There has been a lot of commentary on what Senate Bill 201 hopes to accomplish, and as part of trying to stake out some middle ground in this matter one of the biggest things it’s going to try to do is to establish consistency that had been somewhat lacking.

One of the biggest problems is that along the pipeline route there are five counties that have tried to wrestle the project away from the PUC and introduce their own standards. And that’s been a major problem. So we have 5 ordinances; One set for Spink County, one set for Brown County, another for McPherson, then Minnehaha and finally Faulk county as they all create their own standards, largely for setbacks.

And here’s where it gets goofier.  Setback ordinances vary from 1500 feet from property line in one county, 330 feet from a property line in another, then 1/2 mile from property line, and 1 mile from structure, then 1/2 mile from a structure and 2 miles from a town.

Some counties require a conditional use permits that have specific requirements from CAFO’s, Residences, Schools, Hospitals, etc. But all are different. Spink County says all those and adds any structure that has a living quarter in it. In McPherson, they require the pipeline to hire an engineer that works with the county with an annual inspection of fences that the pipeline has to pay for to make sure their fence requirements are being met.

Take that against 129 other counties in the United States that host CO2 pipelines without any setbacks. And you can see what they’re trying to deal with when 5 counties try to change the game in the middle of following the rules.

It would be as if we decided we needed an Interstate, but some counties don’t like it. So, one county drops the Interstate speed limit from 80 miles per hour to 55. Then the next has a couple of county commissioners that really hate Interstates, so they drop it to 30 miles per hour. Then another says 75 but 25 if you’re a mile from a church.. and then yet another requires fences and lights along any Interstate, and you have to construct it with asphalt. And yet another says they are making the Interstate a toll road.

And that’s what the pipeline is dealing with. But it’s worse – they’ve been trying to follow the laws as established for some time, but opponents and NIMBY’s keep upending the gameboard and changing the rules.  Not very conducive to groups that want to come in and say, build a billion dollar bio-fuel plant, and all the decade old & older ethanol plants who have to modernize or they will be frozen out of markets, put out of business, and most of the corn & grain prices in the state will crash.

If we as a state are actually open for business, if we want growth and new development the very least we can do is actually create one set of rules, and follow them. Everyone should be able to agree on that.

If we’re going to practice what we preach, Senate Bill 201 is a step in the right direction to show that South Dakota is not California, Minnesota, or insert your least-liked blue state here.

The guidelines to do business in this state need to be clear, consistent, and equitable, and South Dakota is right to move forward with legislation that does just that. Time for South Dakota to be open for business without people blocking the doorway for the people they don’t like.

The Dakota Scout is reporting in a story this morning (inbetween a deluge of ads) that Governor Kristi Noem is meeting with President Donald Trump, with speculation that it may be regarding what she might be doing this summer:

In the midst of growing speculation and heightened anticipation that she’ll be Donald Trump’s running mate, Gov. Kristi Noem is meeting with the former president and GOP front runner at his Mar-a-Lago home Monday afternoon.

The governor’s office has confirmed to The Dakota Scout Monday that the second term Republican extended her trip to Florida this weekend where she spoke at the annual Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) conference and will meet with Trump in a one-on-one meeting at one of the president’s Florida properties.

Read the entire story here.

Governor Noem is a tremendous speaker, and would do well for the ticket as his vice-presidential pick. The only downside is that we’re a small state, but Kristi is viewed as a rockstar among Republicans nationwide.

What are your thoughts?

Senate Bill 201, which would provide new statutory requirements for regulating linear transmission facilities, and to allow counties to impose a surcharge on certain pipeline companies brought by Senate Majority Leader Senator Casey Crabtree, House Majority Leader Representative Will Mortenson, and Rep. Drew Peterson passed out of the House Commerce and Energy Committee this morning after extensive testimony and a failed attempt to send it to the 41st day.  The bill went out of committee with a Do Pass motion instead on a 8-5 vote (about 61.5% in favor, and 38% opposed)

SB 201, which was brought forth by House & Senate Leadership as a compromise measure to address concerns on both sides of the issue had previously passed the Senate on a 23-11 vote, with about 31% opposed, and now after passage finds itself facing the last hurdle of the House Floor before going to the Governor.

Good work by the sponsors and all who voted in favor of it to bring the matter to a compromise solution, so we can argue about something else next year.

The Friends of Katie Washnok campaign is hosting a fundraiser in Aberdeen on March 3rd with a number of community leaders already slated to be hosts:

Lots of familiar names for the Aberdeen area including Kessler, Falk, Rylance, Jewettt, Lust, Thares, and many more. The event is featuring Senate Majority Leader Casey Crabtree, and Senate President Pro Tempore Lee Schoenbeck. And I note that State Senator Michael Rohl is also a co-host for the event.

As Brown County GOP Chair, and in many other roles, Katie has been one of the strongest carriers of water for the elephant that local Republicans have.  If you can’t attend, the QR code links to Katie’s fundraising page, or you can send a donation for the campaign to:

Friends of Katie Washnok
c/o Robert Fouberg
PO Box 285
Aberdeen, SD 57401

Let’s get out there and support a great candidate for State Senate!

