The South Dakota Department of Transportation has a draft version of a Carbon Reduction Strategy on its website. Dated June 9, 2023, the document satisfies federal requirements that each state identify projects and strategies to reduce carbon emissions. To keep Governor Noem’s divisive-concepts inquisitors off their back, SDDOT goes to great pains to emphasize that saving the planet is up to someone else:
There are many strategies, methods, approaches, activities, and tactics SDDOT can use to implement SDDOT’s main carbon reduction strategy, which is to “Allocate Resources to Improve Energy Efficiency.” An intelligent approach to limit emissions aligns with economic and market forces to improve energy efficiency in ways that are appropriate to South Dakota’s context or setting. Developing a strategy that is “context sensitive” helps craft an effective approach. SDDOT and South Dakota citizens understand that strategies and methods that will work in an urban setting will not produce a favorable outcome in South Dakota’s rural setting. The most distinguishing features of South Dakota’s context compared to the rest of the country are:
- Extended distances to urban centers with health care and commercial services require long drive times.
- Large farms and ranches require an extensive road network to obtain seed and fertilizer and to ship crops to national and international markets and a small population exists to fund that road network.
- The state hosts many dispersed Tribes and Native American communities.
- A high percentage of out-of-state truck freight and tourists use South Dakota’s road network.
- Transportation users depend on highways and motor vehicles as the main modes of travel because of the economy, population densities, and their effect on practical transportation choices.
SDDOT cannot, and does not want to, dictate to its customers how they will use the state’s transportation system. Trying to override the “invisible hand” guiding individual transportation choices hinders those complementary forces and does not nurture a harmonious and coordinated strategy that will limit emissions while supporting resilience and mobility. South Dakota’s strategy will be shaped by the extent and limits of what SDDOT can control and influence [South Dakota Department of Transportation, Draft Carbon Reduction Strategy, 2023.06.09, pp. 4–5].
Translation: We’re not going to do much; just trust God to fix things.
SDDOT does note that South Dakota is responsible for only 0.7% of the country’s carbon emissions. Of course, we only account for 0.2% of the nation’s population, so all of our trucks and tractors and trips to Sioux Falls are punching well above our per-capita pollution weight. But even with our disproportionate fuel-burning, our 6.8 million metric tons of carbon emissions from transportation ranks 45th in the nation, ahead of only Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Delaware, and the District of Columbia, all smaller, denser areas. We all need to do our part to keep the air clean and the planet cool, but South Dakota can only do so much alone.
Until people stop wanting roads and food or there are legit non diesel alternatives for moving heavy equipment and mass, diesel is king.
You’re not going to do much; just trust God to fix things?
That stubborn, selfish attitude is why a strong central government is the best way to maintain progress and momentum toward an infrastructure rebuild.
It’s okay. Just sit back, South Dakota. We Blue states, who send you money from our citizens paychecks every month so you can pay your bills, will legislate what you’ll have to do.
Otherwise, your funds can be decreased, and you can raise your own damn taxes and get off the “national nipple”.
railroads…
One MAGAt neighbor boasted last summer she drove her kids up to Rapid four times in six days so they could go toWalmart. ‘Nuff said.
Gotta say the way fauxknee kristian magats treat the Commandments as optional, if there was a god he/she/it would likely be pissed and smite them with their own jawbones.
For those of us not entangled in that web of deceit, we have nothing to fear in retribution.
I don’t have a problem with this statement: “An intelligent approach to limit emissions aligns with economic and market forces to improve energy efficiency in ways that are appropriate to South Dakota’s context or setting.” . Sure, developing solutions that are going to be taken up by the market is what makes America run. But automobiles and movement of goods by truck or rail is hardly done solely by free enterprise. We have socialist government, including the most socialist of all Departments overseeing transportation. Car, truck, rail or air traffic could not happen without massive government intervention and subsidies. So, get the hell down from your socialist soapbox, DOT, and start figuring something out.
There are two problems with not following up their list of whines with any ideas and they don’t suggest how ideas that aren’t currently market competitive could be made so in South Dakota. There’s a lack of forward thinking, which sort of follows the stick your head in the sand and let others lead approach to everything in South Dakota. The DOT follows the usual whining approach of South Dakota to anything that brings them out of the Dark Ages.
