Ellingson Drainage, Inc. v. United States Fish & Wildlife Service

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ELLINGSON DRAINAGE, INC., Plaintiff, v. Civil Action No. 25-541 (JDB) UNITED STATES FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE, et al., Defendants. MEMORANDUM OPINION Plaintiff Ellingson Drainage Inc. operates a drain tile business in the upper Great Plains, installing subsurface pipes to aerate oversaturated soil for agricultural use. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (the “Service”) holds conservation easements over numerous small wetlands in the region. By selling these easements to the Service, landowners (many of whom are Ellingson’s…