Rounds Urges Ag Secretary to Avoid Reopening U.S.-Mexico Cattle Trade Due to Detected Disease

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today sent a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack requesting the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to thoroughly investigate the threat of the New World Screwworm (NWS) prior to reopening the U.S.-Mexico feeder cattle trade.

On November 24, 2024, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) decided to halt imports of livestock from Mexico after a detection of NWS in Chiapas, Mexico. This temporary action was taken to prevent further spread to U.S. markets. While NWS was believed to be eradicated from the United States in 1966, a single detection of the parasite within our borders could have significant consequences for U.S. cattle markets.

“To address current threats, I urge the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to proceed with real caution and to refrain from prematurely reopening the U.S.-Mexico feeder cattle trade,” Rounds wrote. “Prior to reopening this trade, USDA must thoroughly assess and address the concerns of the entire cattle industry. Additionally, animal health officials must effectively investigate the source of this spread.”

Read the full letter HERE or below.

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Dear Secretary Vilsack,

American ranchers produce the highest quality beef in the world. The high demand for American beef has allowed producers to consistently supply a safe product to consumers across the globe. Yet as you know, foreign disease threats to the beef supply are always prevalent. In the past month, a threat has emerged in the form of the New World Screwworm (NWS).

As you know, NWS has been a persistent issue in the western hemisphere for decades. While the United States worked to eradicate NWS in 1966, the parasite has remained present in certain parts of Central and South America. In partnership with Mexico, U.S. officials have been able to largely contain the parasite. Despite these efforts, NWS detections have occurred periodically. The parasite presents not only a serious threat to animal safety, but it also has the potential to disrupt U.S. cattle markets.

Following a recent detection of NWS in Chiapas, U.S. officials made the right choice to halt feeder cattle imports from Mexico on November 24, 2024. While this action is temporary, it has allowed animal health officials to implement necessary surveillance measures.

To address current threats, I urge the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to proceed with real caution and to refrain from prematurely reopening the U.S.-Mexico feeder cattle trade. Prior to reopening this trade, USDA must thoroughly assess and address the concerns of the entire cattle industry. Additionally, animal health officials must effectively investigate the source of this spread.

I also encourage APHIS to clearly outline the process for making these trade decisions.

Animal health officials should take all the necessary steps to protect American producers. Our ranchers consistently deal with a number of uncontrollable factors, including rising input costs and volatile markets. It would be irresponsible to subject our domestic cattle herd to further uncertainty.

Thank you for your consideration of these requests.

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Summit Carbon Solutions Secures Sequestration Permits from North Dakota Industrial Commission
Major Milestone in Advancing the Critical Infrastructure Project

Ames, Iowa [December 12, 2024] –Summit Carbon Solutions announced today that it has received three Class VI sequestration permits from the North Dakota Industrial Commission (NDIC), marking a critical step forward in the Midwest Carbon Express project. These permits authorize the safe and permanent storage of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in North Dakota’s deep saline geologic formations, further establishing the state as a leader in carbon capture and storage (CCS) innovation.

“These sequestration permits are the result of years of rigorous scientific study, engineering design, and input from regulators, landowners, and local leaders,” said Wade Boeshans, Executive VP of Summit Carbon Solutions. “This milestone underscores North Dakota’s leadership in advancing CCS technology and highlights how infrastructure projects like ours can drive economic growth while enabling energy innovation. With these permits, we’re one step closer to providing vital infrastructure that benefits farmers, ethanol producers, and communities across the Midwest.”

The permits allow Summit Carbon Solutions to permanently store more than 350 million metric tons of CO₂ in geologic formations more than a mile underground. This process ensures long-term safety while decarbonizing 57 ethanol plants across five states. Combined with the project’s pipeline infrastructure, the sequestration sites in North Dakota will enable farmers and ethanol producers to access new markets for low-carbon fuels, including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and green fuels, while supporting the broader goals of energy and economic sustainability.

