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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife, issued the following statement on the Senate confirming Kate MacGregor as Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Interior:
“Kate is a good friend I have enjoyed working with over the years. She has a firm grasp on the Interior issues impacting North Dakota and is well qualified for this role. I look forward to working with her to advance our energy development priorities and defend the rights of private property owners from an ever-intrusive bureaucracy. Kate continues to have an open invitation to visit North Dakota in her new capacity.”
Senator Cramer praised MacGregor’s nomination when it was announced in October and urged his colleagues to confirm her last November. Senator Cramer’s Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife EPW Subcommittee has direct oversight over the Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), which falls under the Interior Department.
Last October, Senator Cramer hosted Interior Secretary David Bernhardt’s trip to Hope, North Dakota. There, they met with landowners and farmers to discuss FWS enforcement of certain perpetual easements, called Waterfowl Production Areas, and how it has impeded their ability to manage their land. This meeting resulted in FWS issuing a Directors Order to provide due process for owners of qualifying land. The first step in the Director’s Order will be FWS sending maps to these landowners, who will have 40 days to dispute them. Click here to learn more.
Following that first Director’s Order, FWS says it will soon clarify how drain tile setback recommendations are calculated, as well as how and when FWS will pursue legal action for setback violations. FWS will also clarify how it initiates contact with landowners when it suspects there has been a wetland easement violation, and how landowners can appeal that violation.
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