DRA Legislative Questionnaire Responses, Part One of Five
In mid-September, Dakota Rural Action sent out a questionnaire to all candidates running for State House and Senate. Below are the returned responses to the following question:
“Water–both quality and quantity–is an important issue across the state–from the granting of temporary water use permits for exploratory drilling in the Black Hills to nutrient pollution in the majority of our state’s waterways, as well as a lack of sufficient DENR staff to update discharge permits.
If elected, what will you do to ensure that South Dakota’s water resources are protected for citizens and our future generations?”
District 1
House of Representatives
Steven D. McCleerey “Being on the Commerce and Energy Committee, which I will try to remain on, if the voters return me to the Leg. I will be aware of bills that reduce sediment from entering our rivers and streams, support grass waterways, and planting next to and around waterways that are deteriorating”
District 3
House of Representatives
Cory Allen Heidelberger “1. Speaker G. Mark Mickelson, who makes money consulting for industrial agricultural operations, spent his tenure in Pierre pushing numerous laws that loosened regulation of factory feedlots (CAFOs) and weakened the ability of local citizens to control the permitting process and oppose poorly planned CAFOs that would harm local water quality. I will work to repeal those laws and strengthen the ability of local citizens to challenge permits for environmentally unsound CAFOs.
2. A lack of staff means DENR has automatically renewed dozens of surface water discharge permits without checking compliance. I will work to increase DENR’s staff and authority to monitor water quality and enforce permit conditions and environmental laws.
3. Numerous corporations, particularly foreign corporations whose owners and stockholders do not have to live with the consequences of the environmental harms of their operations, want to pour vast quantities of water into often toxic mining operations in the Black Hills. I will defend and strengthen the environmental laws that protect the Black Hills aquifers and surface water from pollution.”
District 4
House of Representatives
Daryl Root “I am not a huge proponent of government regulation, but clean water is one area that I am. I oppose watering of established lawns, I support buffer zones along streams and lakes, and would like to discuss discharge regulations. I oppose drilling in the Black Hills in respect to the history of the Sioux.”
John Mills “Protecting our water resources is very important. Water is vital to life and essential to everyone, Most water regulations are federal, which makes sense because rivers don’t respect political boundaries. On the state level there are fewer, but still important things we can do. Promoting and encouraging conservation at every chance should be a priority. I supported the “Buffer Bill” to incentivize grazz filter strips along streams, rivers, lakes, and look forawad to supporting more ideas like that.”
Kathy Tyler “The first thing we need to do is to educate people of the seriousness of the problem. The Big Sioux River has been designated as one of the dirtiest rivers in the United States since at least 2012. Recent studies have shown that other waters are in the same situation, and the DENR has done basically nothing, citing lack of funding and staff. Complaints of pollution need to be investigated immediately, not two or three days later.
We need a DENR Secretary who realizes the seriousness of the water contamination issue and one who is willing to fight for funding and programs that clean up the waters of our state and keeps them clean. AND we need legislators who will support these changes.”
District 6
State Senate
Teresa Ann Robbins “All legislative initiatives should include environmental impact assessment to include both water management and land conservation issues. I believe that protection of our environment should always be carefully considered and protected to ensure the safety and health of our future generations.”
District 7
House of Representatives
Bill Adamson “Water quality is an essential public good for present and future South Dakota citizens. The state must reduce the backlog of “administratively continued” Surface Water Discharge Permits. The review and reevaluation of discharge permits should follow state law and be completed every five years. The reevaluation process should review the discharge load to ensure that the waterway’s rate of flow is sufficiently adequate to dilute effluent discharge.”
District 8
House of Representatives
Chris Francis “Water is the very lifeblood of our rural communities, as our place and longevity upon the Great Plains is dependent upon the quality of our aquifers which lie beneath our feet. We must do far more, from ensuring sufficient DENR staffing levels, to a more robust permitting process which reflects smart practices and policies. If we fail, and continue to overlook and mismanage our water resources, our livelihoods, our homes, our neighbors and families will lose.”
District 11
House of Representatives
Margaret Kuipers “Water is a precious limited resource. It should be protected against pollution and other contaminants. I would support any legislation to help protect our water.”
Sheryl Johnson “I think we need to REQUIRE buffer strips along the rivers and not just encourage them. Clean water should take precident over company profits. I don’t think upriver companies like cheeseplants should just have carte blance to dump their waste water into our rivers without cleaning it up first. I also think we need to invest more in solar and wind energy to get away from BIG Oil which seems to think it can bull doze it’s way where every it wants.”
District 15
State Senate
Reynold F. Nesiba “I’ve demonstrated an ability to ask direct questions to those at DENR as this Argus story documents: https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.argusleader.com/amp/1049420001. I will continue to do that. In addition, I would support more attention to our buffer strips legislation and enhancing the tax benefits for participation. I have also asked for a full report of the recent Smithfield ammonia release. The public needs far more access to information about the quality of our rivers and how state regulators are attempting to address violations. I’m grateful to DRA for continuing to be on the leading edge of these issues”
District 16
State Senate
Liz Merrigan “I would do everything I could to protect our water by expanding the DENR staff and expecting them to actually do the work for our residents, not out of state polluters. Water is something we take for granted that we are often careless and cavalier about saving out water supplies. Continued vigilance is our salvation.”