With today’s approval of both the sequestration permits and the Minnesota pipeline permit, along with recent major milestones including the North Dakota pipeline permit and the Iowa permit, Summit Carbon Solutions is making significant progress toward project completion. With the South Dakota PUC application also submitted, Summit Carbon Solutions is on track to begin construction in early 2026 and operations in 2027.

About Summit Carbon Solutions: 

Summit Carbon Solutions is driving the future of agriculture by expanding economic opportunities for ethanol producers, strengthening the marketplace for Midwest-based farmers, and creating jobs. In developing the largest carbon capture and storage project in the world, the company seeks to connect industrial facilities via strategic infrastructure to store carbon dioxide safely and permanently in the Midwest United States. For more information, visit www.SummitCarbonSolutions.com.

Attorney General Jackley Applauds State Supreme Court Decision On Victims’ Rights Case

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley calls today’s South Dakota Supreme Court decision reversing a circuit court decision that ordered a victim to turn over any mental health treatment records a victory for victims’ rights.

“Victims of crime have rights in South Dakota, and this Supreme Court decision reaffirms those rights,” said Attorney General Jackley. “As Attorney General, I will continue to serve as a strong voice to protect victims in South Dakota.”

A Brule County grand jury returned an indictment in February 2022 charging Nathan Antuna with third-degree rape, which was alleged to have occurred in August 2016. Antuna sought a court order requesting the State obtain information related to any mental health treatment records of the victim and issued a subpoena to the victim requesting any such records.

The State moved to quash the request. The Circuit Court judge hearing the case ordered the State to ask the victim whether she had received any mental health treatment and then provide to the court any such records that might exist. The State then appealed to the State Supreme Court.

In its unanimous ruling, the State Supreme Court said the State’s responsibility to disclose certain types of materials within the possession, custody, or control of the prosecution does not require prosecutors to investigate defense theories. The Supreme Court said the circuit court should have applied the three-factor test used to evaluate the propriety of subpoenas issued to victims. The Court said the defendant’s subpoena fell “patently short of the mark” of the requirements of the test, noting that the defendant did not even know if the victim ever received counseling treatment as a result of the rape.

The State’s Appeal was briefed by the Attorney General’s Office.

The Court’s decision can be read here:

Summit Carbon Solutions Receives Pipeline Permit from Minnesota PUC 
Milestone Achieved for 28-Mile Route in Otter Tail and Wilkin Counties

Ames, Iowa [December 12, 2024] – Summit Carbon Solutions is pleased to announce that the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has granted a permit for the company’s 28-mile pipeline route through Otter Tail and Wilkin Counties. This milestone follows an extensive review process, including a detailed Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which confirmed the project would have minimal negative impacts.

“We thank the Minnesota PUC for their thorough and diligent review of our project,” said Lee Blank, CEO of Summit Carbon Solutions. “This decision underscores the importance of balancing economic opportunities for local communities with environmental stewardship. We remain committed to working collaboratively with landowners and stakeholders to ensure the successful and responsible development of this project.”

The approved pipeline segment is part of Summit Carbon Solutions’ effort to help ethanol producers lower their carbon intensity and access new markets, like sustainable aviation fuel. The project provides much-needed support to farmers while strengthening rural economies and ensuring agriculture’s long-term success in Minnesota and the Midwest. 

This decision by the Minnesota PUC follows the approval of Summit Carbon Solutions’ pipeline permits in Iowa and North Dakota, and refiled its South Dakota permit application, marking significant progress for the multi-state project.

About Summit Carbon Solutions: 

Summit Carbon Solutions is driving the future of agriculture by expanding economic opportunities for ethanol producers, strengthening the marketplace for Midwest-based farmers, and creating jobs. In developing the largest carbon capture and storage project in the world, the company seeks to connect industrial facilities via strategic infrastructure to store carbon dioxide safely and permanently in the Midwest United States. For more information, visit www.SummitCarbonSolutions.com.

Dusty Johnson Votes to End Woke Policies, Strengthen Military, Get Tough on China

Washington, D.C. – Today, the House passed the annual defense package, which included two provisions led by U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.). The bill provides a substantial pay raise to troops, ends politically woke policies, strengthens America’s military, and gets tough on China. Johnson voted to pass the bill.

