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Jonathan Ellis is writing at Argusleader.com this weekend that at least two of the candidates being mentioned for the contest are actively out fundraising.

So it’s no wonder that the friends of Marty and the friends of Mark have launched political action committees more than two years before the election. The friends of Mark held a fundraiser in Sioux Falls on Thursday, the second in the last couple of weeks with another planned in Brookings. The friends of Marty are holding a fundraiser next month.

Read it all here.

And while a Sioux Falls fundraiser for Marty had to be postponed because of a scheduling conflict, a Rapid City fundraiser is still scheduled, and shows an interesting array of hosts:

  
You have hosts as varied as from Bill Napoli and Lyndell Petersen to Bruce Rampelberg and David Lust.

What do you think? I see a fairly broad cross-section of Republicans.

(Anyone have a Mickelson invite? I’d love to see that one too!)

Reprinted with Permission from the Heritage Foundation:

It only took President Barack Obama 2,604 days to reject the permit application for the Keystone XL pipeline.

In a statement today, Obama said the pipeline “would not serve the national interest of the United States.”

“America is now a global leader when it comes to taking serious action to fight climate change,” Obama added. “And frankly, approving this project would have undercut that global leadership.”

Former Obama administration Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu  hit the nail on the head: “The decision on whether the construction should happen was a political one and not a scientific one.”

Here are the top nine reasons Obama is wrong on Keystone XL.

1. Jobs and economic growth. Opponents will minimize the job numbers, saying that the pipeline will create only “a handful” of permanent jobs—and that’s correct. In his speech Obama said, “So if Congress is serious about wanting to create jobs, this was not the way to do it.” But here’s what that argument misses:  the tens of thousands of construction jobs that the pipeline project will create.  fact, simply building the southern portion—which didn’t need Obama’s approval—has already created 4,000 construction jobs. And if opponents are dismissive of Keystone XL, they should be dismissive of all construction projects as they’re all temporary – because they’re construction jobs.  Further, Keystone XL would add economic value, transport an important energy resource efficiently and would result in billions of dollars of tax revenue for states it runs through.
2. Stable supply of oil from an important trading partner that will lower gas prices. The pipeline would carry up to 830,000 barrels of oil from Canada to the Gulf Coast, where U.S. refineries are already equipped to handle heavier crudes. The pipeline will efficiently provide supply from a secure source and a friendly and important trading partner. Contra Obama’s claim today that “the pipeline would not lower gas prices for American consumers,”  increased oil supplies will lower gas prices, though the impact may be small
3. Safest mode of getting oil and gas to Americans. Many in the United States live near a pipeline without even knowing about it. America has more than 500,000 miles of crude oil, petroleum and natural gas pipelines and another 2 million miles of natural gas distribution pipelines. When it comes to accidents, injuries or fatalities, pipelines are the safest mode of transporting oil and gas.
4. Should be a business decision, not a government one. In concluding with Secretary of State John Kerry’s assessment that the project would not be in the national interest, Obama said, “The pipeline would not make a meaningful longterm contribution to our economy.”  That is not the role of the federal government to make that determination.  The federal government shouldn’t make that determination with the construction of a new restaurant or boutique shop.  And they shouldn’t make that determination with a pipeline.  After the State Department concluded that the pipeline was environmentally safe, the decision to build Keystone XL should be a business decision – not a government one.
5. We’ve done this before. The Keystone XL Pipeline is just a portion of the larger Keystone Pipeline System. You can view a map of the entire system here. Unbeknownst to many is the fact that the U.S. has already granted one of those presidential permits for the Keystone Pipeline System. For phase I of the Keystone Pipeline System, TransCanada filed an application with the Department of State (DOS) in April 2006, and the department began an environmental review in September 2006. TransCanada received its presidential permit for phase I in March 2008. From beginning to end, the process took 23 months.  It has taken 86 months for Obama to say no.
6. Environmentally safe. It was Albert Einstein who said the definition of insanity was “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” The State Department must be teetering on the edge of insanity, because after multiple environmental reviews concluding that Keystone XL poses minimal environmental risk to soil, wetlands, water resources, vegetation, fish, and wildlife, the Obama administration still rejected the permit application.
7. Negligible climate impact. In a speech in June 2013, Obama said the climate effects of Keystone XL would have a major impact on the administration’s decision. These effects, however, would be minimal. The State Department’s final environmental impact statement concludes that the Canadian oil is coming out of the ground whether Keystone XL is built or not, so the difference in greenhouse gas emissions is miniscule. No matter your position on climate change, Keystone XL won’t make a difference.
8. Can be built without the help of the taxpayer. Building and operating Keystone XL will result in real private-sector jobs that will grow the U.S. economy. This is much different from the president’s taxpayer-funded green jobs plan that merely siphons resources out of the market and forces pricier energy on the American public.
9. The people want it. Lots of people want it. A CNN poll in the beginning of the year found that 57 percent of Americans support the project, while just 28 percent oppose it. Many unions want it. Former Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar called the project a “win-win.”  Congress sent a bill to Obama’s desk, demonstrating their will to approve the project. Sadly, the Obama administration is catering to the small group of radical environmental activists who don’t want the pipeline.