Listening and Following Through
by Senate Majority Leader Casey Crabtree

MADISON–Wednesday was a pivotal day in the debate on forging a path forward to facilitate value-added agriculture’s future in South Dakota. SB 201 gives money to farmers and counties, not out of state trial lawyers and environmental activists who line their pockets by killing value-added ag projects with misinformation and propaganda. I’m standing up on SB 201 to fight for farmers and was joined by ag groups like SD Corn, SD Soybeans, Ethanol Producers Association, the SD Chamber of Commerce and many more.

When South Dakota farmers succeed, all of South Dakota succeeds, and that cuts both ways. When South Dakota farmers have limited access to national and global markets, our whole state suffers. A rising tide lifts all boats, and that’s why I am committed to legislation like SB 201 that fosters a brighter future for all of South Dakota.

I have heard from hundreds of landowners in South Dakota about pipelines and landowner rights. Some of these folks do not want any reforms. Instead, they want to block all progress in South Dakota. The overwhelming majority of South Dakotans see the opportunity that comes with expanding ethanol markets and historic investments like Gevo in Lake Preston. I’ve listened to all sides of the debate, and I’m delivering on my promise to deliver policy reform that promotes respect, fairness, and certainty for all parties involved in infrastructure and value added agriculture.

Last week the Senate also overwhelmingly passed a change in South Dakota law to prevent foreign entities from owning South Dakota ag land. HB 1231 is now on the way to the Governor. Our ag economy and food security belong in the hands of Americans. This bill also prohibits ownership by China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia or Venezuela.

SB 187 is a funding request to help cities and counties support cybersecurity levels. This can help local governments protect citizen information, critical infrastructure and elections by avoiding potential cyber attacks and ransoms. It was good to see this  bill was approved unanimously. Also up in Joint Appropriations on Friday was SB 45 to establish the Center for Quantum Information Science and Technology at Dakota State University. Appropriators also passed this request onward to the Senate floor to be heard in the upcoming week.

On Thursday, the halls of the Capitol were filled with young Bulldogs. The fourth grade “Little Legislators” from Madison Elementary made their annual trip to visit us. Thanks for representing Madison and learning about state government. The pledge of allegiance was as loud as it has ever been in the senate chamber with them joining us from the gallery.  Our state’s future is bright with kids like these!

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Governor Kristi Noem is tied for first in a CPAC poll for who attendees thought should be Donald Trump’s running mate in the upcoming presidential election. According to The Hill:

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy were tied for first place as Republican grassroot activists’ preference for former President Trump’s vice presidential pick.  

Attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) gave Noem and Ramaswamy 15 percent each when asked whom they believed Trump should pick as his running mate for 2024.  

Read it all here.

Further bolstering Governor Noem’s chances is that if you’ve ever met Kristi, she’s pretty down to earth and not leaning towards being a crackpot like Ramaswamy, as keeps coming up in anecdotes.

According to Fox News, South Dakota US Senator John Thune is endorsing Donald Trump after his latest primary win:

Senate Minority Whip John Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican leader, is endorsing former President Trump for reelection.

It’s a key win for Trump from the establishment wing of the Republican Party. The South Dakota Republican is Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s top deputy in the Senate GOP.

“The primary results in South Carolina make clear that Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee for president in this year’s pivotal presidential election. The choice before the American people is crystal clear: It’s Donald Trump or Joe Biden,” Thune told Fox News Digital.

Read the entire story here.

IRS Needs to Do More to Protect Taxpayer Data
By Sen. John Thune

In 2022, Congress passed the No TikTok on Government Devices Act. As its name suggests, this law bans TikTok on government devices due to the significant security risks that the app poses. This was an important step to protect sensitive data and government networks, but a recent report indicates that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has not fully complied with the law.

A recent inspector general report revealed that 2,800 mobile devices used by IRS Criminal Investigation employees and computers assigned to those employees can access TikTok. The inspector general also found that the IRS has not updated its “Bring Your Own Device” program, which shockingly allows IRS employees to use personal devices for business purposes. That means that IRS employees who are accessing sensitive taxpayer information on their personal devices are also potentially accessing TikTok. Worse still is that the IRS won’t commit to complying with recommendations to resolve the personal device issues until October 2024.

As the lead Republican on the Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight, holding the IRS accountable is an obligation I take very seriously. In response to this troubling report, I recently sent a letter to the IRS commissioner requesting information about the agency’s compliance with the No TikTok on Government Devices Act, the IRS’s “Bring Your Own Device” program, and the security of taxpayer information being accessed on personal devices. TikTok’s close ties to the Chinese Communist Party and their troubling data practices are reasons to be concerned about the app being loaded onto or accessible on a device that also deals with taxpayer and government data. This warrants swift action by the IRS to comply with the law and protect Americans’ data.

