A recent Supreme Court Decision regarding wetlands allowing landowners to go to court and bypass other regulatory hearings is a positive one. That’s according to South Dakota Farm Bureau President Scott VanderWal who says it loosens regulatory red tape and allows farmers to sue over wetlands findings if they choose to.

He says there’s been positive progress on unraveling federal regulations connected to wetlands and this recent court decision is another example.

VanderWal says sometimes it’s difficult to determine what constitutes a wetland and the recent court ruling along with Army Corps of Engineers guidance letter on that should be helpful.

The Hawkes Supreme Court decision makes all approved jurisdictional determinations able to be challenged in court without going through permit process or the administrative appeal process.