Is it too late?

The Land Trust Alliance has posted its statement on the Joint Committee recommendations. It's a good statement on why the easement deduction should be retained, while acknowledging the need for reform.
Still no public statements from The Nature Conservancy or Trust for Public Land. The TPL website does have a nice feature on connecting cities along the Mississippi to the river. Memphis could use more help on that.
Jon at The Uneasy Chair links to coverage of the Joint Committee report by Charity Governance. It has point by point analysis of the committee report. Here's the analysis on the facade and conservation easement section.
"ANALYSIS: This proposal should come as no surprise to anyone. There have been widely-reported abuses of the Section 170 façade and conservation easement provisions. With the Federal deficit at the level that it is, the charitable deduction for contribution for these property interests is an easy target. There is a price to be paid by tax advisors and tax-favored groups that are willing to sink to the lowest common denominator because “everybody else is doing it.” In the long run, there is not safety in numbers. Instead, Congress takes away the candy from pigs who have grown too obese. Ouch, Ouch, Ouch. If there's agreement to this analysis throughout Capitol Hill, the easement deduction may be too far gone to save.