The listed “distinguishing features” should be followed by suggested alternative ways to address these factors. For example, how can you improve the health delivery system to small towns to limit the travel needed? I realize this is not usually something the DOT has to consider, but they could at least look at it as a way to engage with appropriate departments and the medical community about this.
If I had the time I could come up with a lot of ideas to answer each of every one their whines with multiple ideas. They need to get to work and earn their socialized dollars.
Mr. Pay is on fyah and not only damns the damning redundancy of the SDDOT, but provides applicable strategies to find solutions. Before we hear from another piqued department about how feeble they are, you would think they would first collaborate with one another about areas they need gaps filled as well. Then together the state might actually be able to do the bidding for citizens that government is actually intended for. We have some sort of cognitive disability in our state and I think the fist thing we need to do is diagnose Republicanism as a deficiency and prescribe a public funds free diet for awhile.
First, get the work done-then get paid. No checks should clear until the job is complete.
Little doubt Mr. Pay could come up with a lot of ideas. Mr. Pay has departed South Dakota long ago as have the vast majority of people with innovation skills. South Dakota ranks 50th in USA in such innovation skills. Is it a wonder your DOT has no ideas, no plans to ask for ideas, and no way to improve their innovation void?
It’s wrong for me to criticize without providing a solution.
Imagine an upper plains state where kids and young adults are discouraged at every turn, where they’re laughed at and ridiculed for attempting to solve problems. Imagine a culture that doesn’t nurture and support their innovative spirit, but instead admonishes them for their failures. It’s not a pretty picture, folks.
You see, innovation requires an environment that fosters curiosity, exploration, and most importantly, the freedom to make mistakes. It’s through these mistakes, through this trial and error process, that humans learn and grow. And let me tell you, you can’t stifle that process without consequences.
When you discourage children and young adults from problem-solving, when you make a mockery of their attempts, you’re essentially robbing them of the opportunity to develop essential skills for innovation. Problem-solving is a crucial aspect of innovation – it’s the backbone, the heart and soul of progress.
Now, imagine a culture where failure is not only accepted, but celebrated. Where we understand that failure is not an endpoint, but rather a stepping stone towards success. In this kind of environment, children and young adults are encouraged to think outside the box, to take risks, to embrace unconventional ideas.
In such a culture, innovation thrives. We see breakthroughs in science, technology, arts, you name it. We witness the birth of new ideas, new solutions to old problems. It’s a culture of boundless creativity and endless possibilities.
So, my South Dakota friends, please stop making the mistake of inhibiting your future innovators. Begin now to foster a culture where children and young adults feel empowered to tackle problems head-on, where failure is seen as a valuable learning experience. By doing so, you’ll be nurturing a generation of problem-solvers and innovators who will shape a brighter tomorrow for a star with immense innovation skills potential.
P. Aitch- word to my mommy(: what you describe has become a cognitive disability in statewide government. Other than nurturing innovation at the juvenile level, we adults, especially the ones tasked with solving basic logistical problems with hard earned public funds, should consider it a duty to… READ more than speak.
At an early age, when I asked an adult to give me the answer, they always seemed to respond with telling me to ‘look it up’.
Our governor has built around herself a culture of underachievers to boost her own self esteem. It sucks. From the zebra mussels to rural internet and carbon emissions, the response of other states is to innovate and they have taken notice of South Dakota’s role as the damsel in the scary movie. It is embarrassing and can be simply corrected by reading a friggin article or book or journal written by people and groups who have already done the hard part of researching and experimenting. All we would really need to do is crack the books and study up on our dilemma. Helplessness is way too exhausting.
Fully agree, Always Wise Mammal.
I was also instructed to “look it up”. And when asking “How does this work?” or “What’s wrong with this?” the answer was, “Figure it out. Keep trying different things until you’ve got it.”
But I left and young men like me who could “figure it out” left, too. Mostly for better money but also for more positive feedback and better social experiences.
