There is hereby established the New Hampshire land and community heritage investment program. The program shall provide funding for the acquisition of resource assets, through voluntary negotiations with property owners and utilization of all available federal, state, local, private, and other matching funds and incentives. The program shall also provide funding for restoration and rehabilitation of cultural and historical resources and for certain costs associated with the acquisition of resource assets. All deeds or other documents evidencing purchase of any fee interest or easement interest in resources under this chapter shall be drawn and held in the name of the municipality, other political subdivision, or qualified publicly-supported nonprofit corporation purchasing the interest through the use of program funds. All easement interests shall be recorded in the deed. The authority is authorized to enter into contracts, accept rights of enforcement, and take such other legal actions as necessary to enforce all grant obligations arising through the use of program funds. There shall be no power by the state of New Hampshire to take any resource by eminent domain, nor shall any funds made available by this program be used to take by eminent domain except in cases involving the voluntary quieting of title. All acquisition projects shall involve a willing seller and willing buyer, or a willing donor of resource assets.
RSA 227-M:3
2000, 245:1, eff. June 8, 2000.