Category: Uncategorized

The Russian invasion of the Ukraine has driven gas prices to record highs. The steep cost of filling the gas tank has forced many Americans to reconsider summer vacation plans, new car purchases, and family budgets. As more and more Americans consider ways to save money at the pump, conversations regarding ethanol and other biofuels have increased.

The ethanol industry has long been a driver of the South Dakota economy. Half of the state’s corn is consumed by the biofuels sector, making it critical to the health and success of the state’s agricultural community. Nationwide, the ethanol industry supports 360,000 jobs and contributes more than $45 billion to the annual GDP. Farmers benefit handsomely from this sector because it consumes 40 percent of corn produced nationwide and provides a $14 billion boost to grain markets.

Despite the recent spike in demand for oil and biofuels, the ethanol industry has had its fair share of setbacks the last couple of years. Small refinery waivers placed ethanol producers at a steep disadvantage in fuel markets. Then in early 2020, Saudi Arabia and Russia entered into a crude oil price war that took a severe toll on ethanol plant profitability. Soon thereafter, ethanol producers took another hit with the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic. Between the start of 2020 and February 2021, ethanol production dropped by two billion gallons. According to Farm Bureau Federation Chief Economist John Newton, this amounted to 700 million bushels of corn that was not used for ethanol production. Corn is one of the top four highest valued commodities in South Dakota’s $8.8 billion agricultural cash receipts. As such, any disruption to demand can create significant setbacks to the state economy. This underscores the importance of taking advantage of new domestic ethanol markets.

Although ethanol is a clean burning fuel, carbon dioxide emissions are a byproduct of the production process. Fortunately, modern carbon capture and storage technologies have made it possible to produce a net-zero-carbon fuel by 2030. This has significant economic ramifications, as implementation of new technologies will allow ethanol facilities to compete in low-carbon fuel markets across the country.

South Dakota will play a leading role in improving the competitive outlook for the American ethanol industry. Ethanol plants in South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota have partnered with Summit Carbon Solutions to develop a $3.7 billion storage project. When completed, it will capture carbon dioxide emissions from refineries, compress them, then channel them to North Dakota where they will be permanently and safely stored in geological formations deep underground. Once the project is finished, it will be capable of capturing and storing 12 million tons of carbon dioxide annually.

The ethanol industry is integral to the long-term health of the South Dakota economy. The Summit Carbon Solutions project will help secure prosperity in the state by generating jobs and supporting the agricultural sector. Furthermore, the project will serve as an important investment in the future because it will make ethanol producers more competitive in national and international markets.

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Ron Alverson has a 40 year farming career in East Central South Dakota…..now retired but still active on the family farm.   Founding member (1987) and past president of the South Dakota Corn Grower’s Association, and past Board member of the National Corn Grower’s Association. Also a founder and current Board Member of Lake Area Corn Processors LLC (Dakota Ethanol), a 90 million gallon per year ethanol production plant at Wentworth, SD. Currently serves as Treasurer of the American Coalition for Ethanol’s Board of Directors and works to improve current GHG emission accounting for corn and ethanol production. Past honors include South Dakota State University “Distinguished Alumni” and Renewable Fuels Association “Industry” award.   BS degree in Agronomy/Soil Science from SDSU.

Currently, participating in a group that is exploring the potential enactment of a Mid-West based Low Carbon Fuel Standard.

On the 2020 presidential campaign trail, President Biden painted himself as a left-leaning moderate. However, since taking office, he has prioritized policies to appease the far-left wing of the Democrat Party. Here’s what those policies have gotten us: an inflation crises, an energy crisis, and a southern border crisis. Unfortunately, there’s no sign the president or the tail that’s been wagging the dog has any desire to shift course. For example, look no further than the latest Democrat push to cancel student loan debt.

For years, progressive Democrats have talked about cancelling student loan debt – as if the federal government were able to draw from an unlimited pot of money – and now, they are trying to use COVID-19 as the catalyst to get there. Recently, the president announced that he is extending the moratorium on federal student loan repayments, the accrual of interest, and debt collections for another four months. In the early days of the pandemic, this made more sense as a temporary measure for a genuine emergency as Americans’ jobs were in jeopardy as the economy quickly began to shut down. But it’s been more than two years since the pandemic began, we no longer have double-digit unemployment, and most folks are back to work. In fact, in South Dakota, our unemployment rate is a low 2.5 percent.

Deferring student loan repayments has already cost the federal government more than $100 billion, which is why I recently introduced the Stop Reckless Student Loan Actions Act. This common-sense legislation would protect taxpayers and block President Biden from endlessly deferring federal student loan repayments. It would also prevent him from using the pandemic – or future national emergencies – as a reason to cancel these student loans outright. To put it simply, South Dakota taxpayers and working families should not be responsible for continuing to bear the costs associated with President Biden’s outdated, budget-busting student loan repayment moratorium, especially since many of the borrowers who’d be on the receiving end have a high earning potential.