“Politically ‘woke’ culture has infiltrated our military, but this bill puts an end to some of those policies like paying for gender transition treatments for youth,” said Johnson. “I’m glad my provisions to hold China accountable, support our B-21 bombers, and strengthen the Second Amendment were included. Passing the annual defense package is critical to strengthening our military and giving the Department of Defense the resources they need to project a strong military abroad—and stay focused on lethality. Our servicemembers deserve the investment this bill provides.”

The defense package restores the focus of our military on lethality by banning the Department of Defense from providing gender transition treatments for minors and promoting Critical Race Theory in the military and in classrooms. The bill also prohibits the DoD from instituting a Military Green New Deal, which would force servicemembers and employees to use electric vehicles for official travel and would give preference to weapons with lower climate impacts.

The bill includes Johnson’s provision to hold China accountable for their unfair shipping practices. The Shanghai Shipping Exchange has been using anti-competitive market practices to benefit China’s economy, instead of employing fairness in the global shipping market.

It also includes a provision championed by Johnson to modernize Proof of Delivery (POD) notifications for certain firearm transfers. Over the past year, the U.S. Postal Service has caused delays confirming the necessary POD for these transfers. Johnson worked on a provision to allow electronic notifications as an alternative, and quicker, confirmation process for law enforcement officers who chose that method.

This year marks the 64th consecutive year of passing the National Defense Authorization Act.

The Fiscal Year 2025 annual defense package will:

• Provide over $2 billion for B-21 procurement and $282 million for B-21 construction projects to prepare Ellsworth for the Raider’s arrival.
• Secure $177 million for Ellsworth Air Force Base projects.
• Boost pay by nearly 15% for junior enlisted service members.
• Fully support the deployment of National Guard at the southwest border.
• Prevent Chinese espionage in our military, supply chains, and research institutions.
• Protect our ally in the Middle East, Israel.
• Help bolster Taiwan’s defense and support Indo-Pacific allies.
• Save $31 billion by cutting inefficient programs, obsolete weapons, and bloated Pentagon bureaucracy.
• Cut $4 billion in programs that do not meet requirements.
• Require promotions to be based on merit.
• Prohibit contracting with advertising firms that blacklist conservative news sources.
• Permanently ban transgender medical treatment for minors.

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Thune: Long-Awaited NDAA Will Strengthen Ellsworth Air Force Base

“I can promise that next year, national security will be a priority in the Senate. We will work to make sure that the military has everything it needs to project American strength and to keep the peace.”

Click here or on the picture above to watch the video.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today spoke on the Senate floor about the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), legislation that would bolster American national security by making much-needed investments in the military. Thune noted that this year’s NDAA includes critical resources for South Dakota’s Ellsworth Air Force Base and fully funds the B-21 mission at Ellsworth.

 

It has been something that has been started and stopped and started, and too much time has gone by, so it has been abandoned and retooled. And once again, started and stopped.

But this week I put my foot down and managed to cobble together a podcast from material I recorded last week (after which I stopped because I got sidetracked), plus new material I added today and edited on the fly.

But Episode 1 of the official SDWC podcast – the South Dakota Political Show – is up, and on-line for your listening and critique through Acast, and Apple Podcasts.

I can guarantee you the format will change and evolve, but I wanted to get *something* up and running as I’ve tried to put it together for years with false starts, because I have my fingers in a few different pies. Plus a day job, plus kids and all the other things I try to get done.

I’ve also wavered on whether I should do video, (vodcast) or just an old school audio podcast, or a combination of them both. It doesn’t help that I’m terribly rusty on radio, and I’m kind of prickly on the quality and the “feel” of the show. I know exactly how I want it to sound. And that’s a lot of excuses.

I just needed to sit down and do it. So here’s episode 1. It’s always been important to me not to just be part of the pack and do what everyone else does, so this will evolve as my comfort level with the format grows.

Expect change, and it will get better, because I’m not sure it can get worse – but it’s a start.

