44-10-45. Administration of program.

1. In administering the program, the department shall, under the direction and advice of the council:

2. (1)

   Give priority to project proposals that protect agricultural lands susceptible to development, subdivision, and fragmentation;#

3. (2)

   Adopt a scoring process for evaluating project proposals and prioritizing projects based on the extent that the project will:#

   1. (A)

      Protect farmland in active or planned cultivation;#

   2. (B)

      Prevent development or fragmentation that would result in farmland loss;#

   3. (C)

      Support transition of affordable farmland to next-generation farmers;#

   4. (D)

      Leverage local, federal, or private funding, taking into account whether such funding includes a match requirement;#

   5. (E)

      Support conservation priorities, including, but not limited to, protection of habitat, water quality, watershed conservation, climate resiliency, local conservation plans, and public viewshed;#

   6. (F)

      Preserve or enhance soil quality; and#

   7. (G)

      Create or further enhance compatibility with existing military installations; and#

4. (3)

   Ensure that, per its terms, any agricultural conservation easement to be acquired through the project:#

   1. (A)

      Is of perpetual duration;#

   2. (B)

      May not be assigned to or enforced by a third party without the express written consent of the landowner; and#

   3. (C)

      Aligns with existing federal and local programs to maximize potential for matching funds.#

Reading note: a word broken across two lines in the printed volume was joined by rule and could not be checked against the volume's own vocabulary. The official page linked below settles any doubt.