South Dakota District 1 GOP House primary news round-up: carbon pipeline politics major issue

In South Dakota, state house members are elected at large in our senate districts, unlike the custom in Minnesota, where each state senate district.

In Senate District 1, home to Bluestem Prairie's world headquarters, three candidates are seeking the two Republican spots in the November general election. News reports suggest that a major issue in the election is legislation passed this past session to help Summit Carbon Solutions' ethanol carbon pipeline.

And the proposed pipelines themselves.

Reporting for the Aberdeen Insider on May 22, Elisa Sand noted in Three Republicans seek spots on District 1 House November ballot:

Three Republicans are seeking two spots on the November ballot when they meet in the District 1 House primary on June 4.

The top two vote getters will advance to the general election and face Democrats Dana Pulfrey of Claremont and Steven McCleerey of Sisseton. Two of those four candidates will serve two-year terms in Pierre.

Logan Manhart, 25, of Aberdeen; Tamara St. John, 57, of Sisseton; and Chris Reder, 51, of Warner; square off in the GOP House primary. . . .

Different takes on Senate Bill 201

No topic has garnered more attention during this election season than Senate Bill 201, a measure signed into law during the 2024 legislative session. It’s been described as a “Landowner Bill of Rights.”

Not everybody appreciates that phasing, though, and there’s a move to refer 201 to a statewide vote in November.

The bill was designed to help allow Summit Carbon Solutions‘ proposed carbon capture pipeline while establishing some protections.

Reder and Manhart describe themselves as advocates for property rights in their opposition to SB 201.

“I’m pro property rights and against risky CO2 pipelines,” Manhart said, noting the topic is personal because his in-laws near Leola were sued by Summit, a case that was related to Summit’s original proposed route.

Summit is in the process of revising its route as it plans to resubmit a construction permit application to the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission.

“My concern is the removal of local control,” Reder said of SB 201.

South Dakota legislators talk about the importance of local control, he said, but that wasn’t the case with 201 and he questions why.

The bill largely overrides county zoning and siting authority. That power is instead given to the PUC.

Reder said he also worries about pipeline safety and cited a 2020 pipeline rupture in Satartia, Miss., as a prime example why.

That incident showed the challenges with emergency response efforts, and Reder wonders if electric vehicles would need to respond to pipeline leaks. He also worries about how a potential leak would affect animals in low-lying areas and the trained therapy horses at the veterans ranch near Warner.

Reder is a Navy veteran and the founder of the DTOM Veterans Ranch.

St. John said the pipeline question is too complex to have a simple yes or no answer and that she doesn’t know any legislators who have taken the pipeline proposal lightly.

As a member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, she said she has sympathy for anyone who might have land taken from them as part of the Summit project.

“All of these things that surround the pipeline are really complicated bills and it’s hard to convey if you’re a yes or no,” she said.

St. John said she voted in favor of SB 201 because of the landowner protections it includes. She said she worries about what would happen were the pipeline to move forward without those regulations, though she also knows the final version of 201 didn’t satisfy people on either side of the issue. She said her support of the bill also doesn’t mean she backs the pipeline.

“What caught my attention and (the attention of) those within my district was aviation fuel and ethanol and what it means for the area,” she said.

Summit and ethanol officials have said sustainable aviation fuel projects will follow the pipeline.

If voters decide to repeal 201, she feels legislators will once again field bills related to the topic. Eminent domain reform is another issue legislators will be tackling again in the near future, she said. . . .

Read the rest of the article at the Aberdeen Insider.

Perhaps the most recent coverage of the contest is from the Marshall County Journal's article, Three Vie In Republican House Primary Tuesday. It begins:

One incumbent and two challengers are running in Tuesday’s primary election be the District 1 Republican candidates in November. District 1 includes Marshall, Day and Roberts Counties and a portion of Brown County. . . .

In the Republican District 1 House primary, Tamara St. John of Sisseton is seeking reelection to a two-year term. Challengers Logan Manhart, Aberdeen, and Chris Reder, Warner, are also running in the primary. Republican incumbent Joe Donnell, Sisseton, is not seeking reelection.

Both Manhart and Reder focus on the CO2 pipeline in their answers:

What sets you apart from your fellow candidates? ‘
   LM: I do not support Eminent Domain for private gain, nor do I support Risky C02 pipelines. Not everyone in this race holds the same view. I am also pro local law enforcement, and am Socially Conservative.

CR: Some of the main things that separates myself from the incumbent is Property Rights, complete and total refusal for Eminent Domain for Private Gain, I have a perfect score on the Family Values Dakota Voter Survey, I also question the voting of the $135 million budget increase. Our families are hurting more than ever but year after year there is no cutting, only more and more spending. I also have an A Rating with the NRA.

   TSJ: I’m the only incumbent in this race who has introduced, passed, and got legislation signed into law. I’m also the only female, Native American, lifelong resident with the deepest roots in our District. I’m the only incumbent who is NRA endorsed (A rated), 100% right to life, earned the “Conservative Achievement” award for my voting record, and so much more. I have nothing bad to say about either of my opponents and I appreciate their willingness to run and possibly serve. Two of us three will move on to the general election and possibly go on to serve next session in Pierre. It’s not an easy job and it takes a lot of communication, consultation, and engagement with people you may disagree with in order to be effective. I’m proud of the open, honest, and authentic record I’ve established in always going about things with respect, yet never wavering on my principles or the promises I’ve made to my fellow neighbors in District 1.

If elected, what would be your number one priority and how would you address it?
   LM: Protecting Private Property rights and standing against Risky C02 Pipelines. I would support any bill that would allow Farmers to protect their lands from private companies putting C02 Pipelines on their property if they do not want it.

