House adopts bill setting aspirational 7 million‑acre conservation goal and requiring agency reporting

The South Carolina House of Representatives gave second reading to H.5069, a bill establishing an aspirational statewide conservation goal of 7,000,000 acres by 2050 and requiring reporting and coordination among state natural-resource agencies. Sponsor Representative Travis Moore said the measure codifies existing practices and reporting requirements rather than appropriating funds or directing agencies to purchase land against owners’ wishes.

“This bill does not appropriate funds, it doesn't take anybody's land,” Moore said. He described the measure as a way to set a clear, long-term target and to require agencies engaged in conservation to coordinate and report annually on acquisitions, funding sources and management responsibilities.

During floor questions, Representative Cromer asked whether the bill directs the state to purchase property or otherwise change existing conservation trusts; Moore replied it would not and emphasized that most conservation activity would continue to be voluntary, using easements and existing statutory tools. Representative Magnuson asked whether the bill creates a new agency or board; Moore said explicitly that no new agency or bureaucracy is created and that the bill instructs current agencies to coordinate toward the shared goal.

Representative Land raised concerns about eminent domain and whether conserved land could be taken out of existing trusts; Moore said he was not aware of a mechanism in the bill to use eminent domain to remove land from a trust and that the bill does not do that.

Moore testified that the 7,000,000‑acre figure grew out of a conservation-bank study and that the bill is intended to codify a reporting process in place by proviso. He said the goal would rely on a mixture of tools — conservation easements, agency purchases where statutory mechanisms permit, agricultural-use incentives and coordination with the Conservation Bank — rather than mass state acquisition.

The House recorded a roll-call second-reading vote of 107 to 2 for H.5069. The sponsor and several questioners agreed that the bill is aspirational and intended to improve coordination among agencies rather than expand eminent-domain authority or compel private sales.

Why this matters: the bill signals an explicit long-term policy goal for land protection in a rapidly growing state and requires transparency via annual reporting on land-protection actions and funding sources. Supporters say it strengthens coordination between agencies; skeptics asked for clarity on property rights and whether the measure could be used indirectly to pressure landowners.

What’s next: H.5069 received second reading on April 14, 2026, and will move through remaining legislative steps with the reporting requirements and definitions subject to future refinement.