Economy
Lawmaker seeks $5 million to expand adult day centers
South Dakota had 30 state-registered adult day centers scattered across the state at one point. The services provided low cost programming, care and supervision during the day for people who were elderly or disabled, and let them return to their homes and families at night. Now, there are only three left: one in Rapid City, […]
How did renewables fare during Winter Storm Elliott
A day after Christmas, as parts of the country were still digging out from Winter Storm Elliott, the Wall Street Journal’s editorial page, undeterred by the absence of much concrete data, already knew where to cast the blame for rolling blackouts implemented in parts of the South to keep the grid from collapsing. “While there […]
From prison to a payroll: Program trains inmates as machinists
Kimberlee Browne thought she’d die on the streets. The 40-year-old mother of six and former educator has been in and out of the South Dakota prison system twice since 2012. Each time she was released, something would happen to make her lose her confidence and faith; she’d fall back into bad habits and be arrested, […]
558 people and groups now have legal standing in two carbon pipeline applications
More than 500 people and organizations now have standing to participate in the regulatory review of two proposed carbon-capture pipelines that would go through South Dakota. The latest is Lesley Pedde of Texas, who received late notice of the application process. The Public Utilities Commission granted him “party status” Friday in the review of the […]
Offshore wind will need major investments in transmission, supply chain, reports say
Achieving the aggressive offshore wind power goals of the federal government and individual states will require billions of dollars in spending on transmission infrastructure, “unprecedented” cooperation between grid operators and federal and state agencies, and would be aided by major buildout of a domestic supply chain, per a pair of reports released this week. Coastal […]
Bill to tax lithium as an energy mineral passes House
PIERRE – The South Dakota House of Representatives sent a bill classifying lithium as an energy mineral to the Senate on Thursday. If passed, the re-classification would subject the high-demand mineral, used to power cell phones, laptops and electric vehicles, to the state’s severance tax. The severance tax is imposed on the extraction of natural […]
Noem-backed food tax cut clears first committee hearing
PIERRE – A tax cut touted by Gov. Kristi Noem as the largest in state history cleared its first legislative hurdle Thursday. House Bill 1075 would eliminate the state’s 4.5% tax on food sales. South Dakota is one of just three states with such a tax. The others are Alabama and Mississippi. The tax cut […]
SD tribes would lose millions for tribal government if state eliminates food sales tax
PIERRE – A food sales tax cut that passed a House panel Thursday morning has raised concerns for South Dakota’s nine tribal governments. An official with the Bureau of Finance and Management estimated that the tribes would lose about $2 million in funding for tribal government operations if the food tax is eliminated, but admitted […]
Bipartisan bill would make state IDs free for low income South Dakotans
PIERRE – State identifications cards are needed to get a job, rent an apartment and vote in South Dakota. Even library cards are out of reach without an ID. The wallet-sized card, which resembles a driver’s license, costs $28 in South Dakota. Rep. Kadyn Wittman, D-Sioux Falls, wants to make state IDs free for low […]
Some utilities charge customers for donations and events, with regulator approval
Last October, hundreds of politicians and business leaders from all over the country gathered to be wined, dined and guided into eastern South Dakota grasslands for a pheasant hunt with the governor. “There’s a lot of schmoozing that goes on,” said John Cooper, a former secretary of Game, Fish and Parks who’s attended 15 of […]
Bill to protect ag operations from nuisance lawsuits heads to the House
A bill to make it more difficult to sue agricultural operations earned the unanimous support of the state House Ag and Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday. Some opponents called the legislation a move to eliminate nuisance lawsuits all but entirely. House Bill 1090, introduced by Rep. James Wangsness, R-Miller, restricts the right to file nuisance […]
Infrastructure bill resists attempts to quash it in House of Representatives
PIERRE – The House of Representatives sent a $200 million infrastructure bill to Gov. Kristi Noem’s desk on Monday with a hard-won 54-16 vote. Senate Bill 41 is a fix to 2022 bill that sought to send infrastructure funds to developers to help fill gaps in workforce housing. The agency deemed responsible for dispersing the […]