Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Thune at Ag Hearing: Waters of the U.S. Rule Prime Example of EPA Overreach

“Waters of the U.S. rule is another example of what has become an all-too-common practice of this administration to reach into the lives, livelihoods, and pocketbooks of the American people it is supposed to be helping.”

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today sharply criticized the Obama Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) controversial Waters of the U.S. rule at hearing before the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee entitled, “Waters of the United States: Stakeholder Perspectives on the Impact of EPA’s Proposed Rule.” Thune noted that the EPA’s overreach has generated so much concern and controversy that stakeholders have weighed in with over a million comments to the proposed rule.

Video of Thune statement is available here.

“[W]hat concerns me the most about this EPA proposed Waters of the U.S. rule is that it is another example of what has become an all-too-common practice of this administration to reach into the lives, livelihoods, and pocketbooks of the American people it is supposed to be helping.

“Even before this rule is finalized, the cost of just the proposed rule to the people it is supposed to be helping is staggering. Think about the amount of time taken for respondents to file over a million comments to the proposed rule, the number Congressional hearings including this one, and individuals, small businesses and county and state governments who have worked hard to keep this rule from destroying their livelihoods has cost already millions of dollars to counter a government that was created to be of assistance.”

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Rounds Applauds FAA’s Approval of Powder River Training Complex Expansion for Ellsworth Air Force Base

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today applauded the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) announcement that it has approved the Air Force’s proposed expansion of the Powder River Training Complex (PRTC). PRTC encompasses air space over South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. This is the last step in the expansion process.

“I commend the collaborative efforts of the Air Force and the FAA, who have worked diligently to see this important project through,” said Rounds. “The expansion of PRTC will not only provide additional air space for our men and women in uniform to train for combat, it will save Ellsworth Air Force Base millions of dollars a year in fuel costs. Completion of the project solidifies the critical role Ellsworth plays – and will continue to play – in military readiness and national defense.”

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Gov. Daugaard’s Statement On PRTC Expansion

PIERRE, S.D. – Gov. Dennis Daugaard issued the following statement today commending the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision to approve the Air Force’s expansion of the Powder River Training Complex.

“I am pleased that the Powder River Training Complex has finally been approved,” Gov. Daugaard said. “This expanded airspace will provide tremendous benefits to the Air Force, including the servicemen and women stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base. I appreciate the efforts of Sen. Thune, the Ellsworth Development Authority, the Ellsworth Task Force and others as we worked with the Department of Defense to bring this project to fruition.”

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BROOKINGS, S.D.–The South Dakota College Republicans announce that blogger, columnist, and #1 New York Times bestselling author Michelle Malkin will be headlining the 2015 College Republican Convention at South Dakota State University.

 

Malkin will deliver a speech at the SDSU Performing Arts Center 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 2 that is free and open to the public.  The event is being hosted by the College Republicans and is co-sponsored with Young America’s Foundation.

 

“We are thrilled to bring someone of Michelle’s talent, experience, and political insight to South Dakota,” said State College Republicans Chairman Joe Schartz.  “Her story should bring people of all political beliefs to SDSU, and we especially hope that students will be interested in hearing about her journey as a conservative writer.”

 

Malkin is similarly excited to bring her message to the convention.  “I can’t wait to visit South Dakota State University and share my story of how and why I believe conservative principles are best for protecting and enhancing individual freedom and prosperity. I’m thrilled by the invitation of the South Dakota College Republicans and impressed with their activism and engagement,” she said.

 

Members of the public interested in reserving seats for the free event are encouraged to RSVP at: https://eventbrite.com/event/16170985854/

 

State Republican Chairman Pam Roberts expects the event to be well attended. “I am proud of our College Republicans for hosting Michelle Malkin and generating interest in political discussion in South Dakota,” said Roberts.

 

Malkin began her career in newspaper journalism with the Los Angeles Daily News, where she worked as an editorial writer and weekly columnist from 1992-94. In 1995, she was named Warren Brookes Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. In 1996, she joined the editorial board of the Seattle Times, where she penned editorials and weekly columns for three and a half years. 

 

She has been a nationally syndicated columnist for Creators Syndicate since 1999. Her twice-weekly column is carried by the New York Post, National Review, Townhall.com, and many other newspapers and websites. 

 

Her first book, Invasion: How America Still Welcomes Terrorists Criminals & Other Foreign Menaces to Our Shores, published in 2002, was a New York Times bestseller. Her most recent book, Culture of Corruption: Obama and His Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks, and Cronies, was #1 on the New York Times hardcover non-fiction bestseller list for six weeks in a row. 

 

She has founded three successful conservative websites: michellemalkin.com, HotAir.com (sold to Salem Communications in 2010), and Twitchy.com (sold to Salem Communications in 2013). 

 

The daughter of Filipino immigrants, Malkin was born in Philadelphia, Pa., in 1970 and was raised in southern New Jersey. She has worked as a press inserter, tax preparation aide, and network news librarian. She is also a lapsed classical pianist. 

 

She lives with her husband and two children in Colorado Springs, Colo.

 

Thune Introduces Bill to Extend Successful Sport Fish & Boating Fund

-Bill scheduled for Commerce Committee mark-up this week-

 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), the committee’s ranking member, today introduced S. 834 to reauthorize through Fiscal Year 2023 the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, which has benefitted millions of anglers and fishermen since 1950. 

 

“This program helps ensure our natural water resources receive needed care so that they remain available for the use and enjoyment of generations to come,” said Thune. “Sport fishermen and recreational boaters value and support this trust fund that allocates funds to protect wetlands, restore fisheries, and support a national recreational boating safety program.”

“Keeping our beaches, lakes and rivers clean and abundant with fish is about protecting our economy and fragile environment,” Nelson said. “It’s also about leaving a lasting legacy for future generations.” 

The program collects user fees on fishing tackle and equipment, motorboat fuel, imported boats and fishing equipment, and small engines, raising roughly $600 million per year. The money in the fund is then allocated to federal and state programs for boating safety and infrastructure, fishery management, habitat conservation, and related programs and activities. Last Congress, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the bill “would not affect revenues.” 

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund authorizes annual distribution for the following:

 

• Administration of the Sport Fish Restoration Program
• Multistate Conservation Grant Program
• Atlantic, Gulf, Pacific, and Great Lakes States Fisheries Commissions
• Sport Fish and Boating Partnership Council

The remaining funds are allocated to the following programs according to the Act:

• Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA)
• Boating Safety (Administered by U.S. Coast Guard)
• Clean Vessel Act
• Boating Infrastructure
• Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation
• Sport Fish Restoration – apportioned to states/DC/insular areas (includes funding for Aquatic Resource Education and Boating Access)

 

Click here to read S. 834. The Sport Fish Restoration and Recreational Boating Safety Act is scheduled for consideration by the Commerce Committee on Wednesday, March 25, 2015.

 

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