SIOUX FALLS, SD (KELO.com) — They’re calling it the Property Rights Roundup…and they’re hoping it provokes the governor and legislature to action. Opponents of Carbon Capture Pipelines that are planned for this region are organizing a rally in the Capitol Rotunda in Pierre. The group hopes the rally will bring about a special session of the state Legislature. One of the rally organizers, Joy Hohn of Minnehaha County, says they want lawmakers to change the state’s eminent domain laws as they relate to the CO-2 pipelines.
One of the people standing in the way of the opponents in State Senator Lee Schoenbeck of Watertown. He says the decision doesn’t belong to the legislature or even the governor.
Senator Schoenbeck says he’s opposed to changing the state’s eminent domain laws, which have been used by the CO-2 pipeline companies to survey private property without obtaining permission from the landowners. He believes that’s a proper use of eminent domain.
That appears to be a change of heart from February, when Senator Schoenbeck sent an email to members of the state’s Public Utilities Commission. The email states that one of the lines would go through The Harmony Hills Village Commons – a large senior living facility being planned by the Benedictine Sisters in Watertown, Schoenbeck’s home district. In the email, Schoenbeck tells the PUC “they (the pipeline company) “need to not go through the housing project, or they won’t like the legislation they’ll see next year.”
State Representative Karla Lems of Canton says that appears to be a case of “rules for thee, but not for me.”
South Dakota Farmers Union President Doug Sombke says the push for Carbon Capture pipelines is pitting farmer against farmer. He says landowners feel abandoned by state officials.
The Freedom Caucus of the state legislature is among the groups calling for a special session to deal with the pipeline issues. Now, a group of pipeline opponents is planning a rally for the Capitol Rotunda in Pierre, hoping it will add pressure to the calls for a special session.
(KLGX contributed to this story)
