North Dakota v. United States
United States Supreme Court
460 U.S. 300 (1983)
Relevant factsFree
Under the Wetlands Loan Act, North Dakota governors consented to federal acquisition of easements over roughly 1.5 million acres of wetlands between 1961 and 1977. After a dispute, the state enacted 1977 legislation limiting easements to 99 years and letting landowners drain newly expanded wetlands; the federal government sued for a declaratory judgment that this legislation did not apply, and the lower courts agreed.
IssueFree
Whether a state may withdraw its consent to federal easements or impose conditions on easement acquisition if doing so is hostile to federal law and interests.
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