McDonnell goal: to preserve 400,000 acres of land

By: Tyler Whitley | Richmond Times Dispatch
Published: April 23, 2009

Republican Bob McDonnell has set a goal to preserve 400,000 acres of land during the four years of his administration if he is elected governor.

As a preservation incentive, McDonnell said he would propose raising the land-conservation tax credit to 50 percent from 40 percent.

McDonnell picked Earth Day to announce his conservation plan.

"We are blessed to live in a commonwealth that continues to be enjoyed for its rivers, working farms, fields, mountains and hills," he said.

McDonnell praised Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, a Democrat, and Speaker of the House William J. Howell, a Republican, for setting a similar goal of preserving 400,000 acres. About 3.3 million acres in Virginia are under conservation, he said in a telephone interview.

"Philosophically, conservation is a conservative value," the former attorney general said.

He bristled at a suggestion that his plans to drill for oil and gas off the coast of Virginia are at odds with his conservation stance.

Drilling is so safe that it is not an environmental issue, he said.

"Drilling is an energy-independence issue" that would create jobs and produce royalties, he said.

While in the House of Delegates, where he represented Virginia Beach, he co-sponsored legislation in 1997 that created the Open-Space Lands Preservation Trust Fund, he said.

In addition to providing tax incentives, the state can directly purchase land for public use and can encourage private donations of land to conservation organizations.

In 2003, the General Assembly lowered the tax incentive to 40 percent from 50 percent.

In 2006, according to Democratic Party of Virginia spokesman Jared Leopold, "McDonnell opposed Governor Kaine's effort to give local governments more control over development in their community."

"He also consistently received failing grades from Virginia land-conservation groups, even getting a 0 percent one year," Leopold said.

"We appreciate Bob McDonnell's new commitment to land preservation, but actions speak louder than promises."

Contact Tyler Whitley at (804) 649-6780 or twhitley@timesdispatch.com.