New Land Use Bill Caps Federal Conservation Easements at 30 Years, Offering Landowners Buyback Options

The new Landowner Easement Rights Act fundamentally changes how the federal government handles conservation easements administered by the Secretary of the Interior. Simply put, this bill is about making existing long-term land deals more flexible for landowners and limiting the length of any new deals the government makes.

For any new conservation easements signed after this bill becomes law, the Secretary of the Interior cannot agree to a term longer than 30 years (SEC. 2). This puts a hard expiration date on future federal land protection agreements, a major shift from the permanent or very long-term easements often used today. This means that if you’re a landowner considering a federal conservation deal, you know exactly when that commitment ends, but it also means that long-term land preservation efforts will need to be revisited every three decades.

The Great Easement Escape Clause

The most impactful part of this bill is what it offers landowners already locked into older agreements. If you own land currently under an “eligible” conservation easement—meaning it’s been in place for over 30 years or was established before 1977 without a formal map (SEC. 5)—you now have two powerful options to change or terminate the agreement (SEC. 3).

If you ask the Secretary to renegotiate the terms, they have six months to provide you with a map and the current fair market value of the easement. Then, you can choose to renegotiate for a new term, also capped at 30 years. The kicker here is the payment: the Secretary must pay you the current fair market value of the easement minus the amount they originally paid you years ago. For a farmer who signed a deal 40 years ago for a fraction of today's land values, this could mean a significant, unexpected payout, essentially updating the government's payment to reflect current market rates.

Buying Back the Farm

Your second option is the buyback. You can choose to buy back the entire easement, or just a portion of it, from the government. If you go this route, you pay the Secretary the current fair market value for the land rights you’re reclaiming (SEC. 3). This gives landowners the ability to regain full control of their property, which is a huge win for those who feel constrained by decades-old restrictions that no longer make sense for their operations or family plans.

The Administrative Headache and the Conservation Question

While this offers a lot of flexibility for landowners, it creates a massive administrative task for the Department of the Interior. Every time a landowner requests renegotiation or a buyback, the government has to dedicate resources to mapping the area and determining the current fair market value. They have to deliver this valuation within six months, which is a tight turnaround for complex land appraisals. This could create a backlog and slow down the process for everyone.

More critically, the 30-year cap on new easements is a major shift away from the concept of permanent conservation. Conservation groups and many environmental policy experts rely on long-term agreements to ensure land is protected forever. By limiting future commitments to 30 years, this bill effectively makes permanent federal conservation deals impossible, raising concerns about the long-term future of protected lands. The bill prioritizes landowner flexibility, but the cost might be borne by the public interest in enduring land preservation.