North Dakota Senators Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven hosted a roundtable discussion on Wednesday regarding recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service guidance. This guidance clarified pre-1976 wetland easement boundaries and offered a process to appeal wetland maps. Ellingson Companies Director of Government Affairs Levi Otis attended the meeting and says the appeals process isn’t working the way it was intended. “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife is under-sizing wetlands and spreading acres along potholes that aren’t wetlands. They’re not working with farmers to get these appeals done correctly.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Aurelia Skipwith was part of this meeting. North Dakota Senator John Hoeven says she committed to face-to-face meetings with producers to better explain the process moving forward.
