Lawmakers Discuss Economic Study on Irrigation

North Dakota House Bill 1531, which would fund an economic study on irrigation. Introduced by Representative Cindy Schreiber-Beck, the bill seeks a one-time $75,000 appropriation for the state’s Agriculture Commissioner to contract with a consultant to analyze irrigation’s economic impact. North Dakota Irrigation Association Executive Director Dani Quissell highlighted unfulfilled promises from the federal government related to the Pick-Sloan Flood Control Act of 1944 during Tuesday’s Senate hearing. “There were promises made to the state of North Dakota with regard to irrigation development that was supposed to offset that loss of land,” Quissell said. “A lot of that irrigation was not developed, and we continue to advocate in D.C. for some kind of compensation for the state of North Dakota.”