A concurrent resolution urging the United States Congress to transfer the management of all national grassland property within the state from the United States Forest Service to the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Summary
House Concurrent Resolution 3024 is a nonbinding resolution urging the United States Congress to transfer management of all national grassland lands in North Dakota from the U.S. Forest Service to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The resolution states that North Dakota contains more than 1 million acres of national grasslands and argues that NRCS’s mission is better aligned with the original purposes of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act, which created the national grasslands.
The resolution emphasizes conservation, soil erosion control, watershed protection, recreation, and agricultural productivity. It directs the Secretary of State to send copies of the resolution to the President, the Secretary of the Interior, and North Dakota’s congressional delegation, signaling that the measure is intended as a formal request to federal officials rather than a change in state regulatory authority.
Impact
HCR 3024 does not change North Dakota statutes or create new state regulatory requirements; instead, it expresses the Legislature’s position and asks Congress to act on federal land-management authority. If adopted and acted upon federally, the proposal could shift oversight of national grasslands in North Dakota from the U.S. Forest Service to NRCS, potentially affecting grazing, conservation planning, recreation, and land stewardship practices on those federal lands.
Sentiment
The available context suggests generally supportive sentiment, with the resolution framed in positive terms around conservation, agricultural use, and alignment with the original federal purpose of the grasslands. There are no recorded committee transcripts or votes showing opposition in the provided materials, and the bill’s filing indicates it moved as a formal legislative expression rather than a contested policy overhaul.
Contention
The main point of contention implied by the resolution is which federal agency should manage national grasslands: supporters favor the Natural Resources Conservation Service because of its agricultural and conservation focus, while the current arrangement places management with the U.S. Forest Service. Any disagreement would likely center on whether NRCS or the Forest Service is better suited to balance grazing, recreation, habitat, and resource protection on these lands, but no explicit opposition is shown in the provided record.
A concurrent resolution urging the United States Congress to transfer the management of all national grassland property within the state from the United States Forest Service to the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
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A concurrent resolution urging Congress to enact legislation allowing a landowner to terminate a perpetual easement owned by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service within the state.
Memorializes Congress and the United States Forest Service to take such actions as are necessary to allow the use of dogs for hunting in the Kisatchie National Forest