I’m listening to the new John Mellencamp album where one line extols, “There’s always a f**kin’ way!”
the people down here on the ground aren’t the problem, it’s people like Leonardo di Caprio, Al Gore, and Pete Buttigieg flying around in private jets who tell all the rest of us that we are the problem.
When those clowns start reducing their own carbon footprint, when people like the Obamas and the Sussexes stop buying mansions on islands or coastlines, then we will take this business of global warming and rising sea levels seriously.
Nothing these climate change alarmists are doing is consistent with genuine concern for the environment. Nothing. The real estate they own, the enormous homes they build, heat and cool, the way they travel, everything they do contradicts what they say.
SDDOT still does not employ the method the company I work of (my disclaimer I guess) employs in multiple other states. For example, I am currently enroute to a project in Tennesee utilizing the process. It is called CIR – or Cold – In place – Recycling of asphalt surfaces. The process reduces the truck trips necessary to remove an old asphalt surface through milling of the top damaged surface and using a FEDERALLY REQUIRED percentage of the millings to create a new surface. Traditionally, and in the process the SD DOT employs, there can be up tpo 500 truck trips per mile hauling out the old millings and hauling the new asphalt back in, using some of the millings in the new mix. In the CIR process, those haul out and haul back trips are ELIMINTED entirely, not only using less fuel, but eliminating the impact of those trips on OTHER ROADS. One loaded truck traveling down a paved road is the equivalent wear impact on that road to 5,000 cars making the same trip.
The CIR process employs a “train” of linked equipment to remove, recycle and replace the asphalt surface within the span of about 1 mile. I.E., from the point where the mill removes the surface to within one mile behind that point (and within about 3 hours) a new surface is placed using not just the Federally required recycle percentage of the removed surface, but 100% of it. SD DOT does not use this process. From my direct experience with SD DOT on various other projects and processes, they are “stuck” on using the same processes and methods they learned when the lead engineers graduated from school, or that they learned “on the job”. They are EXTREMELY reluctant to try anything “new”. It’s a problem with their internal organizational culture. That is from my professional perspective as both an Organizational Psychologist AND someone who has worked with them on road projects.
I think that the market could solve for pollution, but only IF we tax/charge for pollution. If the polluting effects of industry were truly charged, if industry was held accountable financially for its pollution, if the bottom line were effected, then we would see marker forces come to bear on the issue. Not only is polluting for the most part free for industry, the costs for cleaning and dealing with that portion is passed on to the public.
O is correct. Another solution is to develop a market, as in cap and trade, which was actually an idea developed first by conservatives as an approach to the ozone hole problem.
So, I read above that Mr. Pay hisownself is to blame for much of what you whiners are whining about. The problems started when he dodged to ‘Sconny to drink the cow beer.
Mr. Schriever, are you sure that CIP practice is not in use in South Dakota? I’m not doubting you entirely, or maybe ol’ grudz just doesn’t fully grasp your description. But I’m pretty sure I’ve been driven down the interstates on one side where what appears to be a perfectly good other-side is slowly busted up and composted and ultimately turned into chum that’s fed back into a concrete process of some sort that poops out a new lane of highway using the guts of the old highway.
Oh, Mr. Schriever seems to be writing about black tar asphalt repurposing. grudznick was writing about concrete eating and pooping equipment.
More innovative ideas have been voiced on this one day discussion than an entire South Dakota governmental division has discussed in a year.
It’s apparent if the SDDOT engineers were innovative they’d be working Minneapolis.
I still love driving my big 1997 Chevy Pick Up, my 1999 Isuzu Trooper, and my 1986 Buick Somerset. And will continue to do so until I die. I do not care to decrease my emmissions, and I will keep selling used cars 2001-2008 to who ever wants them. Screw the federal government. Keep their money. IF they give us any federal funding from Excise Taxes, User Fees, etc – i encourage South Dakota to shove them off in one of our TRUST FUNDS and invest them in stocks and bonds. Keep the money from going to Ukraine and China. ty
Good on you, Mr. Zitterich. grudznick abides your cars.