State Representative Bethany Soye has sent out an editorial column this afternoon chastising Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken because the Mayor had the audacity to comment that he thought this next session that legislative time would best be spent solving problems as opposed to being culture warriors.

In defense of those who want to tell everyone what they should do and think, Soye has issued the following column to scold the mayor for not being  dictating everyone’s morality and “stealing children’s innocence” and contributing to our moral collapse because he opposes more government, and to scold government in general for helping to heal the sick and to assist the poor with housing:

As a legislator I feel compelled to respond to Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken’s recent comment asking the state legislature to “stay out of culture war issues and focus on the core needs of delivering services.” One wonders what Mayor TenHaken means by a “culture war.” I think it can be defined by stating what he clearly thinks does not fall under that category: spending. The Mayor believes that government exists in order to tax its residents for the purpose of providing goods and services. This is a sad departure from what the founders of our country and state believed the purpose of government was: to protect the rights of the people. Our founders would never have dreamed of government bodies building houses, providing healthcare, or paying for childcare. They would have anticipated government officials standing up for the rights of parents and protecting the vulnerable.

One of the areas specifically given to the state legislature under the South Dakota Constitution is public education. The whole reason for the creation of our public school system is set out in our South Dakota Constitution in Article 8 Section 1: “The stability of a republican form of government depending on the morality and intelligence of the people…”  This leads me to the specific policy called out by the Mayor in his complaint against “culture wars.” The bill in question is HB1197 from the 2024 session. This bill required public schools and libraries to create and publish a policy that explains how the institution attempts to keep children from accessing obscene materials. This bill passed UNANIMOUSLY through both the House and Senate. That means that every Representative and Senator from the Sioux Falls area, including the Democrats, supported the bill. How is that an evil culture war?? It seems the only one fighting this “war” is the Sioux Falls Public Library. There was absolutely no need to cancel the Student Success Card program in order to implement a materials review policy. For an example we can look at the Brookings Public Library which adopted a policy that states who is in charge of reviewing library materials and what criteria are used to ensure age-appropriateness. Easy as that. HB1197 was a simple transparency measure unanimously supported by the legislature. In response, the Sioux Falls Library has chosen to harm underprivileged children in order to make a political statement that no one can tell them what to do. If I were you Mr. Mayor, I would take a hard look at who is running your library system and what his or her agenda is. It does not appear to be to serve the public and educate our children.

If the Mayor doesn’t think library policy transparency is a worthwhile issue, then what is?   Would he also scoff at protections to keep children from being preyed upon and groomed by the predatory pornography industry? I assume those protections would not provide the ROI that the Mayor is looking for: more revenue to build new public pools. I ask the Mayor and you the public: what is the point of having a city full of gleaming new public facilities if our children’s innocence is stolen and our families are falling apart? If we are truly concerned with addressing the rising crime rate we will care about strengthening the family. For those living in Sioux Falls, the next time you pay your outrageous property tax bill remember that a significant portion of that amount goes to fund the Sioux Falls City Government. It goes to fund an administration that doesn’t care what your kids are exposed to but merely sees people as economic development numbers.

Strong families and healthy, confident children provide a city with the greatest ROI possible. It’s time for the people to remind the Mayor that social issues are worth fighting for. What truly divides and angers people is telling them that their concerns don’t matter and that they should simply be happy with efficient traffic flow.   We face a choice: the City of Sioux Falls can continue down its current path and become like Minneapolis or Denver with great infrastructure and a society in chaos and moral collapse. Or we can take a different direction towards building up and strengthening our greatest asset: the morality and intelligence of our people. I sincerely hope we will choose the latter.

So, there you go. Now you know the justification behind spending all that time creating more government to tell parents how they’re supposed to raise their children.

Art Fryslie, who served 2 stints as a Republican the South Dakota Legislature from Willow Lake passed away recently. Art served from 1999-2006 in the House, and from 2009-2012 in the State Senate.

