WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee, today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has awarded $565,000 to North Dakota Agricultural Mitigation (NDAM) through the Wetland Mitigation Banking Program (WMBP), which Hoeven has worked to fund through his role on the Senate Appropriations Committee. Hoeven led the North Dakota congressional delegation in sending a letter to NRCS Chief Colton Buckley supporting NDAM’s application. The funding will help NDAM expand its Ag Wetland Trade program, developing additional wetland mitigation bank sites and increasing access to affordable mitigation credits for North Dakota farmers to meet federal conservation compliance requirements.

            “North Dakota farmers need practical, cost-effective ways to meet federal wetland requirements while continuing to productively use their land,” said Hoeven. “That’s why we’ve worked to fund the WMBP over the years and led the North delegation in supporting this award, which will help expand wetland mitigation options and provide our producers with greater flexibility. This builds on the important work of North Dakota Agricultural Mitigation to ensure our farmers can meet conservation requirements without unnecessarily limiting agricultural production.”

           The new funding will help expand the program, providing North Dakota farmers with greater access to affordable mitigation options while meeting federal conservation requirements.

            Full text of the letter can be found here.

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