Only the dude abides, Grudz. I don’t know about you but I take comfort in that. It’s good knowin’ he’s out there. The Dude. Takin’ ‘er easy for all us sinners.
grudznick – Here’s the latest “sconnie” news. – Not a typo: Wisconsin’s Democratic Gov. Tony Evers used his line-item veto power to allow schools to raise K-12 funding by $325 per student every year for the next four centuries.
He did so by editing the Republican-controlled legislature’s budget to remove a hyphen and a “20” that referenced the 2024-25 school year — leaving “2425” in its place.
Mr. Zitterich’s refusal to cooperate with America’s desire to reduce pollution will be stopped by federal laws outlawing the vehicles he’s mentioned.
“We’ll see you in prison, traitor.” is a phrase not unused in such criminal cases.
Mr. Evers seems fiscally irresponsible, Mr. P.h
Governor Evers could have vetoed the entire budget. Wisconsin has a limited line item veto, so he used it to make a few changes. The education funding increase was something that he creatively did. Because Evers is fiscally responsible he zeroed out the Republican tax cuts to the top two income brackets in our income tax schedule, leaving the cuts to the lower income folks. Those cuts he had previously agreed to.
Got grudz-goat on the spit slowly roasting. PH is laughing 😂
Mr. Schriever’s comment about the South Dakota DOT’s reluctance to develop and implement new, innovative methods for road resurfacing is significantly the same cultural indifference to innovation that rules the entire state government structure.
Speaking of innovation. It turns out the highway project I will be working on here in Tennessee is that of state route #1. This is known as the first State built highway EVER in the entirety of the USA. Tennessee was once, it seems, the root cause of all “socialist” tendencies of government in the USA, at least when it comes to state ownership of the means of transporting production.
Just remember folks, We have the 5th Amendment, which backs up the 4th Amendment, which is protected by the 2nd Amendment, which protects the 1st Amendmet. “WE THE PEOPLE” are Sovereign, and Act as One as a State of People. “WE” shall utilize S.D.C.L 33 Miliary Affairs, which is protected by Article 15 of the State Constitution, of which the 2nd Amendment is sworn to protect. “WE” have the right to own firearms, to form our Statewide Militia, to defend ourselves, our families, our homes, our property, our land from foreign intruders. It has gotten to the point under the Biden Administration, that we must act, to protect our borders.
There you have it.
Mr. Z- what has our president’s administration ever done to make you so scared? What has anyone from across the border ever done to you? I will tell you that you scare me. People upsetting our democracy over imaginary ghouls when you, sir, are the dangerous one.
Did you know I have a better chance of being murdered by the police in SD than I have of being a victim of a foreigner? I have a better chance of being assaulted by a white, angry trumpkin with a gun and beard than I do of being drugged by fentanyl. I have a LIKELY chance of being rendered barren from drinking water tainted knowingly by the state of South Dakota.
It is scary that men like you have those ideas of taking up arms against the winner of a fair vote in your heads while all the real clear and imminent danger to the vulnerable and us who are not white men business/property owners, you’re totally cool with. Terrifying.
I have read where this has happened all before and it never turns out well for women. I pray trumpkins understand the jeopardy they are putting the rest of us in. And can it.
We had a lawless tyrant in office from 2017-2021. He attempted to remain in power illegally. I didn’t see Mike Z., the Coward, using his pop guns to protect us from Trump. If we ever needed guns to protect us from tyranny, it would have been against the Trump regime. Guns ain’t the solution to any problem we have. The solution is elections where everyone can vote and everyone’s vote counts. The problem is the traitor Trump who occupied the White House, and his fascist supporters, who seek to undermine elections and participation in government.
the time for serious action on climate change is now. As greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase, climate change is already affecting every region in the world. The impacts, including irreversible losses to ecosystems, acute food insecurity, reduced water security, disease, and climate-driven displacement, will continue to intensify. The horror of climate change is spelled out clearly and unequivocally in the Synthesis Report (SYR) and its shorter Summary for Policymakers (SPM).
https://enb.iisd.org/58th-session-intergovernmental-panel-climate-change-ipcc-58-summary#brief-analysis-ipcc-58