Senator Lee Schoenbeck gives interview to KXLG Radio on carbon capture pipeline projects and soapboxing politicians. “Tired of politicians trying to make political hay.”

@SoDakCampaigns

KXLG Radio had an extensive interview with Senate President Pro Tem/State Senator Lee Schoenbeck about the carbon capture pipelines proposed in the state. And Lee had some very pointed comments about the motives of politicians who are trying to use the issue to make hold rallies and make political hay. As noted in the interview:

And here’s the sad thing. It’s these demagogue politicians.. I saw another one on the news last night that know better.

Well, I take that back, there’s one of them who speaks out who’s just stupid. That person doesn’t know better. But the other ones know better.

They’re just trying to drum up support so they can have rallies; one of them wants to be the attorney general of South Dakota. But when they do that, they feed the fear of the legitimate..  people who have real concerns that want to know more.  When you feed the fear, all you do is make those people scared, and it ruins the ability to have the reasonable conversation you ought to have.

I’m really tired of these politicians that are just trying to make political hay out of an issue that is pretty simple.

Go listen to the story here (under LEE3.mp3).

The entire interview is worth listening to, and Lee has some pretty good points about the value of the project to the state and the fear mongering of some self-promoting politicians.  Well worth a listen.

51 thoughts on “Senator Lee Schoenbeck gives interview to KXLG Radio on carbon capture pipeline projects and soapboxing politicians. “Tired of politicians trying to make political hay.””

  1. So I assume the Governor is the “I saw another one on the news that knows better”

    And Jon Hansen is the “wants to be the Attorney General of South Dakota”

    Who is the “just stupid” legislator he refers to?

    1. I would ask Schoenbeck, think he’s talking about legislators. Although there are several who the “just stupid” could be.

    3. The problem with Hansen is he has become bitter and a reflection of Taffy Howard. He used to be a rising star and someone who spoke optimism but when Noem said she wouldn’t call for a special session over covid Vax and he lost the speakers race because he was lazy about it he got bitter.

  2. This interview answered 0 (ZERO, NIL, NULL, BUMPKIS) of my questions.

    I would like to speak with someone who is an expert in this project.

    “Because people get paid” is not enough. That’s a payoff.

    But for what?

    I want to get into the technical details of the project.

    If you know someone who is an expert on the use of this pipeline, please have them email me and we can suss out the details and make a better informed decision.

    Waiving hands and saying, “[we need carbon pipelines through eminent domain or we could drive our cars or have electricity]” is nonsensical.

    The program (Spearfish City Limits) is not a debate platform, and all of my guests would agree save maybe the last 2 minutes of our John McAffee interview wherein he claimed something that was dangerously factually incorrect.

    [email protected]

    1. John, you are being ridiculous. If a business wants to move a product or service, we don’t ask why. Other than contraband or sex trafficking it really doesn’t matter why somebody wants to move something from point A to point B. Nobody cares if you don’t understand it and won’t personally benefit from it.
      People complaining about this because of how useless carbon capture is, how stupid California is, sound like vegans complaining about CAFOs.

      1. This is an example of how not to approach an issue. NOT doing this is why Spearfish City Limits has become so popular, where 30,000+ people care if and when I come to an understanding of something.

        Whoever wrote this should have taken a walk and gotten some sunshine instead.

        😀

        1. How has Schoenbeck never run for governor? Not saying I agree with him one way or the other but he speaks his mind.

  3. Hanson knows absolutely zilch about criminal law. This is absolutely laughable.

        2. You’re getting distracted by Hansen’s magic trick. He wants you to look at ’24… you should be looking at ’26. Jon wants to run for governor — all of this is part of his campaign. Far-right voters turn out for primaries; moderate voters often don’t. If Jon can establish himself as the far right’s candidate, he’ll concentrate their vote. Meanwhile, the multiple other candidates will split the moderate vote. Jon is banking on that. That could allow him to win the primary. And if he can win the primary, he’ll win the general.

          That’s his plan. ’24 is just smoke and mirrors.

          2. Hansen’s campaign will most likely be promoted by Sneve at the Dakota Scout.

  4. Whether you love him or hate him, Sen. Schoenbeck is consistent and unafraid to take a position and explain it. Many landowners are going to be very upset when they learn that most of the legislators who are speaking out against the pipeline are the same legislators who voted YES on the bill (adding “carbon” as a commodity) that made it possible. If the legislature could work together on eminent domain laws, we could likely build a consensus that favors landowners, but it’s hard to write and coordinate legislation in this environment.

