Powertech Attempting to Move Forward with State Water Permits
At a meeting of the Water Management Board (WMB) May 5th, Powertech gave a status update on the Dewey-Burdock project, indicating they planned to file a motion for a scheduling order. This means they are hoping to move forward with the process of securing Water Appropriation Permits for their proposed In Situ Leach Uranium Mine in Custer and Fall River Counties. That process was put on hold in 2013, when the WMB determined a pause was necessary while Powertech secured their federal permits.
In the waning days of the Trump Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted Powertech Uranium two permits and a Safe Drinking Water Act aquifer exemption without meaningful consultation with the Oglala Sioux Tribe and without conducting a cultural resources survey of the proposed mine site. The Oglala Sioux Tribe has appealed these permits to the EPA’s Environmental Appeals Board.
While it is unclear if new intervenors will be able to join the opposition (there were over 300 of them in 2013–a few have passed, and some have moved away), but regardless of whether that’s possible, one action YOU can make RIGHT NOW is to sign the petition to pull back the EPA permits, which would likely stop the state process in its tracks. Click HERE to sign on!
Local Foods Update: 
I have some happy news to share with you all. Last week Stephanie Peterson, Jordan, Haley and myself attended a meeting in Midland, SD at Cedar Creek Gardens – a meeting of what is to be the SD Local Foods Coalition.
This group is made up of many folks: DRA, SD Specialty Producers, SD Dept of Ag, Natural Resources Conservation District, SDSU Extension, SD Dept of Tourism, Black Hills Food Hub, Dakota Fresh Food Hub, SD Animal Industry Board, USDA Rural Development, Rosebud Economic Development Corporation, etc.
We discussed the current status of local foods in SD and some of our visions for the future. We brought up local branding and were successful in getting the group to quickly agree on the adoption and use of the SoDak Grown brand and logo that has come out of local Homegrown chapter work.
This is huge! And furthermore, the group agreed to also pursue USDA approval for the logo’s use on local meat labeling.
Watch out world – SoDak Grown is hitting the big time! And let me note that this is one of our goals from the Local Foods Campaign (a campaign that is still in motion and that we continue to actualize); and was a goal that we anticipated would take many years to bring to fruition. Those of us who have been working on this are pretty stinkin’ excited!
Here are the guidelines for use of the logo; you can read about the details HERE!
We still have a lot of work to do with regards to the branding and a lot of more issues we can win on with regards to Local Foods in SD and creating a just, equitable and thriving food system for all.
Please contact Matthew West mwest@dakotarural.org to find out more!
Local Foods Committee
Are you passionate about local foods? Are you a consumer who wants local foods to succeed? Are you a local grower or producer?
Join the Local Foods Committee of Dakota Rural Action. This committee will meet by phone monthly to create a statewide local foods campaign, work on food policy, and take action on creating a thriving and just local foods movement in South Dakota.
We will meet once a month via phone to coordinate statewide local foods work.
The committee has the potential to work on a local foods campaign that is working with community members, restaurants, and our local farmers to create a consumer driven local foods campaign that would consist of a local foods challenge for citizens, working with restaurants to promote local food procurement, and continuing to strengthen the local and regional food system.
As part of the local food campaign DRA has developed a logo as a promotional tool for institutions, restaurants, producers, and consumers to utilize to promote South Dakota Grown food and materials. #SoDakGrown
We will also be helping to guide and facilitate the SD Local Food Coalition.
What can the SD Local Food Coalition do?
- Function as food system planning venues and “Dept. of Food”
- Bring together members from government, academia, agriculture, food banks, restaurants, retailers, faith communities
- Focus on health, planning, economic dev., education, agriculture, and social services
- Conduct local food system assessments and planning
- Serve as the voice of the community related to food
- Implement Farm to School
- So much more!!!
Join our Local Foods Committee.
Please contact Haley Friedt haley@dakotarural.org or Matthew West mwest@dakotarural.org to find out more!
Dakota Rural Action Launches SoDak Grown Punch Cards: Support Local
Fill out your loca
l food punch card for a chance to win!
Dakota Rural Action (DRA) is excited to bring back the SoDak Grown punch card program for the third year! Participating farmers’ markets and grocery stores will have punch cards available throughout the summer. Each time you purchase or harvest a local food item, give yourself a punch on your card. If you buy 3 local food items in one day, you’ll get three punches. Harvest 12 local food items, and you’ll get all 12 punches. Once you fill up all 12 slots on your card, turn it in at any participating location, and your card will be entered into a monthly drawing where we’ll be giving away gift cards to the best local businesses. Enter as many completed punch cards as you want for more chances to win each month! Let’s build a strong resilient food system that supports our community and our local farmers and ranchers.
Pick up your punch card and get started buying local food! Cards will be collected at the end of each month and winners randomly selected shortly thereafter. Drawings will take place during the months of June through October to highlight the peak of the local food season in South Dakota.
Follow us on Facebook to find out more: www.facebook.com/SoDakGrown/
To request punch cards, contact DRA 605.697.5204 or email homegrown@dakotarural.org.
EVENTS!
May 2021
1 ⏤ May Day / International Workers’ Day
5 ⏤ Cinco de Mayo
5 ⏤ BHC Racial Justice Reading Group, 6:00 pm MT, contact Rebecca Terk, rebeccat@dakotarural.org for Zoom information
9 ⏤ Mother’s Day
11 ⏤ Black Hills Chapter Meeting, 6:00 pm MT, contact Rebecca Terk, rebeccat@dakotarural.org for Zoom information
17 ⏤ Homegrown Sioux Empire Chapter Meeting, 6:00 pm CT, contact mwest@dakotarural.org for log-in information
25 ⏤ Homegrown Equity & Racial Justice Book Club, 7:00 pm CT, contact mwest@dakotarural.org for Zoom information
31 ⏤ Memorial Day
June 2021
2 ⏤ BHC Racial Justice Reading Group, 6:00 pm MT, contact Rebecca Terk, rebeccat@dakotarural.org for Zoom information
8 ⏤ Black Hills Chapter Meeting, 6:00 pm MT, contact Rebecca Terk, rebeccat@dakotarural.org for Zoom information
19 ⏤ Juneteenth
20 ⏤ Summer Solstice
20 ⏤ Father’s Day
21 ⏤ Homegrown Sioux Empire Chapter Meeting, 6:00 pm CT, contact mwest@dakotarural.org for log-in information
26 ⏤ Sioux Falls Pride
29 ⏤ Homegrown Equity & Racial Justice Book Club, 7:00 pm CT, contact mwest@dakotarural.org for Zoom information
July 2021
7 ⏤ BHC Racial Justice Reading Group, 6:00 pm MT, contact Rebecca Terk, rebeccat@dakotarural.org for Zoom information
13 ⏤ Black Hills Chapter Meeting, location TBD, 6:00 pm MT, contact Rebecca Terk, rebeccat@dakotarural.org for Zoom information
19 ⏤ Homegrown Sioux Empire Chapter Meeting, 6:00 pm CT, contact mwest@dakotarural.org for log-in information
27 ⏤ Homegrown Equity & Racial Justice Book Club, 7:00 pm CT, contact mwest@dakotarural.org for Zoom information