Arthur “Art” Fryslie, age 83, died in his home near Vienna, South Dakota on December 1, 2024.  Funeral services will be held on Saturday, December 7, 2024, at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Bryant, SD, at 1:00 p.m. with Minister Pam Seefeldt officiating the service.  Following the service, please join the family for a lunch and a time of fellowship in the church fellowship area prior to going to the cemetery at Vienna Lutheran Cemetery in rural Vienna, SD.  Visitation will be held the evening prior, Friday, December 6, 2024, at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Bryant from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m.

He was born on October 25, 1941 in Watertown, the son of Lloyd and Elvera (Larson) Fryslie. He was the oldest of their three children. In 1975 he married Jane Claus in Wayne, Nebraska. They had two children, Tara and Jess.

Art graduated from Vienna High School and attended State College in Brookings. He was a member of Good Hope Lutheran Church and was involved in several organizations including the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the Willow Lake Lions Club, the Watertown Gideon Camp, South Dakota Trappers Association, Ducks Unlimited, and the South Dakota Historical Society. He was a member of the South Dakota State Legislature for 12 years, serving eight years in the House of Representatives and four in the Senate.

You can read the entire Obituary here.

He was a super nice guy. Please join me in remembering his service, and in offering your prayers for his family.

South Dakota’s past battles over education funding and what goes to schools will start to warm up again as a one-two punch is predicted when it comes to schools this coming legislative session.  First, the amount of money going to education is already being predicted to be lean, with the Governor’s budget only able to come up with a suggested 1.25% increase. According to a KELOland story posted last night:

The latest recommendation from the Governor at 1.25 percent could mean some belt-tightening.

“When the CPI which is what the codified law calls for, it calls for a 2.4 or a 2.6 percent increase, and we end up getting a 1.25 if that comes to pass it really does make it difficult to make any kind of inroads,” said Harrisburg Superintendent Tim Graf.

Lawmakers like Representative Greg Jamison of Sioux Falls say it’s back to reality for the state budget. The Covid dollars are gone and tax revenue is flat, which means less money to allocate.

Read that here.

As problematic as the leaner dollars are for public education, of equal or greater concern to schools are the Governor’s proposal of a $3000 per student program to fund private school tuition:

The Governor proposed the creation of a 4 million dollar education savings account program, which she says would offer 3-thousand dollars per student toward private school tuition. Graff says that money could go a long ways in funding public education.

Read that in the same place at KELOland.com.

Who is going to be eligible for such a program? It had better make sure EVERYONE is eligible from the start. Because the state’s ultimate responsibility to provide an education to our children is governed by Article 8 of the South Dakota Constitution, which says:

 § 1.   Uniform system of free public schools. The stability of a republican form of government depending on the morality and intelligence of the people, it shall be the duty of the Legislature to establish and maintain a general and uniform system of public schools wherein tuition shall be without charge, and equally open to all; and to adopt all suitable means to secure to the people the advantages and opportunities of education.

You can read that for yourself here.

How will the program get past the constitutional mandate that “tuition shall be without charge?” That’s a good question, and there may be a very good answer. But I’m more focused on the portion that talks about how schools must be “equally open to all,”

My main concern with the program is that it doesn’t turn our neighborhood public schools into ghettos or warehouses for those who can’t afford the rest of the private school tuition, as well as for students who might have special needs who are now left behind because no one thought to include them as part of the proposed program.

I believe there is an argument that allowing public funds to be spent on private school tuition could open up the doors for it to fall under the parameters of the South Dakota Constitutional mandate of  needing to be “equally open to all.” And if that’s the case, the legislature had better be making sure the appropriate strings are attached to these public funds being spent on private school tuition to ensure equal access to those with special education needs.

Because there are also federal laws which guarantee that students with disabilities have the same right to K-12 public education that students without disabilities have. And the US Office of Civil Rights works to ensure “that public elementary and secondary schools, including charter schools, provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to all qualified students with disabilities.”

If we can create better schools in the process, it could be a good thing. But we need to ensure that it’s a good thing for everyone. Not just a select few.  If these new charter schools want public funds, they should be subject to the same public laws that protect ALL of our kids.