    1. why shouldn’t “carbon” be labelled a commodity if somebody wants to do something with it? Just because you don’t want it doesn’t mean nobody else does. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. They want it, they have figured out a way to make money moving it from one place to another, how is this any different from hauling garbage or pumping septic tanks?
      If somebody came to my place and asked if they could rip out all the thistles I would not waste my time asking why anybody would want to do that.

    3. Your comment exemplifies that you have no idea who is standing in the barn feeding off the political hay. Choose your heroes wisely.

      1. Jon Hansen is in the barn feeding the rabid raccoons, telling people what they want to hear, pandering to the hysterical mob, all the while it can be presumed that, because he is a lawyer, he already knows he is not going to do anything to stop businesses from using eminent domain to move their products.

        1. I just get tired of Hansen attacking Noem. She’s wrong a lot. Get over it. Don’t take a dump on her.

          1. what we have learned is that some of the most socially conservative politicians we have elected are really just raging sexists who cant stand the fact that our governor is
            a woman

            1. No not near the mark at all really. Noem is impossible to work with. She has almost 0 relationship with any legislators at this point. That is across the spectrum from Schoenbeck to Hansen. The only legislator she invited to the Buffalo roundup was John Wiik and he doesn’t have any horsepower but he’s a yes man 100%.

              Noem is not perfect by a long shot. But she’s our governor and the head of the gop. I don’t need to hear Hansen take shots at her because it is a poor use of his time. Schoenbeck rolls up his sleeves and gets down to work during session. The gov doesn’t and neither does Hansen. That’s why schoenbeck runs the show. He’s a work horse.

    4. There wasn’t a bill that added carbon as a commodity. It was already a commodity, and a bill was ran to take it off the list. That bill died in Senate Commerce.

      1. If Hansen could count votes he would be speaker. The guy is not a serious official with a serious work ethic. He’s a grandstanding griper who is not strategic or tactful. He’s out of his element and needs to up his political game. So far he is the king of empty soundbites.

    5. In Feb Senator Schoenbeck sent an email to members of the state’s Public Utilities Commission. The email states that one of the lines would go through The Harmony Hills Village Commons – a large senior living facility being planned by the Benedictine Sisters in Watertown, Schoenbeck’s home district. In the email, Schoenbeck tells the PUC “they (the pipeline company) “need to not go through the housing project, or they won’t like the legislation they’ll see next year.”

      Consistent?

  5. “it’s hard to write and coordinate legislation in this environment.” Senator Hoffman, that’s what legislators do. Work hard.

    1. Terry: It’s a fair point, thank you sir. I already wrote a draft bill regarding compensation for surveys by common carriers. When it’s finalized by the Legislative Research Council, I’ll send it around for coordination and feedback. There will undoubtedly be a lot of other bills related to eminent domain.

      1. When drafting bills about the use of eminent domain, please bear in mind that the SDGOP platform specifically states “We support private property rights as guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution.”
        The 5th Amendment guarantees due process and just compensation. And that’s all it guarantees.

        Then the platform goes into specifics about supporting agriculture, supporting private energy development, and supporting modern infrastructure.

        The platform articulates more support for economic development than it does private property rights.

        Just something to think about while listening to all the fussin’. .

        1. Sometimes big business just needs fhe government’s help in pushing around its citizens.

  6. Whether you love him or hate him? BR Hoffman is a good guy, in my humble opinion

  7. Schoenbeck’s frustration with stupid is coming through. It is clouding his judgement on Hoffman who is doing just on term limits the other morons are doing on the pipeline.

    Good government serving the people is good politics. Grandstanding on pipelines and term limits is just feeding the frenzy.

  9. Ironic that the post right before this one is Noems “Evil Foreign Governments” law.

  10. I just had a very informative 40 minute conversation with Summit Carbon.

    In that short time, I came to understand the purpose of the pipeline, who its detractors are and why.

    Despite a very poorly construed interview referenced above (don’t hate, just use the feedback to do better next time), I agree with Lee on this particular issue.

    *cumulative sound of thousands of perls being clutched pierces the cool evening air*

    The electric industry, in foisting itself upon the transportation market in a manner befitting of Eeffry Jepstein, has completely lost my support.