President Biden’s press secretary, when referring to the repayment deferment, recently said that “between now and August 31, it’s either going to be extended again or we’re going to make a decision about canceling student debt.” This statement, coming directly from the president’s spokeswoman, makes it alarmingly clear that these repeated deferrals aren’t temporary relief measures. They’re meant to buy time while the president figures out how he can cancel a significant portion of federal student loan debt – money that borrowers agreed to pay back.

Contrary to the radical left’s view, cancelling student loan debt won’t magically solve every problem. It would do absolutely nothing to address the root cause of student debt – the rising cost of higher education. Also, from a fairness perspective, why should the federal government force Americans who incurred no college debt to shoulder the bill for those who did – especially when a substantial portion of that debt is incurred by those with the greatest earning potential like doctors and lawyers. And beyond that, what about the Americans who worked hard for years to pay off their loans? Or, what about parents who have sacrificed and set aside money in order to send their kid to college?

I supported providing temporary relief when it was really needed, but the continuation of student loan deferment or any type of student loan cancellation is a terrible policy at this point. I am doing everything in my power to end President Biden’s unnecessary and outdated student loan deferment and prevent him from perusing his radical wish list at the expense of hard-earned taxpayer dollars.

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This week marked the annual National Week of Action for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls.

Across our nation, a disproportionate number of Native women and girls go missing or are murdered. In South Dakota alone, 68% of missing persons are Native Americans despite making up only 9% of the state population. Of the 106 persons on South Dakota’s Missing Persons List, 30% are Native women. Even more troubling, American Indian women in some tribal communities face murder rates that are ten times higher than the national average. Many of these cases go unsolved due to a lack of resources, underreporting, poor data collection, and jurisdictional difficulties between tribal, local, and state police.

This week, I cosponsored a bill that designates May 5^th as “National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls.” Bringing awareness to this tragic issue is fundamental in securing additional funding and resources to not only help find those who are missing, but to prevent more murders and kidnappings in the future.

Thankfully, some progress has been made. In 2020, Savanna’s Act was signed into law, which requires the Department of Justice to assess and develop law enforcement and justice protocols to address cases involving missing or murdered Native people. I was proud to be a lead cosponsor of this bill. In the same year, the Not Invisible Act became law, increasing intergovernmental coordination to identify and combat violent crime against Indians and on Indian lands.

Every life is precious. Every missing person should have the same chance of being found, but unfortunately that is not the case when it comes to our native neighbors. While we have been moving in the right direction, there is more work to be done to address this nationwide crisis.

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When you think about South Dakota, you can’t help but picture the great outdoors. The beautiful Black Hills, with their mix of mountain ranges and rolling prairies. The mighty Missouri River — winding across the state and feeding thousands of miles of riverbed and streams. The picturesque Prairie Lakes and the wide-open fields that I call home. From the Badlands to farmlands, we’ve got plenty of reasons to go outside.  Whether you are there to work or there to play, the outdoors benefits our economy, too. Especially in agriculture and in our hunting and fishing opportunities.  

Agriculture is, of course, our state’s largest economic engine, and we are expanding opportunities for agriculture to grow our economy. We are expanding agriculture opportunities in several ways, including agritourism, value-added ag, and much more. 

Agritourism is an industry that turns working farms into travel destinations, creating an interactive experience for visitors to see first-hand how their food is grown. With more people than ever visiting our state, I took steps to make it easier to start an agritourism business and provide more opportunities for visitors to our state to see what a life in agriculture has to offer. By tying in our second-largest industry — tourism — to our largest, we provide an opportunity for our farm families to diversify their operations and create another source of income.  

Early in my administration, I tasked the Governor’s Office of Economic Development with generating more value-added ag production in our state. In the last 18 months, GOED has helped secure an estimated $627 million in capital investment for companies that process and add value to South Dakota-grown crops and livestock.  

We have supported ranchers and consumers by giving grants to smaller meat processors and opening opportunities to ship state-inspected meat across state lines.   

We also tie together agriculture and the promotion of South Dakota as the premier pheasant hunting destination. With my Second Century Habitat Initiative, we have provided farmers a financial opportunity to turn marginal acres into productive habitats for pheasants and other wildlife.   

To date, we have enrolled thousands of acres across the state in Second Century Habitat programs. Between this and other public-private partnerships, we have added nearly 1.5 million acres of private land in the public access hunting programs. We’ve also been able to add almost 12,000 acres of food habitat plots, 36,000 acres of grassland restoration, and 15,310 acres of wildlife-friendly fencing. 

As an avid hunter, I want to share South Dakota’s incredible outdoor opportunities with everyone who wants to come enjoy them and landowners play an important role in expanding access. 

Since becoming governor, I have successfully streamlined hunting licenses to make it easier for residents and nonresidents to navigate. One big change has been the revamped website, which combines all outdoor-related activities: hunting/fishing licenses, park reservations, campgrounds, and more.  And self-service kiosks (there are 96 around the state) provide a convenient way for visitors to pay for entrance fees, firewood, and campsite reservations. 

We simplified duck hunting by providing an option for a 3-duck bag limit, which allows hunters to bag any three ducks rather than being restricted by species. That helps first-time duck hunters get involved in the sport. But I also want to see more young people to get interested in the outdoors. 

