March 11, 2020

USFWS wetland appeals subject of new podcast

Topic: Issues

March 11: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has initiated an appeals process for wetland easements in the Prairie Pothole Region. This is important for landowners.

Download and listen to the USFWS appeals process mp3

Read the transcript:

It’s a first. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has made an attempt to allow for an appeals process regarding wetland easements in the Prairie Pothole Region.

They have sent out the first round of letters in which they have the maps of the delineated wetlands. This is important. It’s coming by certified mail. If you are a landowner, open and read these immediately. If you rent land from somebody who has these wildlife easements on their property, contact them. Stay in contact with them to make sure you know if and when they receive these letters because the appeals process kicks in the day that they receive the letter.

You have 40 days from that date to decide if you’re going to appeal and to get that appeal paperwork in to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This is a step in the right direction for accountability of how agencies work with farmers and ranchers, in the regulatory process.

It's a three-step process. There are three different levels of the appeal. And there are extremely tight timelines that they must follow also. So hopefully, the process is expedient. But most importantly, hopefully the process is just and it does good by the farmers and ranchers in North Dakota.

Share this message. Get the word out. Our congressional delegation, specifically Senator Cramer and Senator Hoeven, worked hard to ensure that this accountability piece was put in place. And once again, the Trump Administration is at work to hold agencies accountable and to ensure regulatory reforms happen which are positive for farmers and ranchers.

And at NDFB, we say thanks to our senators and thanks to the Secretary of the Interior for putting forth this good start to hopefully have some resolve in the disputes between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and farmers and ranchers in North Dakota.