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Errors and missing info highlighted as carbon pipeline hearing continues
Public utilities commissioners denied a motion to withhold a permit for a liquid carbon dioxide pipeline Thursday, but they acknowledged lacking some useful information from the company applying to build it. It was the seventh day of a hearing at the Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center in Fort Pierre, with more days to come. Navigator CO2 […]
Contrasting safety views aired on sixth day of carbon pipeline permit hearing
Opposing sides debated the safety of the proposed Heartland Greenway pipeline Wednesday during the sixth day of a permit hearing at the Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center in Fort Pierre. Navigator CO2’s application to construct a pipeline carrying compressed carbon dioxide has some people worried about a leak. The project includes “a laundry list of techniques” […]
Landowners plead for their right to keep carbon pipeline off their land
Landowners urged the state Public Utilities Commission on Tuesday to help them prevent a liquid carbon dioxide pipeline from crossing their land. It was the fifth day of a hearing at the Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center in Fort Pierre on Navigator CO2’s application for a permit to construct the Heartland Greenway pipeline. It was also […]
Crop damage payouts debated as pipeline hearing continues
A company touted its plan to reimburse crop damages caused by the installation of its proposed carbon capture pipeline, and an opposing attorney criticized the plan Monday during the fourth day of a permit hearing before state regulators at the Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center in Fort Pierre. Meanwhile, an expert witness for the company testified […]
Secret maps and toxic plumes dominate third day of pipeline testimony
FORT PIERRE – The “sensitive sites” potentially impacted by a carbon capture pipeline will remain confidential, for now. Meanwhile, modeling used to assess the impacts of a leak or rupture came under scrutiny Thursday during the third day of a permit hearing before state regulators at the Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center. Stephen Lee is the […]
Economic projections questioned during second day of carbon pipeline hearing
FORT PIERRE — The economic benefits of a proposed carbon capture pipeline came under scrutiny Wednesday during the second day of a permit hearing before state regulators at the Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center. The project would create about 430 jobs in South Dakota during the construction phase, 20 jobs during operation, and $1.3 million in sales […]
Carbon pipeline permit hearing kicks off with clashes on multiple fronts
FORT PIERRE — A multi-day permit hearing for a proposed carbon capture pipeline got off to a tense start Tuesday at the Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center as participants clashed over the rules of procedure and aspects of the project including land access, county-level regulations, safety and data quality. Brian Jorde, the attorney for some affected […]
South Dakota ranks third in federal grassland conservation sign-ups
Only two states enrolled more land than South Dakota in the most recent sign-up period for a federal grassland conservation program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Grassland Conservation Reserve Program pays farmers to convert or keep environmentally sensitive agricultural land as grassland for 10 to 15 years. Unlike the USDA’s standard Conservation Reserve Program, the […]
State has one record of acting on 44-year-old foreign ag land law
In the late 1970s, amid national worry that foreigners might be buying up agricultural land and driving up the price, South Dakota lawmakers decided to act. They passed a law limiting foreign ownership of farm and ranch land to 160 acres. Now, 44 years later, as the issue of foreign ownership is back in the […]
Gap grows between targeted and actual teacher pay
Schools are lagging the state’s target pay for teachers, and the gap is growing, according to data shared with a state board in Pierre. That’s despite the 2016 Legislature’s efforts to address the problem by increasing the state’s sales tax by half a percentage point. This year, the Legislature reduced the state sales tax by […]
Noem pledges action to alleviate prescription drug shortages
SIOUX FALLS — Governor Kristi Noem announced Wednesday the state will create additional stockpiles of prescription drugs to combat shortages. The Department of Health already has an emergency stockpile of antibiotics in Sioux Falls and Rapid City. Noem is expanding that program to five additional cities – Aberdeen, Hot Springs, Mobridge, Pierre and Yankton. And […]
Regulators to begin review of NorthWestern Energy’s proposed 16% rate increase
A company that provides electricity to 64,680 South Dakota customers wants to raise its rates by about 16%. South Dakota’s Public Utilities Commission voted Tuesday to give itself six months to study the rate proposal. It would be a jump of $19.14 per month on an average residential customer’s bill, although the increase would affect […]