Environmental groups are warning that new state legislation targeting some agencies’ ability to acquire land would jeopardize conservation efforts.

Senate Bill 857, sponsored by state Sen. Scott Hutchinson (R., Oil City), requires the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), the Fish and Boat Commission and Game Commission to seek approval from local county officials on any land acquisitions. The agencies must also give local residents 30 days to comment before completing land purchases. The bill is on the calendar for second consideration in the Senate, as of Monday.

The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation and the Pennsylvania chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers expressed their opposition to the bill in news releases, arguing that the obstacles it poses would undermine landowner rights and jeopardize public access to outdoor recreation.

The Chestnut Hill Conservancy said in a release that the legislation would hinder the state’s conservation of public land and waterways.

“For communities within the lower Wissahickon watershed — including Chestnut Hill, Northwest Philadelphia and portions of Montgomery County — land conservation is part of a broader system of environmental stewardship,” the organization stated. “Forests, open spaces, waterways, and wildlife habitats do not stop at municipal boundaries, and decisions affecting conservation opportunities elsewhere in Pennsylvania can have long-term implications for watershed health, biodiversity, recreation, and resilience throughout the region.”

Hutchinson’s bill concerns local property taxes.

State lands managed by DCNR, the state Fish and Boat Commission and the Game Commission are not taxed, but the agencies do pay local authorities a certain rate per acre through the state’s Payment in Lieu of Taxes program. The Pennsylvania General Assembly has increased the payment twice in the past four years.

The agencies at times obtain land from charitable organizations and land trusts. The bill calls for lawmakers to assess the impact these transactions have on the real estate tax base of local municipalities and the private sector “to ensure proper allocation of State revenues.”

“Existing legal requirements and Commonwealth policies are inadequate to assure the proper balance between public and private land and the interests of citizens and local governments in multiple, beneficial use of land in this Commonwealth,” the legislation reads.

The Local reached out to Hutchinson and the bill’s co-sponsors for comment, but has not received a response.

“The PGC is opposed to SB 857 because it further limits the board’s authority to acquire lands, which is an essential component to our core mission of protecting the Commonwealth’s wildlife and their habitats,” a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Game Commission said in a statement to the Local. The Local also reached out to DCNR and the Fish and Boat Commission.

“Furthermore, we believe it could potentially slow down or prevent conservation efforts while infringing on private property rights to those who wish to voluntarily donate or sell their lands to a state agency,” the Game Commission added.

The legislation creates obstacles for private landowners who want to donate or sell their properties to a state agency for public benefit, Gail Farmer, executive director of the Montgomery County-based organization Wissahickon Trails, told the Local in an email.

Land trusts, like Wissahickon Trails, are private landowners that sometimes partner with the state agencies on land transactions. The private land trust acquires the property and conveys the land to the state agency. Much of the land Wissahickon Trails has preserved as public natural space has been donated by private landowners who want to leave a legacy of conservation, Farmer said.

Requiring the approval of a third party would give the landowner a disincentive from undergoing this transaction, she said.

“Land transactions cost time and money — the longer and more complex the process, the more time and money a landowner will spend on the transaction. It would be difficult to justify investing your time and money in a complex transaction for which you are not in the decision-making driver’s seat,” she said.

We Conserve PA, a group that helps organizations conserve land, said in a release that the Payment in Lieu of Taxes program already addresses Hutchinson’s tax inequity argument.

“State agencies should always be greatly attentive to local concerns; however, it is not appropriate to fully subjugate well-considered state decisions regarding the well-being of 13.1 million Pennsylvanians to the will of a single one of Pennsylvania’s 67 county governing bodies,” the release reads.

“Please preserve the ability of state agencies to improve and strategically expand these much-loved lands for the health and enjoyment of the public, the conservation of wildlife, and support of the outdoor recreation economy,” the group added.

Pennsylvania’s outdoor recreation economy grew to $20.4 billion in 2024, supporting more than 177,000 jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. A March 2026 poll by Susquehanna Polling and Research found that 94% of Pennsylvania voters believe state parks and forests are “very” or “somewhat” important to quality of life.

“Public lands are a cornerstone of our state heritage and provide vital public recreation and health benefits to citizens of all abilities and interests,” John Walliser, senior vice president of Legal & Government Affairs for The Pennsylvania Environmental Council, said in a release. “At a time when costs are escalating and people are forced to curtail travel and vacation plans, having readily available public amenities in our state is invaluable.”

Abby Weiss is an environmental reporter for the Local and a Report for America corps member. She can be reached at abby@chestnuthilllocal.com.