   CR: Property Rights is a HUGE issue in the State of South Dakota right now and needs to be fixed immediately. This “Landowner Bill of Rights” is a complete travesty and total disinformation. Quite simply removing local control and allowing a private company to forcefully take a property owner’s land is flat out wrong. We in SD are allowing a precedent to be set that will NOT stop with just this co2 pipeline. What is next? Your house in town for a hotel? Any property is up for sale in SD to any private company, this in not just a rural problem, this is an entire state of South Dakota problem. This will fundamentally change the entire Foundation of this wonderful state if we don’t take a stand!

   TSJ: You never know what’s going to be the biggest topics of discussion in Pierre session after session, but one piece that needs further discussion is property taxes in South Dakota. Unfortunately, this issue of rising property taxes keeps climbing without any relief in sight. It doesn’t just impact homeowners either. Those who are renting apartments or homes are stuck facing increasing rent prices and rising costs of living too. Luckily, there’s a summer study that is focusing on this very issue and I’ll do what I can to help advocate for a responsible solution to this growing problem. . ..

Are there any connections between candidate fundraising and this issue? The Dakota Scout's Scott Waltman and Austin Goss followed the money in Wealthy politico says $100K contribution to PAC intended as loan. For District 1:

District 1 campaign finance reports largely routine

District 1 candidate Chris Reder’s financial report was routine. No individual contributions topped $300, and in-state PACs contributed $5,850 to his campaign with all but $100 coming from Dennert’s Honest Leadership PAC.

All pre-primary campaign finance reports are available through the South Dakota Secretary of State's SD Campaign Finance Reproting Service Home. I've embedded the documents here for readers' convenience.

Reder's report here:

Reder for South Dakota Pre-Primary Report uploaded by Sally Jo Sorensen on Scribd

Back to the Scout article:

Logan Manhart’s report showed $17,017 in contributions of more than $100 from individuals, the largest of which is $3,130 from Grant and Marcia Manhart.

He also received $5,050 from Protect South Dakota Property Rights, an in-state PAC.

Manhart's report (to see supplemental report click here):

Manhart for State House Pre-Primary Disclosure Report uploaded by Sally Jo Sorensen on Scribd

The Scout's coverage of District 1 concludes

St. John’s filing listed $950 in individual donations as well as $12,625 from in-state PACs, including from the Dusty PAC, South Dakota Ethanol Producers PAC and MORT PAC. That’s the political action committee of House Majority Leader Will Mortenson.

St. John's report:

Tamara St John for District 1 House of Representatives Pre Primary Disclosure uploaded by Sally Jo Sorensen on Scribd

Waltman and Goss didn't note two direct contributions from entities in St. John's report, both of which are connected to the ethanol industry and the pipeline discussion. Poet LLC of Sioux Falls contributed $500, as did GSG Strategies of Pierre (page 2 of PDF). In December 2023, Carrie Stadheim reported for Tri-State Livestock News in South Dakota Ag Alliance Launched:

Two business colleagues are working together to achieve a consensus in the state regarding carbon pipelines.

Jason Glodt is an attorney from Pierre who lobbied on behalf of Navigator, which is a proposed carbon capture pipeline project that was denied a permit by the South Dakota PUC. Rob Skjonsberg is a Jones and Stanley County cow-calf producer, staff member for Senator Rounds (R-SD) and founding board member for South Dakota Landowner & Outfitter Alliance. The two men work together at GSG Strategies, a public relations advocacy firm. On Nov. 30, 2023, the two announced their intent to create a coalition to mediate solutions for “rural development issues, such as the controversial C02 pipeline proposal.”

According to a news release, the two have launched “South Dakota Ag Alliance” to work on issues such as carbon pipeline issues. . . .

In regard to CO2 pipelines, the organization will urge the legislature to establish landowner guardrails that include 1) land survey reform; 2) liability protection; 3) minimum depth of carbon-capture pipelines; and 4) additional recurring compensation for landowners. In exchange for these concessions, they will also support improving legal and regulatory certainty for businesses, said the news release. . . .

At the South Dakota Searchlight on Saturday, Joshua Haiar looked at the broader battle in Republican factions fighting for control of the party in Tuesday’s primary election. Haiar begins:

Most of the action in Tuesday’s South Dakota primary election is in Republican legislative races, where a fight for control of the party has drawn in players ranging from upstart challengers to fundraising groups affiliated with members of Congress.

There are 44 Republican legislative primary races across the state, and only one Democratic legislative primary. Winners will go on to represent the party in the Nov. 5 general election, when all 105 seats in the Legislature will be up for grabs.

Republicans currently hold all but 11 of 105 legislative seats, and their grip on the majority is not in doubt. But the party’s direction could be influenced by Tuesday’s results, many of which will be the final result. Among 35 districts, 16 of them lack general election contests for House seats and 20 lack general election contests for Senate seats, due to candidates running unopposed or one party (mostly Democrats) failing to field a candidate. In other words, in some districts, the primary election is the de facto general election. . . .

Go to the Searchlight to read the article, which doesn't mention the District 1 Republican primary but is nonetheless a fascinating read.

The winners of the Republican primaries will face off against Democrats Dana Pulfrey of Claremont and Steven McCleerey of Sisseton. McCleerey has prior service in the legislature.

Photo: The candidates, from the Marshall County Journal's article, Three Vie In Republican House Primary Tuesday.

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Jun 01, 2024

South Dakota District 1 GOP House primary news round-up: carbon pipeline politics major issue

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