60 leads the pack

Social Media

Page likes: 7,893

Dakota Rural Action

We organize and build community power in promoting and protecting natural resources & resilient food and energy systems for future generations in South Dakota.

Dakota Rural Action

2 days ago

📰Sharing the good news that Senator Rounds voted against advancing the federal permitting bill (BAAJA) on the grounds that it oversteps the state's own processes. We appreciate him standing up for landowners, state oversight, and local control. "Rounds released a statement Monday on social media saying he appreciates his Senate colleagues “opening a much-needed conversation surrounding permitting reform,” but he believes “any discussions surrounding permitting reform should allow for the opportunity to resolve any issues at the state level.”“In South Dakota, the siting of most transmission lines has always been resolved in a reasonable amount of time between landowners, developers and the Public Utilities Commission,” Rounds said. “This legislation would transfer contested cases to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission if not resolved within 12 months, giving a weighted advantage to the developer.”"Rounds went on to say “South Dakota landowners deserve to negotiate with stakeholders at the state and local level before federal intervention is required,” and said he hopes to work with his colleagues to address that concern."Opponents of carbon-capture pipelines have also opposed the legislation. A group of over 50 environmental, landowner, Indigenous and community groups signed a letter last month urging members of Congress to oppose the permitting reform bill, saying it would “weaken rather than strengthen safeguards for communities facing risky and unnecessary pipelines, injection wells and other infrastructure for the carbon capture and storage (CCS) industry.”Read more: southdakotasearchlight.com/2026/11/09/repub/permitting-overhaul-advances-in-us-senate-with-tepid-... ...

Photo

View on Facebook (opens in a new tab)

Dakota Rural Action

3 days ago

🎉What a fantastic Annual Meeting this weekend! We are so grateful to everyone who celebrated 39 years of rural organizing across South Dakota. 💥We kicked off the event with dinner & a keynote from Austin Frerick, author of Barons. Even those of us who are very familiar with corporate power in agriculture & our food system were shocked. We will be sharing his presentation on YouTube soon, so even if you couldn't make it Friday night, you can still watch. 😄We also had a fun & successful basket silent auction. We want to thank everyone who contributed to our basket auction & also to everyone who bid & bought. We are blown away by your generosity! 🤗Saturday was a wonderful gathering where celebrated our organizing in communities across the state. It was so inspiring to hear from folks share their stories and how they are working with their neighbors. 🙏Thank you to our members - you are Dakota Rural Action! ...

Photo

View on Facebook (opens in a new tab)

Dakota Rural Action

7 days ago

🚨Comment deadline is Monday, Nov. 9th! Submit your comments today! If the DANR site is down, please email DANRmail@state.sd.us and ask for an extension on the comment period!❗Powertech is seeking rights to over 2.3 billion gallons of groundwater per year for its Dewey-Burdock Uranium Mine Project in Fall River and Custer Counties. Does the project sound familiar? Powertech originally sought these permits over a decade ago, but recently reapplied for permits under newer state rules that restrict who is able to challenge the project.This amount of water is equal to that of a 70,000-person community, nearly the size of Rapid City. The Black Hills already have restrictions on watering lawns, and the water resources are at near all time lows. Now imagine another Rapid City dropping into the Black Hills?! This is an outrageous giveaway of our state’s resources. 📌Even worse, the company would mix chemicals with water to extract the uranium - and then re-inject the majority of the requested 2.3 billion gallons per year back into the Inyan Kara reservoir, which means that they will control (and deliberately contaminate) a vast amount of water in the most arid region of the state. And there is no end date on this permit! This raises the question of what might that contaminated water be used for since it will be unusable for drinking, livestock, or irrigation. ❗But wait - there’s more! Powertech is also requesting over 82 million gallons a year from two deep wells in the Madison aquifer, for both industrial and domestic/livestock use, meaning that the company would be free to sell the water back to residents, or even other entities, for a profit.🚨Take Action Now - Monday is the deadline. ❗Highest priority: Submit public comments for each permit. 📌Inyan Kara Water Right Permit Application #2914-2danr.sd.gov/public/wrctpn.aspx?intervene=11/09/2026&number=2914-2&applicant=Powertech%20(USA),%20...📌Madison Water Right Permit Application #2915-2danr.sd.gov/public/wrctpn.aspx?intervene=11/09/2026&number=2915-2&applicant=Powertech%20(USA),%20...❗If you want to do more: Contact Governor Rhoden! Tell him that South Dakota isn’t giving away our water to corporations! You can email the Governor’s office at governorrhoden@state.sd.us. As always, be specific and respectful in your comments. Thank you for your action! ...

Photo

View on Facebook (opens in a new tab)

Dakota Rural Action

1 week ago

South Dakota voters have spoken again on preserving our rights at the ballot box!Amendment L was defeated yesterday 58% - 42%. This is the third time voters have rejected the legislature's attempts to water down our power to access the ballot, so hopefully they'll move on. You can read the SD Searchlight's story here: southdakotasearchlight.com/2026/11/03/threshold-for-south-dakota-constitutional-amendments-should... ...

Photo

View on Facebook (opens in a new tab)

Dakota Rural Action

1 week ago

👋Remember to cast your vote today! Polls are open until 7 pm local time. Be sure to have your photo ID with you. ❓Not sure where to find your polling place? You can find it on the SD Secretary of State's website: vip.sdsos.gov/VIPLogin.a #ElectionDayo#sodakvotesv#SouthDakotaa#southdakotaelectionstions ...

Photo

View on Facebook (opens in a new tab)

Stay Informed

Support Our Work

Dakota Rural Action

Get In Touch