Newtown’s Republican State Rep. Mitch Bolinsky, 106th District, supported legislation this week to strengthen the state’s open space laws.
At an Environmental Committee public hearing, Bolinsky was firm that he stands behind the state’s land preservation efforts, according to a news release.
Senate Bill 70 will classify the lands for which the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Department of Agriculture are custodians as being “lands of high conservation value” unless otherwise designated by the agencies. The law will initiate a long needed overhaul of the land conveyance bill process, the release said.
“The citizens of Connecticut value our state parks and forests and want them to be protected in perpetuity,” Bolinsky said. “Millions have been spent to acquire land for conservation but unfortunately much of this land is not truly protected.
This law classifies land such that previously “protected” land will no longer be able to be used for alternative purposes.
“It is my hope that we can come together to protect Connecticut’s open spaces and woodlands so as to preserve the natural beauty and rural character of towns such as Newtown throughout the state,” Bolinsky said. “Only through these initiatives can our state’s rural areas obtain the true protection they need for years to come.”
Further legislative debate will be forthcoming on this proposal.