Eminent domain
Landowners sue to put prison site in front of county zoning board
The state should ask for Lincoln County’s permission before building a new prison there, according to a lawsuit from a group of landowners. The lawsuit was filed in Lincoln County late last week by a recently formed group called “Neighbors Opposed to Prison Expansion” — or the acronym NOPE for short — as well as […]
Defying the odds: Meet the attorney for 1,000 clients who beat two pipeline companies
Brian Jorde said most people didn’t think he or his clients had much of a chance to stop a pair of carbon dioxide pipelines after the plans were announced two years ago. “‘You all are a nuisance. We all know this is getting permitted.’ That has been the attitude of these pipelines since day one, […]
New property rights coalition plans to lobby for eminent domain restrictions
SIOUX FALLS — A statewide coalition has formed to pursue restrictions on the use of eminent domain for projects such as carbon dioxide pipelines. The group introduced itself during a press conference Thursday at the Denny Sanford Premier Center. The politically diverse coalition, named South Dakotans First, consists of the South Dakota Farmers Union, Dakota […]
Noem’s actions speak louder than words on eminent domain
South Dakota Farmers Union policy supports landowners’ rights. Because of this, during the 2023 legislative session, we supported House Bill 1133. In a nutshell, the bill would have excluded carbon dioxide as a common carrier commodity. Unlike electricity, water or natural gas transported via pipelines, transporting highly pressured CO2 only benefits two private investor groups […]
Landowner battles against pipelines vary by state
Sprawling Midwestern pipelines that would carry captured carbon dioxide from ethanol plants and other facilities would change little when they cross state lines. The proposals would be constructed the same way in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska and the Dakotas — with carbon steel pipe ranging from 4 to 24 inches in diameter with operating pressures […]
‘It’s about property rights’: Some farmers resent ethanol industry’s push for carbon pipelines
ABERDEEN — Craig Schaunaman, who farms thousands of acres, has been invested in the ethanol industry since its early days and even served on the board of an ethanol plant. But a carbon-capture pipeline supported by dozens of ethanol plants would cross his land, and he’s against it, even though ethanol officials say the pipeline […]
Legislative roundup: Pipelines and punishment
Aside from transgender health care, the big themes on the Searchlight radar this week were carbon pipelines and criminal justice. At least one media outlet used the term “Pipeline Monday” to describe the first day of the week that marked the halfway point of the main run of the 2023 legislative session. Half a dozen […]
Landowners congregate in Capitol to push for tighter restrictions on eminent domain
PIERRE – Landowners and concerned citizens from around the state congregated Wednesday in the Capitol to advocate for protection from compulsory land acquisition, or eminent domain, and to support a bill limiting the practice. They criticized three projects planned in the state — two carbon capture pipelines and a pumped storage project — all of […]