A federal judge dismissed Wednesday a challenge to a Fish and Wildlife Service rule intended to help protect wetlands in the Upper Midwest’s sensitive prairie pothole region.
The potentially far-reaching lawsuit had been brought on behalf of a Minnesota-based company called Ellingson Drainage by the Pacific Legal Foundation, which often focuses on private property rights.
The company claimed a 2024 Fish and Wildlife Service rule effectively curtailed its business of installing subsurface drain tiles on certain farmlands located near the potholes.
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But U.S. District Judge John Bates said the lawsuit filed last February couldn’t clear the first set of courtroom hurdles.
