After SDGOP chairman Dan Lederman failed to stop the Republican-controlled Brown County Commission from passing a moratorium against carbon dioxide pipelines like the one Lederman’s rich Republican friends want to build across eastern South Dakota, those Republican friends responded with decidedly un-Republican grumpiness toward local control:
Summit Carbon Solutions issued a statement Tuesday afternoon about the Brown County Commission’s decision.
“Federal and state-level agencies have always maintained the primary role when it comes to regulating and permitting CO2 pipelines, rather than individual counties,” it reads in part. “Summit Carbon Solutions is disappointed the Brown County Commission chose to ignore that established and long-standing process, while also allowing a small handful of opponents to continue spreading misinformation regarding our project” [Elisa Sand, “Brown County Commission Approves One-Year Moratorium on Transmission Pipelines,” Aberdeen News, 2022.07.19].
What? Don’t tell me Republicans are all about local control until local control gets in the way of their profits.
Gee-whillikers—if you’re looking for the Republican belief in local control, you have to turn to the South Dakota Democratic Party, which just published its platform yesterday. Under “Agriculture and Rural Development,” we find this local control plank:
The South Dakota Democratic Party advocates for… Local control of planning and zoning as the right of individual counties. We support the people’s right to a transparent initiated measure or referendum process at the state, county, and local levels [South Dakota Democratic Party, platform, adopted 2022.07.09].
With that declaration, Democrats are responding directly to Republican Kristi Noem’s war on local control over planning and zoning issues. It also mingles Noem’s demonstrated antipathy to voter initiatives with her effort to prevent local citizens from going to court to stop unhealthy industrial zoning decisions.
The Ag section of the platform says the SD Dems “support individual and local landowner rights.” While Lederman and his Republican friends will seize land via eminent domain to build their pipeline, the South Dakota Democratic Party says under “Natural Resources” and Environment” that it opposes “the use of eminent domain by ventures for the purpose of CO2 pipelines.”
Perhaps someone could ask Dan and his Republican Party candidates when his Republicans became the party of big government and land grabs and when the Democratic Party took over advocacy for local control and property rights.
Recall similar outrage when Denny Daugaard tried to bully locals into a land grab in Spearditch Canyon and Jerry Apa had a conniption.
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/opinion/columnists/local/yours-gf-p-uninterested-in-park-feedback/article_52b86868-05af-5f3c-9867-2de40b7018cd.html
Republicans are goofy but easy to read critters. They think the crooks they put in office will protect their stolen lands only to find out what the original owners found out, you cannot trust a republican to not try to steal your lands to line their own pockets. The CO2 pipe just the latest way to blow smoke up the arse’s of those too cultist to smell it.
I recall talking to Mr. Apa around that time about this, and I thought he was going to take a poke at ol’ grudznick. He was so worked up he couldn’t even focus on his cards and refused to have breakfast with me for a month.
Come on Cory, you know Republicans are all about power. Whatever works is OK with them. They are all for whatever puts them in power and keeps them in power. That can shift whenever need be.
Why did I hear on a ND radio station that Dan Lederman receives $10,000 a month from Saudi’s Arabia for summit carbon solutions ? Is this true ? Also have heard that insurance companies will not offer liability insurance to landowners for accidents related to the pipeline on their ground. An indemnity from Summit to landowners if there is “gross negligence “ or “ willful misconduct “ sounds like an empty promise with a court fight to prove.
We expect the PUC and the State of South Dakota to represent the best interests of agriculture, their number one industry!
Yes, in 2019, Lederman filed as a foreign agent and reported being on the Saudi payroll for $10K/month. The PR/lobbying firm with which Lederman is associated, LS2 Group, continues to propagandize for the Saudis.