Brand New Mexico

And in very good news for enviros in New Mexico, Gov. Bill Richardson signed into law yesterday a measure designed to increase the amount of open space in the state. The Land Conservation Incentives Act will allow taxpayers -- whether individuals or corporations -- to deduct from state taxes half of the value of any land they donate to an environmental steward or protect under a conservation easement. The credit, which takes effect next January, applies to land donated for open-space, natural-resource, or biodiversity conservation, as well as agricultural, watershed, or historic preservation. Eight other states have similar acts on the books: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.