It is found and declared that conservation of undeveloped lands and preservation of open spaces, together with orderly control and development of remaining natural resources is the settled public policy of Connecticut and bears a substantial relationship to the public health and safety and common welfare, in order to provide for establishment and maintenance of necessary public recreational and conservation areas, and that undeveloped lands owned by public service companies constitute a significant portion of all remaining undeveloped lands in Connecticut, and particularly in thickly-settled areas of Connecticut, and that the state and municipalities, wherein substantial undeveloped tracts owned by public service companies are located, have been unable to provide for acquisition of such lands for public recreational and conservation purposes, and that the public policy of Connecticut to preserve open spaces requires for its effectiveness a procedure for the state and municipalities to determine whether acquisition of such tracts as may be or become available would be in furtherance and continuation of local, regional and state programs, and that public service companies by reason of their statutory privilege of land acquisition by condemnation and statutory protection of acquisition of their land by condemnation are a proper subject for a special statutory procedure for the disposition of undeveloped lands owned by such companies, and that it is further found and declared that sections 16-50b to 16-50e, inclusive, do not interfere with the operation and conduct of said public service companies.

(1967, P.A. 577, S. 1; 1972, P.A. 189, S. 1.)

History: 1972 act included reference to state's role in land acquisition and to state programs.