Category: Uncategorized

A Tale of Two Pipelines
By Sen. John Thune

The recent Colonial Pipeline hack was a stark reminder of the importance of American energy independence and security. Americans should never have to question whether they will have reliable and affordable access to energy and fuel, but lines at gas pumps across the northeast hearkened back to the 1970s, when conflict in the Middle East resulted in serious shortages in the United States.

Over the last several decades, Republicans have prioritized efforts to ensure that our country can rely almost entirely on North American energy sources instead of imports from overseas – and we’ve made great strides. But for America to maintain its competitive energy posture, we cannot hamstring industries that have helped reduce our dependency on foreign energy. Unfortunately, President Biden has already begun to do just that, starting when he halted construction of the job-creating Keystone XL pipeline on the first day of his presidency.

The pipeline, which was already under construction, would have run through nine counties in South Dakota and brought economic growth to small towns like Philip and Murdo. Its cancellation will rob 11,000 Americans of good-paying jobs – all because of exaggerated concerns over the environmental impact and an unrealistic and costly agenda to end the use of fossil fuels.

Pipelines are the most environmentally responsible way of transporting oil, and even the Obama administration agreed that Keystone XL was the most environmentally sensitive approach compared to using rail or trucks. The project’s emissions would also be entirely offset with a $1.7 billion investment in renewable energy. President Biden’s decision to cancel this infrastructure project was shortsighted and entirely counterproductive. The oil in question needs to be transported whether Keystone XL is built or not, especially as consumer demand for fuel rebounds.

Given President Biden’s firm position on the Keystone XL pipeline, I find it particularly troubling that he took a notably different position on a pipeline being built from Russia to Germany – the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. His administration recently decided not to sanction the builders of the Russian pipeline because, as the president said, “It’s almost completely finished.” Allowing the successful construction of Nord Stream 2 will make our European allies more dependent on Russia’s energy monopoly for their energy supplies and serve an economic blow to Ukraine as it fends off Russian aggression. The president has talked aggressively about countering Russian President Vladimir Putin and his destabilizing agenda, but now, with a chance to do something about halting construction of the pipeline, President Biden is taking the pressure off.

It’s a tale of two pipelines: our president has decided to allow the construction of Nord Stream 2, a Russian pipeline that will leave our European allies more vulnerable to Russia, and halted construction of Keystone XL, a pipeline that would create 11,000 American jobs and transport Canadian and American crude oil in the most environmentally safe way. Unfortunately, it feels like the president is picking Russia’s energy monopoly, to the detriment of America and South Dakota’s energy independence, and putting politics over practicality.

It’s not just President Biden who is pushing these kinds of left-wing energy policies. I’ve spoken out against the Democrats’ $259 billion “Clean Energy for America Act” because of its expansive wish list of new government spending. I’ve argued that if we want to make meaningful, fiscally responsible investments in American energy, it will require a real “all-the-above” approach.

Since being elected to Congress, I have promoted the use of home-grown biofuels to help reduce carbon emissions from transportation, and many people may be surprised to learn that due to robust hydroelectric and wind energy, approximately 70 percent of South Dakota’s energy production is renewable. Still, President Biden and Democrats are wrong to increasingly minimize the critical role oil and natural gas play in ensuring affordable and reliable energy for all Americans.

While I’m a longtime advocate of clean energy and clean fuels, the fact of the matter is that our economy is still going to need traditional sources of energy – namely oil and natural gas – for a long time to come. I hope Democrats change course and work with Republicans on delivering affordable and reliable energy to consumers, creating and expanding good-paying jobs for American workers, and securing American energy independence – all while lowering our emissions.

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Arbitrary and Unlawful
By: Governor Kristi Noem
June 4, 2021

There is no better place than Mount Rushmore to celebrate America’s birthday. Independence Day is the celebration of our nation and our founding principles of freedom, equality, and opportunity. Thomas Jefferson wrote the beautiful document that declared the United States of America free and independent. George Washington’s leadership in the American Revolution ensured that our independence was established and protected.

Unfortunately, the Biden Administration does not share South Dakota’s desire to celebrate America’s birthday at our Shrine of Democracy. They arbitrarily and unlawfully denied our permit to hold the event this year, violating a memorandum of agreement that the State of South Dakota had with the Department of Interior.

A federal district court judge recently sided with the Biden Administration and denied our request to honor our agreement with federal authorities and hold fireworks at Mount Rushmore this year. But this fight is not over. My legal team is appealing the court’s ruling so that we can celebrate America’s independence at Mount Rushmore next year and into the future.

