A newly organized group hopes to block a landmark bill regulating pipelines from becoming law.
The group hopes to secure a public “No” vote this fall.
The South Dakota Property Rights and Local Control Alliance hopes to refer Senate Bill 201. Referring a bill means stopping it from progressing into law and instead placing it on the November ballot for a public vote.
The group is offering to train petition circulators on Monday at the state Capitol. This will take place directly after lawmakers meet for Veto Day.
Gov. Kristi Noem has not vetoed any bills this session, though legislators must still meet to officially close out the session.
Rick Bonander is a spokesperson for the committee. He said the new law ignores the landowner.
“There was nothing more in that bill then what was already offered by Summit in the first place on the easements. So you can see that it was written by a biased party - with the only purpose to provide certainty that this pipeline would go through. When they call it the 'landowners bill of rights,' that’s really misdirection play," said Bonander. "Because what it does is provides the certainty that Summit, or any other company like them, can come through, use eminent domain, condemn the property, and make billions and billions of dollars.”
The group is unable to gather signatures until the legislature gavels out.
A primary concern for the group is the change in the permitting process for carbon pipelines. The bill says the Public Utilities Commission will run the permitting process rather than county, municipal, or township governments.
According to state law, the group would need to acquire a minimum of 17,509 signatures to bring Senate Bill 201 to a public vote. If the group gets enough signatures, they’ll stop the bill form becoming law July 1. The bill would placed on the November ballot for voters to decide its fate.
Rep. Will Mortenson was a prime sponsor of the bill. He said the bill is the best compromise for all parties - including the landowner.
“I’m trying to get something done for our state, for our farmers, for our counties. In the last year, I kicked Summit in the shins about as hard as anybody. I fought with ethanol leaders, directly and in the paper. This year, I am getting a lot of scorn from people who have been eminent domain defendants. I really do sympathize with them but at this point, they’re as mad at me as anyone is," said Mortenson. "So why have I built this circular firing squad around myself? It's because we have to find our way through this folks. There is a better path for our state.”
No companies currently have permits pending with the PUC, but Summit Carbon Solutions has expressed interest in reapplying.
