2015, the commissioner shall update such public use and benefit land registry on a quarterly basis with the minimum information required by this subsection for an additional ten state parks.
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective from passage) The Commissioner of Agriculture may place conservation or preservation restrictions, as defined in section 47-42a of the general statutes, on any lands owned by the department.