Unfortunately, by cancelling our fireworks celebration, the Biden Administration is caving to the radical elements of the modern Democrat party. They wish to cancel the great men on that mountain who accomplished so much to make America the most special nation in history. It’s but their latest attack on American history and our founding principles. It falls in line with recent promotion of critical race theory and revisionist history like the 1619 Project.

In the radical left’s view, America has become one of the villains of history. That’s why they promote kneeling for our national anthem. That’s why they tear down statues honoring our nation’s heroes. And that’s why last year there were calls to tear down Mount Rushmore itself.

We know the truth. We know that America is the greatest nation that the world has ever known. While America has fallen short of our founding ideals at times, our nation’s greatest triumphs are in the moments when we’ve made progress towards realizing those ideals.

Independence Day is about celebrating those ideals and the tremendous history that makes them possible. It’s about celebrating the things that make America exceptional, including the exceptional men on Mount Rushmore. They were flawed men – every single one of us has our own flaws. But they led our country through challenging times, and we are stronger for that leadership.

A fireworks celebration at Mount Rushmore is the best possible way to celebrate not only those men, but also, and more importantly, the ideals that they dedicated their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to achieve. Despite the Biden Administration’s arbitrary and unlawful decision, we will continue fighting to once again return fireworks to Mount Rushmore.

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It must be good karma, because this past week I managed to find yet another variant of the Pierre for Capital medallions, similar to one I’d recently purchased for my South Dakota State Capitol fight collection

The newest one is at the top:

The new medallion is about the same size and configuration as the one in the middle, advertising that voters should “Stand Pat” for “Pierre for Capital” except this one lacks the “1904” date my other one has. It could be from the 1904 campaign, as obviously it’s the same era with popular president at the time, Teddy Roosevelt, but it might be from the early days of that last capital fight before a date for the new election was set.

I got a pretty good deal on it, as it’s the least expensive one I’ve bought. And definitely a welcome addition to my collection.

If anyone ever comes across any State Capital fight items, give me a shout, as they’re always an item I’m after.

We have to Stand-up to the bullies!
by State Rep. Trish Ladner

As a society, we have ragged war against a world-wide pandemic and have come out the victors! In South Dakota we are fortunate. We had Governor Kristi Noem in charge. She came to us as a community of South Dakotans and told us we would not be sheltering in place or shutting down our economy. She knew we’d be responsible adults and make allowances for our fellow citizens, ensuring that we would do all we could to safeguard each other and work to keep our small businesses and towns open, healthy, safe, and well.

Other states were not as fortunate as we were. They were mandated and bullied by their governors and later the White House, via executive orders to remain in lockdown and to comply with mask and vaccine mandates without question. As a result, many have experienced depression, isolation, anxiety, financial devastation, and a decline in academics just to name a few. As a society, we have witnessed the escalation of violent cancel culture groups whose goal is to create paralyzing fear amongst the people, in order to control, divide, and silence us. A tactic that has been used throughout history even in the days of the Roman Empire.

Living in South Dakota, we sometimes lose sight of what other Americans are going through and the real challenges they are facing every day. This past week when my husband and I ran into a young couple who were visiting the Black Hills in the hopes of relocating here. They told us that in their metropolitan community, they live in fear every day. If you don’t have a Black Lives Matter sticker on your car, it is assumed that you are not supportive of the movement and you will be targeted. Their employers are now tracking whether or not they have received the vaccine. If not, they will not be allowed to work! They stated that, all they want is to do is to move to a red state and feel safe again. Are they intimidated? Yes! Are they living in fear? Absolutely! This no way for an American to live.

Do you remember as a child, that one guy who was the bully on the playground? Sometimes you just had to take a stand, challenging the dreaded bully in order to stop him and feel safe again. Well, our values as a nation and a society are being bullied and challenged from every side, including the right for us to have a simple conversation with each other. Heaven forbid we agree to disagree. Social media has played a huge role in these changes to our culture because we now have access to the world with the stroke of one key. As an unfortunate consequence, we have cultivated a bunch of keyboard cowboys who can sit home in their basement, posting “opinions” as facts, passing along whatever rhetoric that they want to. We no longer know what to believe, what is fact or what is fiction.

