Looming Vote Could Reshape Future of North Dakota’s Public Lands

(Adobe Stock via Prairie News Service)

(By Mike Moen. Prairie News Service) – The U.S. Senate is expected to vote soon on a policy change North Dakota conservationists say could have major implications for the state’s public lands.

Resource Management Plans do not sound flashy but for outdoor enthusiasts and commercial developers, they set the tone for divvying up sections of land for activities like hunting access, protecting wildlife habitat and energy use. The plans are updated with a lot of public input about every decade or so and one for North Dakota was finalized in January but Republicans want to repeal it using what’s known as the Congressional Review Act.

John Bradley, executive director of the North Dakota Wildlife Federation, said it would be a big mistake.

“It really comes down to a loss of regulatory certainty,” Bradley explained. “The provisions for habitat protection, for water quality, and water quality is a big one with the Missouri River drinking water here in North Dakota. Those can be removed and weakened.”