Landowners Score Monumental Victory In Pipeline Battle
There is a groundswell of support arising from rural communities in the Northern Plains and the Midwest, where a multi-state pipeline is proposed to plow through — busting up communities, tearing up fields and pastures, destroying tree lines, and worst of all, burying plant food in a dangerous pipeline, in what could be the largest fleecing of taxpayer dollars through the Green New Deal boondoggle.
The opposition to this absolute farce of a project is not a small, vocal minority; instead, it’s an avalanche of support that grows in numbers by the day — bi-partisan in nature, grassroots and citizen-led — all coming together for one common cause: to fight for the people’s God-given, Constitutionally-protected private property rights.
Neighbors locking arms to stand in solidarity — communities standing firm in the fight for the future for the children and grandchildren. It’s an incredible juxtaposition against the contrast, proponents choosing greed, corporate interests, and the donor class over the very citizens who call this place “home.”
Despite the propaganda, the pushing, the threats, the coercion, the perversion of the law, and the trampling of the Constitution that has been allowed to prioritize one Green New Deal project, the message from the citizens has remained steadfast and firm.
Repeatedly, we have simply asked our elected officials for three things — first, preserve and uphold the Constitution by protecting our private property rights; second, maintain local control instead of centralizing and consolidating all government control to just a few at the state level; and third, absolutely no eminent domain for private gain.
In August, the landowners and communities were validated, countless prayers answered, when the South Dakota Supreme Court determined that Summit Carbon Solutions had failed to demonstrate it was a “common carrier” under state law. In short, this company does not have the power of eminent domain and can only use minimally invasive methods to survey routes for the carbon pipeline.
“It is thus premature to conclude that SCS is a common carrier, especially where the record before us suggests that CO2 is being shipped and sequestered underground with no apparent productive use,” the court ruled.
In layman’s terms, that means no more condemning of properties; no more drilling and tearing up land; no more entry onto private property without the owner’s permission; no more entering into sheds and homes and applying intimidation tactics to people who do not wish to participate in this boondoggle; no more eminent domain for private gain!
“The South Dakota Supreme Court has unanimously vindicated arguments against Summit’s CO2 pipeline by landowners and completely repudiated proponents’ reasons for supporting their boondoggle” said Ed Fischbach, a South Dakota landowner and farmer near Mellette.“South Dakota landowners may rightfully refuse Summit’s surveyors, and any landowner that was violated by Summit’s invasive surveys can now go after this private company for damages. This is a huge victory for all of us who have been on the front lines of this fight, but South Dakota has once again demonstrated that ‘We Are Not For Sale’.”
So what’s next for South Dakota? What’s next for this country? The answer is clear — the Green New Deal grift will continue, but only if we the people allow it. Now is the time to get involved. Attend your county commission meetings. Sit in on your township discussions. Write letters to the editor. Sound the alarms to your friends and neighbors. Stick together when these bad actors come to town.
Throw apathy out the window, and replace it with diligence. That will be the key to safeguarding our rural communities, protecting the future of agriculture, and ensuring that families can live in peace, knowing their private property (whether that’s a corner lot in town or a section in the middle of nowhere) are truly theirs to build, dream, grow, and raise their children.
In South Dakota — our next fight is here. We must vote No on Referred Law 21 (SB201), the so-called “landowner bill of rights” that reads much more like a “bill of sale” for a private, out-of-state company seeking to enrich themselves with our tax dollars.
Don’t buy the lie. RL21 simply greases the wheel for one company, and it sets a precedent for much more to come, stripping away local control and negating our private property rights. We already have landowner protections under the Constitution. We can determine the true value of our land with the assistance of a good attorney looking over an easement agreement. The best decisions are made close to home, not in the hands of consolidated power at the state and federal level. Simply stated, RL21 is bad legislation. You can learn more and support the citizen-led effort to protect the future of our state by visiting www.sdnotforsale.com.
Together, we will make sure the heart of rural America — the lifeblood of our nation’s food and national security — remain strong. Under God, the People Rule!