    I have some remaining questions on the land use side (up the supply chain); the plan for optimizing the corn production and mitigating nitrogen runoff.

    But it seems clear, given the current state of things, that the pipeline should proceed.

    South Dakota corn farmers didn’t make the rules, they want to follow them, and they want to win.

    We should let them.

    SD farmers have been under enormous pressure for a long time as China and their adjuncts want to complete an acquisition strategy and make the US family farm as un-viable as possible.

    I’m still interested in your thoughts and opinions on this issue. Email me anytime with additional information and I promise to consider it and follow up.

    In the meantime, support SD farmers and ranchers in my opinion.

    For all of us, they are standing in the gap between survival and devastation.

    1. John there is an interesting video on “Iowa Press” ( a show on Iowa public broadcasting) featuring a VP from Navigator CO2 and a conservation officer from the Iowa Sierra Club, who reveals that the reason the compressed CO2 from these different pipelines is headed for the oil fields of Illinois and North Dakota is that it will be used for fracking. That’s what they are going to do with it, and that’s why the Sierra Club is opposed to it. It’s going to pump oil out of the ground.
      It was the beat thing I heard yesterday, all day.

      1. This explains a lot why farmers and associated corn industries would spend gobs of money to force a useful gas into the ground. Hadn’t heard the fracking purpose before, and compressed CO2 would do as well or better than H2O to get the job done. I like oil and ag, so win-win.

        For the record, I always hated talking to enviro reps back in the day in the newsroom, and they hated talking to me because I wouldn’t shill for them in stories. My question for every ludicrous Greta-like assertion — even 40 years ago — was “show me your proof.” Of course, there was none. It was all emotion and playing on fears, 24-7. They hate skeptics.

        1. yes, Cliff, I had also wondered why the compressed CO2 could not be buried and.sequestered near its point of origin and was told the geology wasn’t right. Thanks to the spokeswoman from the Iowa Sierra Club, now we know: they are taking it to the oil fields of Illinois and North Dakota. It is indeed a commodity.

        2. The tax credits for “permanently stored” CO2 are $85 per tonne and go up to $180 if the CO2 is captured directly out of the air.

          The tax credits if the CO2 is used for “Enhanced Oil Recovery” are $60 and $130 per tonne.

          “Enhanced Oil Recovery” sounds so much nicer than “fracking.”

    2. sir, much of what we post is throwaway stuff but now and then a home run is hit, in terms of information and impact. this post is a base-clearing touch-‘em-all homer. outstanding work, in terms of presenting yourself, your process and your conclusions. i feel richer for having read this.

  11. Has anyone else noticed how many comments on this blog are Anon or Anonymous? And how many of those comments share insights about the legislative process and slam legislators by name? It’s pretty obvious these anonymous comments come from current state legislators. If I were Schoenbeck, Hanson and the other people mentioned on here, I’d watch my back. These people are the worst kind of politicians and not a friend to anyone.

  13. The absolute sad fact is that in any businesses attempt to follow regulations from another State in order to market a product into that state they run the risk of having the rules continuously change disallowing any economic expansion of sales into said State.

    1. Changing the rules is indeed a bad idea which discourages economic investment.

      Any republican wondering where to stand on this issue should be mindful of the platform positions regarding economic development and energy production, as well as the SDGOP resolution on energy security.

      The pipeline will benefit the corn growers, the ethanol producers in SD, and the oil producers in ND. The tax credits will allow the recipients to keep more of their own money, it will help keep energy prices down for consumers, and enhance national security through energy independence.

      Anybody who says this is an inappropriate use of eminent domain, that compressed CO2 is not a commodity, that energy production is not a common good, that tax credits are a form of socialism, or any of this is somehow contrary to Republican principles, is mistaken.

  14. What is the reason the pipeline can’t stay in the existing setbacks for utilities? Why the need to cut cross farm land, as many farms are starting to put underground watering systems in for crops in the east, this will destroy that ability for many farms it’s cutting across their land and the agreements don’t allow for it in the future…

  15. I am surprised a bottling company hasn’t opened up in Aurora, since there is a shortage of CO2 for beverages…just imagine how many Coke, Pepsi, beer products could benefit if a bottling plant was built right next door….no matter what there are more jobs coming to the area…and wages will be going up with the shortages we have now of workers…

  16. Lol, Lee saying he is tired of legislators on a soap box. He is the epitome of that. Such a crazy nut job.

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