A Good Compromise On Nonmeandered Waters A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard: For at least 20 years, the northeastern part of our state has been dealing with the issue of nonmeandered waters. For that entire time, the state has NOT been dealing with the problems that our laws have caused. This issue arose during the […]
Giving the Open Waters Compromise Time to Work A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard: The issue of nonmeandered waters has been a contentious one in recent decades. Problems arose in the 1990s, when water bodies in eastern South Dakota expanded greatly, after receiving far more moisture than normal. Several legislative efforts tried to address this challenge, but […]
Gov. Daugaard Signs Open Waters Compromise PIERRE, S.D. – Gov. Dennis Daugaard this evening signed into law House Bill 1001, the compromise bill on nonmeandered waters.“I thank the Legislature for recognizing the urgency of passing the Open Waters Compromise,” said Gov. Daugaard. “With the signing of this bill, we are opening up tens of thousands […]
From a my voices column from this past weekend, on behalf of the South Dakota Wildlife Federation, Chris Hesla is arguing against the proposed legislation, operating under the assumption that farmers’ flooded land should belong to everyone but the person who physically holds title to it: Further, this bill allows mass commercialization of a public […]