District 19
State Senate
Ardon Wek “I believe DENR is best suited to protect South Dakota’s environment. DENR should be adequately funded to ensure that this is accomplished.”
Stace Nelson “South Dakotans have an individual private property right to use water they legally accumulate; however, those rights are offset by stewardship responsibilities to preserve water as the precious resource it is. I have attempted to walk a fine line in the Legislature doing both. I do not take such bills lightly and agonize over them to ensure we are being duly responsible.”
District 19
House of Representatives
Alison Bowers “If elected, I would advocate to provide funding for adequate staff within the DENR. If our water quality regulations are not enforced, we risk damaging our water resources or using them up past the point of return. South Dakota’s future generations deserve better.”
Roger Hofer “Water in SD is a good resource. In bigger CAFOs manure should be knifed in non frozen ground.”
District 25
State Senate
Peter Klebanoff “Water is life. The short-sighted, profit-oriented view of handling water protections must end. We have sufficient history and science to understand that we can’t just throw anything we want into the water and it will ‘go away’.
It doesn’t go away, it compromises the water and potentially water supply for hundreds and thousands of miles and thousands and millions of people.
Many businesses, and of course agriculture have legitimate needs for use of water, but preventing pollution and destruction of the envirnoment has to be a cost of doing that business.
I hesitate to state, without sufficient background or research, that I would mandate adding staff to DENR, but clearly if they are not able to fulfill their charter to monitor and protect our environment, that is an issue that must be resolved.
In the interest of full disclosure, I must disclose that I am a property owner on Lake Poinsett, where Agropur plant will be pumping an estimated 2 million gallons per day of ‘milk water’ in a 23 mile long pipeline that will pass 250 yards of my property and where there has been vigorous debate over control of the BIg Sioux gates because of already significantly higher contaminant levels in the Bis Sioux than the lake.
Further, my wife (who I believe is a DRA member) is president of a non-profit corporation who owns approximately 300 yards of Big Sioux River front property which also elevates our personal connection and concern with contamination of that particular body of water.”
District 26b
House of Representatives
Debra Smith “Since water is our most valuable resource, I would definitely vote to ensure that the citizens of our state are the top priority rather than companies that will pollute this precious commodity for their own personal gain.”
District 30
State Senate
A. Gideon Oakes “Environmental policy is not and will never be a one-size-fits-all solution across fifty very unique states. However, billions of dollars are spent each year at the federal level figuratively trying to pound square pegs into round holes. I would support efforts to return all environmental regulation authority to the states and either abolish or minimize the US EPA. This plan may sound counter-intuitive at first if the end goal is cleaner water, but I believe returning the authority (and, by extension, the associated tax monies) to a more narrowly-focused local regulatory agency, such as the SD DENR, will lead to less waste and fewer business-crippling regulations from out-of-touch bureaucrats in D.C. This will in turn lead to higher productivity for responsible members of industry and more tax base to fund the local agencies. We in South Dakota are better-equipped to sort out which members of industry are or are not responsible than is someone in D.C.”
Kristine Ina Winter “I am a strong supporter of clean water. Every piece of legislation will be measured against whether it will help or harm the environment.”
District 30
House of Representatives
Karen McGregor “I would support more funding for DENR staff and more openness and comment periods as a requirement for temporary water permits.”
Whitney Raver “The presence and safety of water is a top priority. I realized during my time at Standing Rock that rattling the cages from the outside was not doing any good because no one on the inside was listening. When a legislator from a neighboring district voiced her opinion of our protests with a depiction of vehicular manslaughter, it became evident that we are going to have to reclaim our state government in order to protect our lives and our resources from people who think of us as disposable as flies. I chose to run for legislature, in part, to be a megaphone for the voices of those wiser and more knowledgable than I on issues related to water – and that is one thing I can offer. I am opposed to even exploratory drilling in the Black Hills; there are too many better, more responsible options. I will work to safeguard our resources from uranium and industrial gold mining in the Black Hills and Pe’ Sla. I will work to educate fellow legislators and voters on what’s at stake if we fail to address the issues described above. And again, I will empower South Dakota citizens by ensuring that protest is heard, valued, and protected by our legislature.”
District 32
House of Representatives
Susan Kelts “I will work to ensure that DENR enforces existing laws on water quality and point source pollution. Recent legislation creating buffer strips along waterways was a good start but South Dakota should seriously consider making buffer strips mandatory.”
District 33
State Senate
Ryan Ryder “Water is frequently THE most important issue in this State. I would support legislation that protects this vital resource, hopefully in ways that will balance agricultural needs with competing interests. I would be inclined to endorse regulations where necessary to preserve our water sources far into the future.”
District 33
House of Representatives
Lilias Jarding “I’ve been involved with water issues for many years. If elected, I will place priority on reforming state water laws so that they protect citizens, landscapes, our economy, and our water.”
District 34
House of Representatives
George Nelson “Seek stricter requirements, such as environmental impact studies by impartial authorities, and make such conditions precedent to granting any water use permits.”
District 35
State Senate
Pat Cromwell “I would support legislation which requires companies to fully disclose all chemicals and materials used in all drilling and mining operations. Timely testing helps protect water and land resources. Lack of DENR staff availability to update testing and permits is a problem and has to be questioned and with legislative solutions as warranted.”