To do that, we eliminated fishing licenses for all minors and streamlined youth hunting licenses to increase youth participation. We also revamped our youth mentoring program that partners experienced hunters with novice outdoorsmen and women. One of the most successful youth programs has been our Nest Predator Bounty Program, which currently has nearly half of all participants under age 18.  

These are just some of the ways we are continuing to promote the amazing outdoor adventures that are accessible to everyone in South Dakota. I hope that everyone takes time this year to get outdoors and enjoy all the beauty South Dakota has to offer. 

I’ve been talking to people about the GOP dinner last night in Watertown, and from the sounds of it, it was quite interesting.

Taffy Howard spoke about her “A” rating on guns, only to be followed by Dusty Johnson who got to speak about his “A+” from the NRA, and his accompanying endorsement. Ouch. Although, while Dusty was talking, I’m told some dude at Taffy’s table stood in front of the podium with some sign, only to have Brett Holien chase him around the room so Dusty could finish his speech.

Also heard about John Thune’s challenger, Bruce Whalen, who generally ranted on, and used some profanity in the direction of Senator Thune’s campaign manager after he spoke.  Doesn’t sound very Christian of him.  Not that he’s going to win, anyway.

Big item that most people were remarking about was the speech that Steve Haugaard phoned in. No, not his usual phoning it in, but they put him up via speaker over the phone, where he proceeded to generally trash Governor Noem, and the people I all spoke with commented that he was really kind of a jerk.  How many votes did he think he was going to get?

Those who are hosting these events, probably a good lesson. Letting a candidate phone in attacks was a mistake. If someone is going to be jerky, they, or their designated speaker should have to show up and own it.

Lee Schoenbeck had a short campaign speech, and use the rest of the time to rebut the tone of Haugaard’s attacks, pointing out that while there are times where he disagrees with Governor Noem, and they may fight over some issues, he knows she cares about South Dakota, and he’s going to work with her to make our state better.

Those remarks and actions kind of set the differences between some of the candidates, as you might see in this advertisement from D4 House Candidate Adam Grimm:

You know, it starts out with a nice sentiment, but then he gets 1/3 of the way in, and he uses the rest of the advertisement to look like a jerk.  Do we need more people like that in the legislature? No. Does anyone realistically think that this advertisement changed the way anyone attending the dinner is going to vote? No.

But that’s the challenge the GOP faces this election. With record inflation, record gas prices, and an economy that’s facing rocky times, do we need people who point out they are married to a woman, or do we need people who are willing to solve problems without sounding like they spend too much time on facebook?

And there you go.

Dusty Johnson just sent a letter out to supporters. And in it, he seems to intimate that his primary opponent Taffy Howard has some problems with bearing false witness against him:

John Thune and Dusty Johnson just got the nod from the National Rifle Association and were endorsed for re-election:

Taffy Howard was also ranked lower than Dusty, likely as a result of voting against the Shooting Sports range, which was an NRA supported bill.  (I wonder how quickly she’s going to admit being less conservative in the rankings than her opponent?)

 

I didn’t receive this until just today (I’m always getting those things lost in the mail), but State Legislative Candidate Tony Venhuizen just had a HUGE fundraiser in Sioux Falls on the 4th.

Special guests were Governor Kristi Noem and former Governor Daugaard. And Congressman Dusty Johnson was one of the hosts.

(They got me a little better copy of the flyer)

Minnehaha County GOP will be hosting a MEET THE CANDIDATES Social. All State Delegation, Minnehaha Republican Legislative Candidates, County Officers and Committeemen and Committeewoman are invited. We hope to see you there! We encourage you to wear your name badge and bring your flyers and yard signs. Due to the large number of Candidates, we divided the Meet and Greet into two meetings, see details below. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

Gov. Noem Proclaims Today Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Noem proclaimed May 5^th as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day in South Dakota.

“Today, we remember the Indigenous people who have been murdered and those who remain missing. We are committed to working with Tribal Nations to address this ongoing tragedy and help our fellow South Dakotans, the Oceti Sakowin people,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “I encourage every South Dakotan to take a moment today to reflect on and help raise awareness for those within this vulnerable population. Let’s give them our help and support and continue to lift them and their families up in prayer.”

Actions taken by Governor Noem to address the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered indigenous people include:

• Establishing procedures for the investigation of missing and murdered indigenous persons;
• Establishing a missing person clearinghouse;
• Creating and fully funding the Office of Liaison for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People; and
• Working on state legislation for the last 4 years to better combat human trafficking.

Additionally, while serving in the United States House of Representatives, then-Congresswoman Noem sponsored the “Protect Our Native Women Act” and legislation to make tribes eligible for AMBER Alert grants. She also co-sponsored anti-human trafficking legislation that was signed into law by both PresidentsObama and Trump.

“While these efforts have made a positive lasting impact, we have more work to do,” continued Governor Noem. “Through further collaboration between our Tribal Nations, federal agencies, and the State of South Dakota, we will continue working to end this terrible crisis.”

You can find Governor Noem’s proclamation here. To learn more about Native American culture and education, visit the Department of Tribal Relations’website.

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