701-566-9300Finally, 2139 – the snagging and clearing bill which restores state cost share has passed both houses! This was a big deal for producers as far as I was concerned but the back and forth of the process seemed never ending. It ended up being amended to add another member to the State Water Commission appointed by the Governor, so it would seem to be something the Governor will sign. Along with the farm home exemption passage and the defeat of a bill earlier which would have hamstrung assessment drainage projects by taking away Quick Take, it would seem that many of our objectives are being met. Certainly there are more to go. Although non-legislative, there have been a couple of meetings with officials concerning a soy crush plant at Spiritwood and opportunities for positive decisions exist.
Back on current legislative happenings, there was action last hour on the automatic posting bill – 2315. What the House did was divide the bill into A and B. Section A was the part that made any private land automatically posted except for hunters. It passed. Section B was the part that gave a committee about 16 months to come up with a solution (an app or whatever) or land would be automatically posted for hunters for the 2020 season and beyond. That failed. Now it goes to Conference Committee.