But don’t forget when challenged, the bullies always cower and run away. Together our voice is strong! As a people united, we are resilient. Never, never, forget that we have looked a world-wide pandemic straight in the eyes and have emerged victorious! It’s time to stand up to the bullies around us and help to facilitate change from within. Run for the school board, write your state and federal legislators, or attend your chamber, city council and commissioners’ meeting and give your input. Last, but not least, turn off the noise from social media and TV outlets and pick up a good book or read your favorite column and enjoy a newfound peace.

Governor Noem Responds to Decision on Mount Rushmore Fireworks

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem issued the following statement in response to the District Court decision on her lawsuit against the Biden Administration over their cancellation of the Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration:

“The Biden Administration cancelled South Dakota’s Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration on completely arbitrary grounds. I am disappointed that the court gave cover to this unlawful action with today’s decision. But rest assured, this fight is not over. My legal team will appeal this incorrect decision so that we can return the Fireworks Celebration to Mount Rushmore and celebrate our nation’s birthday at America’s Shrine to Democracy for next year and in the future.”

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South Dakota’s senior US Senator is posting on facebook the importance of being healthy and learning new skills, as he practices hockey with former Washington Capitals player Alan May:

The Primary John Thune group is at it again, and they’re sending out a call to action to go after US Senator John Thune and Congressman Dusty Johnson. Because they’re going to go after them in the worst way:

🪖Call To Action!

Let’s go on the offensive. Time to be Bold.

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If you are a digital warrior fact gatherer &/or great at putting together memes & clips sign up below.

This group thinks they’re going on the offensive & being bold by putting together memes?

That’s definitely going after their opponents in the worst way.

An American Transportation Revolution
By Sen. John Thune

From the beginning, the story of the U.S. auto industry has been one of ingenuity, of taking risks and of pushing forward. At the dawn of the twentieth century, most Americans could hardly comprehend the idea of the automobile. Yet twenty years later they had become nearly ubiquitous in American life, thanks to the insistence of entrepreneurs like Henry Ford on making the automobile affordable for the majority of Americans.

Automobiles allowed Americans to capitalize on the economic dynamism of the Roaring Twenties, and they helped Americans move and adapt during the Great Depression. They contributed greatly to the American industrial base and the know-how needed to fight and win the Second World War, and they helped propel the United States to its current status as a preeminent global economic and military power.

Visionary investments like the Interstate Highway System made cars a staple in American economic and cultural life. And cars certainly made it a lot easier to get to and from rural America. In a place like rural South Dakota, with limited public transportation, the automobile – often a pickup or an SUV – is typically the only way we get around.

Today the automobile industry stands on the brink of a new technological revolution, which promises to dramatically transform mobility once again.

Over the past three decades, the internet has transformed our economy and our way of life. And the next generation of the internet – 5G, which is currently being deployed across the nation – will enable a host of new innovations, including a revolution in vehicle technology: automated vehicles, or AVs.

AVs will change the way we move in numerous ways, making the transportation system safer, more efficient, and more accessible. Individuals whose mobility is currently limited – for example, Americans with disabilities – could gain new independence with the deployment of automated vehicles, allowing them to work or visit friends and family safely and easily. Or imagine a farmer in rural South Dakota who can no longer drive to get to town for appointments, prescriptions, or groceries. Access to an AV would provide an opportunity for folks to stay living on their farms as they age, or allow new freedom to those living with a disability.

For automated vehicle technology to advance, it is imperative that the regulatory framework catch up with private-sector innovation. That’s why I’ve spent nearly five years working in a bipartisan manner on a legislative framework to govern the testing and deployment of AVs

In the Senate, I recently introduced an amendment that I had hoped to be able to offer with bipartisan support. It would have paved the way for expanded testing and deployment of automated vehicles in the United States, under the oversight of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. My amendment, which is supported by the National Federation of the Blind, among other organizations,  would have ensured that automated vehicles would not touch pavement without the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s certification that they are at least as safe as a conventional vehicle.

Unfortunately, bipartisan agreement on my proposal collapsed when special interests expressed their opposition. And I’m deeply disappointed that once again Democrats yielded to pressure from special interests against the best interests of our economy and the American people.

Advancing AV technology is not just a vehicle safety issue. It’s also an issue of U.S. leadership and global competitiveness.

More than a century ago, when the automobile was invented, there were plenty of skeptics. But America’s automobile pioneers didn’t let that stop them. They seized the moment and pressed forward and ushered in a transportation revolution. We can do that again today. Or we can cede this moment to nations like China and let the American automobile industry fall permanently behind. I hope we’ll choose to seize this moment and pass the legislation we need to usher in another American transportation revolution.

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