House Bill 1383 proposes a change in the North Dakota Century Code that would provide a property tax exemption for certain agricultural land in which there is a federal easement. North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring testified against the bill, arguing the easements themselves might be the issue. “North Dakota’s been fighting with permanent federal easements since the 1970s,” said Goehring. “These easements have tied up a vast amount of acres; these easements have lost the state income due to economic opportunities, expanding water issues on adjacent land and prohibiting infrastructure development.” Goehring went on to warn against individuals who seek easements for a tax exemption. “I believe we should not be incentivizing perpetual easements, which could continue to harm our communities, our agricultural base and our infrastructure in our counties and state.”
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