Unfortunately, this is only the latest issue in the IRS’s troubling history of mishandling taxpayer information. In the last few years alone, the IRS has inadvertently posted confidential information from 120,000 taxpayers on its website, destroyed 30 million unprocessed tax documents, and tens of thousands of Americans’ tax information was stolen by an IRS contractor and wound up in the hands of the left-leaning news site ProPublica.

The American people should be able to trust that when they file their taxes with the IRS, their personal information is safe. I will continue to hold the IRS accountable for its handling of taxpayer information and ensure the agency is adequately protecting Americans’ information.

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Preserving our Partnerships
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
February 23, 2023

BIG News

This week, I traveled to Taiwan with the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. It was a productive trip, meeting with Taiwan’s leaders to identify ways to strengthen our partnership and tackle the China threat. During a meeting with President Tsai, we discussed the importance of trade between our two countries. After Canada and Mexico, Taiwan buys more American ag products per capita than any other country. Taiwan also produces over 90% of the world’s most advanced semiconductors. Their trade relationships are critically important to the health of the global economy and preserving our partnership is vital to Taiwan’s food security and national security.

Taiwan is rightfully concerned about an invasion from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). During a visit to the Taiwan Strait, only 110 miles from China, I saw how an invasion by the CCP could play out. Our team spent hours being briefed by American military experts about how our nation is providing the training and equipment Taiwan needs to defend itself.

BIG Idea

On Monday, I was in Wessington Springs to speak at the annual Farm, Home, and Health Show that has been on a three-year hiatus. High school senior Avery had the great idea to restart the show. She used her leadership skills to bring the show back, organizing more than 60 vendors and events throughout the day. Avery gave me the opportunity to share an update from Congress and answer questions from attendees.

BIG Update

Last April, the Biden Administration announced a proposed climate rule that would effectively require 67 percent of new car sales to be all-electric by 2032. That’s a big jump from last year’s 7.6 percent of all-electric car sales.

After pushback from thousands of car dealerships, industry workers, members of Congress, and concerned citizens like you, the Administration has decided to take their foot off the gas for this requirement. While this is a win for the short term, Biden plans to speed up EV benchmarks after 2030.

These EV requirements:

• Increase our reliance on China for semiconductors and chips
• Force Americans to pay more for their vehicles
• Increase government debt due to EV tax credits

This week, I joined nearly 140 House Republicans to urge the White House to stop this proposed rule and I joined Fox Business to talk about this overburdensome rule.

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The Freedom to Be Secure – and How to Keep it
By: Governor Kristi Noem
February 23, 2024

In my State of the State Address, I talked about the Freedom to be secure. We are so fortunate to live in a nation where we have many Freedoms, including the Freedom to feel secure in our own communities. Unfortunately, that security is now being threatened. And today, we are even more at risk of having our security ripped out from under us than ever before.

I’ve called the national security crisis happening at our Southern Border right now a warzone many times, and I will continue to do so. It is undeniably true. We have dangerous criminals and terrorists flowing into our country each and every day. Joe Biden and so-called “Border Czar” Kamala Harris continuously refuse to take action, forcing the states to take matters into their own hands.

What do you do when you have a warzone on your hands? You send soldiers.

Two years ago, I was the first governor in America to send my National Guard soldiers to the Southern Border. This week, I announced that we will be deploying troops from one of the top National Guards in the nation to secure our border for the fifth time. South Dakota’s finest will be in Texas helping to build the border wall and keep our country secure. I am proud of them for their dedication to this cause, and I am incredibly grateful to them for answering the call to serve their state and nation.

Just a few weeks ago, after I briefed a joint session of the South Dakota legislature on the dire situation at our Southern Border, they became the first legislature in America to pass a joint resolution expressing their support for securing the border.

The drugs coming into our country because of this open border are a risk to every single family in America. We are seeing the effects right here in South Dakota. Fentanyl is flowing into our country at a rapid pace – and when combined with the “zombie drug” xylazine, it makes an already deadly drug even deadlier. I was proud to sign a bill this legislative session to classify xylazine at a Schedule III controlled substance. This new law will keep South Dakotans safe, secure, and healthy.

We have surpassed ten million illegal immigrants living in the United States today. If we were to create a state of just those illegal immigrants, it would be the tenth largest state in America. And as we keep learning more about the people entering our country, it’s clear that our Freedom to be secure is at risk.

A large number of the people crossing our Southern Border are military-aged, Chinese men. This is no coincidence. The Chinese-owned app TikTok is promoting videos that point people to holes in the fencing along our border. The Chinese Communist Party is literally providing individuals with step-by-step instructional videos on how to enter the U.S. illegally.

China is our biggest external threat. I recognized that – it’s why I was the first to ban TikTok on state government devices in the state of South Dakota. Many other states followed our lead. Congress followed our lead. And, surprisingly enough, Joe Biden even followed our lead – TikTok is banned on devices in the White House right now.

In South Dakota, we are continuing to lead where the federal government is letting America down. My priority is, and always will be, the people of this great state.

South Dakotans will never have their Freedom to be secure taken away from them – not on my watch.

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