Farmers in North Dakota said a federal rule put in place by former President Joe Biden’s administration violates their property rights and has caused them to suffer financially as Republican North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer threatened to hold President Donald Trump’s nominations over the rule.
Farmers impacted by the policy say the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) policy prevents them from installing underground agricultural drainage tiles near protected federal easements, arguing it interferes with their property rights and causes them financial harm. The Trump administration backed out of its initial plans to rescind the policy on behalf of farmers, prompting Cramer’s plan to withhold “any and all” of Trump’s nominations until the administration agrees to change it.
Some impacted by the policy told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the FWS was “overstepping” its boundaries and was unwilling to compromise with struggling farmers. Conservation groups and hunters argued that the policy protects birds habitats.
Steve Hansen, a farmer from Oakes, North Dakota, told the DCNF that easements make it difficult for him and other farmers to grow food and argued they hurt the wildlife population.
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