Last April, the Washington Post slammed the Obama administration’s continued delay of a Keystone XL decision, calling it “absurd” and “embarrassing.” Rejecting the permit application is even more absurd and more embarrassing.

https://twitter.com/SOSKrebs/status/662740994069168130

 

So, who’s ready to vote against the taxpayer funded campaigns being sought by the members of the Democrat Party?

Rejection of Keystone Pipeline Robs South
Dakota of Jobs and Economic Opportunity, Says Noem

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Kristi Noem today expressed deep disappointment with President Obama’s decision to deny approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline.

“President Obama’s rejection of the Keystone XL Pipeline robs South Dakota of good jobs and economic opportunity,” said Noem.  “This pipeline offered revenue for cash-strapped South Dakota counties and much-needed relief on the roads and rails that are currently crowded with oil transit.  His rejection was a purely political decision.  In the half-dozen years that Keystone has been under review, 10,000 miles of pipeline have been laid in this country.  That’s more than eight Keystone XL pipelines.”

Rep. Noem has been a vocal supporter of the Keystone XL Pipeline’s construction, arguing it would create jobs and generate revenue for South Dakota.  She was a co-sponsor of the Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act, which was passed by the House and Senate but vetoed by the President earlier this year.

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From Politico:

Ben Carson’s campaign on Friday admitted, in a response to an inquiry from POLITICO, that a central point in his inspirational personal story was fabricated: his application and acceptance into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

The academy has occupied a central place in Carson’s tale for years. According to a story told in Carson’s book, “Gifted Hands,” the then-17 year old was introduced in 1969 to Gen. William Westmoreland, who had just ended his command of U.S. forces in Vietnam, and the two dined together. That meeting, according to Carson’s telling, was followed by a “full scholarship” to the military academy.

West Point, however, has no record of Carson applying, much less being extended admission.

Read it here.

 Statement From Gov. Daugaard On Keystone XL

PIERRE, S.D. – Gov. Dennis Daugaard issued the following statement today in response to President Obama’s rejection of the Keystone XL Pipeline:

“I’m disappointed in President Obama’s rejection of the Keystone XL Pipeline. Oil will still be produced in Alberta, Canada, and shipped by rail or piped elsewhere. By halting the Keystone Pipeline the President is eliminating an opportunity for America to be more reliant on trusted North American friends and less reliant on oil producers from other places – many of whom do not respect nor share our values.”

Rounds Statement on President’s Rejection of Keystone XL Pipeline

PIERRE—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today issued the following statement on President Obama’s decision to reject the Keystone XL pipeline:

“This decision is no surprise,” said Rounds. “While disappointing, this underscores the need for Congress to take affirmative action to see that this project is allowed to move forward. The Keystone XL pipeline would bring millions of dollars of tax revenue to local units of government in South Dakota. It would also ease the congestion on our rail system allowing us to move our crops to market in a more timely and efficient manner.”

The Senate voted on legislation earlier this year to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. It passed the Senate 62-36 before being vetoed by the President.

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Thune Statement on Obama Administration’s Rejection of Keystone XL Pipeline
“I would say that I’m surprised, but with President Obama’s commitment to appeasing the far-left environmental wing of his political base, today’s decision is par for the course.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement after the Obama administration announced it has denied TransCanada’s permit application to build the long-stalled Keystone XL pipeline:

“I would say that I’m surprised, but with President Obama’s commitment to appeasing the far-left environmental wing of his political base, today’s decision is par for the course,” said Thune. “The Obama administration has spent seven years delaying this common-sense project. It has reviewed thousands of public comments and completed five environmental impact statements – all of which found the pipeline would have no significant impact on the environment. The pipeline would immediately support thousands of shovel-ready jobs during construction, including 3,000-4,000 in South Dakota alone. The only explanation for today’s decision is that the administration has squeezed from this project’s unnecessary delay every last bit of political expediency that remained.”

Approving the Keystone XL pipeline was a priority for the Republican-led Senate. In January, more than 60 senators supported a bill that would have approved this project. After the bipartisan legislation cleared the House of Representatives, President Obama vetoed the bill.

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From Fox News:

President Obama announced Friday that he has rejected Canadian energy giant TransCanada’s application to build the Keystone XL pipeline, saying that the pipeline was not in the U.S. national interest.

“The State Department has decided the Keystone XL pipeline would not serve the interests of the United States. I agree with that decision,” Obama said at a White House press conference.

The announcement caps a 7-year saga that has become one of the biggest environmental flashpoints of Obama’s presidency. It comes just days after the State Department refused to agree to TransCanada’s request to suspend the review process on the controversial project, which has seen enormous opposition from environmental groups.

Read it all here as it develops.

My friend and State Representative Lance Russell has a reputation for not mincing many words when he gets his mind set to something.

And it would appear that continues to be the case as Representative Russell pens a letter to Dr. Melody Schopp, Secretary of the State Department of Education, as he asks her to step down from her position.

Lance concedes that he has no authority to make the request, but his “conscience and duties to the citizens dictate” that he make the request.

In a conversation this morning, I did point to Lance that Democrats seem to be supporting and cheering him on, but Lance wryly pointed out their fair weather friendliness as “they evaporate when he’s right on a lot of other issues.”