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House ag committee recommends asking Congress to transfer national grasslands management to NRCS
Summary
The committee approved a resolution urging Congress to move management of national grasslands within North Dakota from the U.S. Forest Service to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, with supporters saying NRCS's soil‑health focus better fits predominantly grazing lands.
Representative Keith Kepnick told the House Agriculture Committee that recent proposals and management concerns prompted a review of whether national grasslands in North Dakota would be better served under the Natural Resources Conservation Service rather than the U.S. Forest Service.
"For the most part, most of it is grasslands," Kepnick said, and he described the lands' history under the Resettlement Act and Bankhead‑Jones Act. He said much of the national grasslands were once deeded private land and that the lands are largely used for grazing.
Julie Ellingson of the North Dakota Stockmen's Association told the committee the association supports the transfer language in House Concurrent Resolution 30 24 because "the mission of NRCS is more closely aligned with and attuned to the grasslands, focused on soil health and rangeland, which has substantial differences than the management of wooded forests." She said NRCS program work — for example, reclaiming abandoned oil wells and converting them to water sources — has benefited livestock producers and the rangeland.
Keith Winter, president of the Mackenzie County Grazing Association, said historically the soil conservation service managed segments of these lands and that would be an appropriate reference point.
Representative Twite moved and Representative Rios seconded a due‑pass recommendation on HCR 30 24. The committee recorded a roll call and returned a 11‑0‑3 vote in favor; members moved the resolution to the consent calendar for floor consideration with a designated carrier.
