PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has joined a coalition of 25 other Attorneys General in calling for the US Supreme Court to issue an emergency stay on the implementation of a new EPA rule on existing coal, natural gas, and oil-fired power plants.
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit refused to block the rule last Friday.
The Attorney General’s office said the rule would “force power plants fueled by coal or natural gas to capture smokestack emissions using currently unworkable technologies or otherwise shut down.”
The rule would also impose more stringent emissions standards under the Clean Air Act.
“This proposal would negatively impact power plant companies in South Dakota and significantly impact the cost of energy to South Dakotans,” said Attorney General Jackley. “The EPA continuously has failed to demonstrate how, and to what degree, this rule change is needed or that it is the least restrictive alternative.”
Other states part of the coalition are: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
NORTH SIOUX CITY, NE – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is asking for comments from the public regarding a plan to remove the collapsed railroad bridge from the Big Sioux River at North Sioux City.
If you’ll remember that structure collapsed during the severe flooding in late June and the center portion of the bridge has been in the water ever since.
Burlington Northern Santa Fe and the Corps have been working together to fix the situation and they are now proposing to construct a temporary access route to the area to allow for bridge removal through the North Sioux City right bank levee on the west side while separately constructing temporary access on the east side as well.
It is expected that the project will take up to six weeks to complete.
The Corps will be accepting public comments for the next two weeks.
You can see the whole plan at the Corps website:
https://usace.contentdm.oclc.org/utils/getfile/collection/p16021coll15/id/6237
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) – The Defense Department will review the Medals of Honor that were given to 20 U.S. soldiers for their actions in the 1890 battle at Wounded Knee to make sure their conduct merits such an honorable award.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the review by a special panel of experts after consultation with the White House and the Department of the Interior. Congress recommended such a review in the 2022 defense bill, reflecting a push by some lawmakers to rescind the awards for those who participated in the massacre on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation near Wounded Knee Creek.
An estimated 250 Native Americans, including women and children, were killed in the fight and at least another 100 were wounded.
Medals of Honor were given to 20 soldiers from the 7th Cavalry Regiment, and their awards cite a range of actions including bravery, efforts to rescue fellow troops and actions to “dislodge Sioux Indians” who were concealed in a ravine.
Native American groups, advocates, state lawmakers from South Dakota and a number of Congress members have called for officials to revoke the awards. Congress apologized in 1990 to the descendants of those killed at Wounded Knee but did not revoke the medals.
In a memo signed last week, Austin said the panel will review each award “to ensure no soldier was recognized for conduct that did not merit recognition” and if their conduct demonstrated any disqualifying actions. Those could include rape or murder of a prisoner or attacking a non-combatant or someone who had surrendered.
Austin said Army Secretary Christine Wormuth must provide the historical records and documentation for the awards for each soldier to the panel by Friday. The panel must provide a written report no later than Oct. 15, recommending that each award be either revoked or retained.
The standards for awarding the Medal of Honor have evolved over time, but the review will evaluate the 20 soldiers’ actions based on the rules in place at the time. Austin said the panel of five experts can consider the context of the overall incident to assess each soldier’s actions.
The dispute continues a long history of contentious relations between the tribes in South Dakota and the government dating to the 1800s. The Wounded Knee massacre was the deadliest, as federal troops shot and killed Lakota men, women and children during a campaign to stop a religious practice known as the Ghost Dance.
RAPID CITY, S.D. – Black Hills National Forest announced fire restrictions in Wyoming beginning July 23, 2024.
Starting Tuesday, July 23, people will not be allowed to have campfires outside of designated metal grills or concrete fire pits. Additional restrictions include no smoking except in a car or open space of at least 10 feet in diameter with no flammable materials, no operating a chainsaw without an approved spark arrestor, no blasting and welding, and no use of any kind of explosives.
According to Tod Hoover, Hells Canyon Fire Management Officer, “It was a very dry spring in the Black Hills and now we’re coming up on a period where it’s going to be fairly hot, upper 90s, maybe low 100s. So, we really want people to adhere to those restrictions, so we do not have more human caused fires.”
The restrictions will be in effect until December 15, 2024, unless rescinded sooner.
VERMILLION, S.D. (AP) – A former South Dakota football player and his family have given Coyotes Athletics the largest private donation in program history, athletic director Jon Schemmel announced Wednesday.
Scott Jones and his wife, Lisa, donated approximately $5 million, Schemmel told The Associated Press through a spokesman.
The football program is the primary beneficiary. The gift will endow the offensive coordinator position and increase the team’s overall budget. The Coyotes enter 2024 off their best season in the Football Championship Subdivision, going 10-3 and reaching the quarterfinals of the playoffs.
Scott Jones played quarterback for the then-Division II Coyotes from 1983-87 and led the team to a 21-6 record as the starter his last two seasons. Jones was inducted into the USD Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.
“Lisa, our four children, and I are so excited for this gift to USD and the Coyote football program! The enthusiasm and love we have for our Coyote brothers, sisters, staff, faculty, and leadership is beyond measure,” Jones said. “We look forward to continuing the commitment to excellence that the university and football program have ingrained in us.”
Portions of the donation will be directed to the next phase of DakotaDome renovations, general athletic scholarships and other support for the athletic department. The school is in its second decade competing in Division I.
Scott Jones graduated with a chemistry degree in 1988 and is president of Maguire Iron in Sioux Falls. His wife, Lisa, earned her degree in Arts & Sciences in 1995.
