The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection may, for the purposes specified in § 23-29, lease, for a period of not less than ninety-nine years, any lands within the state, title to which has been acquired by the resettlement administration or other agency of the government of the United States, provided the form of such lease shall be approved by the Attorney General. Said commissioner may enter into cooperative agreements with any branch of the government of the United States regarding the custody, management and use of lands so leased. All lands leased under this section shall, for the purposes of taxation, be considered as owned by the state, and the towns in which such lands are situated shall receive from the state grants in lieu of taxes thereon, as provided in § 12-18b.