The vast majority of SD landowners believe in protecting private property rights

As a lifelong agriculturalist, I have a passion for the land and livestock. I take great pride in continuing a multi-generational tradition of being a steward of our God-given natural resources, and I am very intentional in teaching my four children how to be true caregivers of the animals and acres we are blessed to tend to.

There’s something that grounds you when you are up at 2 a.m. bringing a baby calf out of the snow and into the warm shelter of the barn.

There’s something that keeps you rooted in what matters most when you’re planting seeds in the spring and praying for rain and a bountiful harvest.

There’s something that stirs the soul when you can work alongside family members — mom and dad, grandpa and grandpa, kids and grandkids, all laboring together to get the job done, with eyes, not on short-term gains, but on the long-term future that lies ahead.

It’s who we are in the heart of South Dakota. At our core, we are caregivers. We love the land. We love our neighbor. And we love our community. We love freedom and independence and the ability to pursue entrepreneurial ideas and innovations, to make the land better, to create new opportunities for the next generation, and to stand true to the values and ideals that make South Dakota one of the best places in the nation to plant down roots and raise a family.

Yet, there is a small, vocal minority in Pierre, S.D., backed by well-connected politicians, big industry, corporations, and the donor class, who are committed to stealing the dreams of their neighbors to profit themselves and their crony friends.

They don’t care about stepping on the little guy or taking what is not theirs to benefit themselves. It’s “for the greater good,” they claim. Playing in carbon markets is the “only way” for farmers to survive, they argue. And by golly, the “future of sustainable aviation jet fuel” is at stake, don’t you know?!

These folks readily admit they don’t really buy into the Green New Deal agenda; however, their actions speak volumes when they are willing to use federal tax payer dollars under extreme climate change programs to prop up out-of-state, for-profit companies and call it “economic development,” “value-added agriculture,” and “building the tax base.”

But what this really does is press the heavy boot of government on our necks, create a socialist regime that will control every inch of your life, and signal to the world that we aren’t just “open for business,” but that our land is for sale to the highest bidder (whether you and I like it or not).

I’m here to tell you, my fellow South Dakotans, this agenda absolutely hurts the very farmers and ranchers these folks claim to be fighting and advocating for. What’s worse, the avenue they are using to ram this carbon sequestration project down our throats has been dubiously dubbed the  “historic landowner bill of rights.” 

During the last legislative session, a package of pipeline bills, including HB 1185, HB 1186, and SB 201, was pushed through the House and Senate and signed by the Governor. None of these bills protect the private property rights of South Dakota citizens. None of these bills eliminate the use of eminent domain for private gain. None of these bills allow South Dakotans to continue the rich traditions that we have held dear since statehood began — one where individual families can control the land under their feet and local communities can make decisions that benefit the people who reside in those counties.

Instead, this egregious package of bills creates a very dangerous dynamic for South Dakota citizens — it greases the wheels for one private carbon pipeline company; it pre-negotiates terms of an easement placing a pre-determined value on your land; it legalizes trespassing as long as they pay a measly $500 for access; it completely strips away local governance and control at the county level and gives it to the big brother nanny state; it sets a deeper-entrenched precedent for new projects to come in and use eminent domain to take your land; it diminishes public safety oversight; it changes the rules in the middle of the game; it destroys a system with the Public Utilities Commission that already has a proven record of working well; and it puts provisions of the Green New Deal into South Dakota law.

Simply stated — Pierre got it dead wrong on SB201, and South Dakota citizens know it. We may not have slick lobbyists and career politicians leading the referendum to get this bill on the November general election ballot; however, what we do have is a committed, resolute, empowered grassroots citizens effort to remind our politicians that in South Dakota, “Under God The People Rule.”

Please, sign the referendum petition, so that we the people can have our say come November. The crowds keep getting bigger; the signatures keep rolling in; and there is strength in numbers, my friends.

Click HERE for more information!

In the heart of South Dakota, we believe in private property rights. We believe in community. We believe in taking care of the land, the livestock, and our neighbor. And we believe that the dreams of our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren shouldn’t be stripped away for a Green New Deal project, because fundamentally, we know at our core — carbon is plant food; agriculture is life; our people are our greatest asset; and the climate change agenda is a pathway to starvation and more government control in our lives.

God bless South Dakota and the incredible people who are willing to fight it. May our efforts ensure a bright future ahead for families, farms, ranches, and communities — one where the spirit of liberty lives on, and we aren’t building our futures on the climate change agenda.