PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources issued an air quality alert for areas of South Dakota where smoke from wildfires in Canada is forecasted to settle. The smoke may cause low visibility and increased fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution. The South Dakota Department of Health advises that these levels may be a concern to public health and provides additional resources to make an informed decision on personal healthcare choices.

The alert is in effect through Tuesday, May 14, 2024, or until conditions improve.

Elderly citizens, young children, and individuals with respiratory problems are the most susceptible to the smoke. All people should avoid excessive physical exertion and minimize outdoor activities during periods of low visibility caused by the wildfire smoke.  People are also encouraged to keep indoor air clean by closing windows and doors.

Air pollution can aggravate heart and cardiovascular disease as well as lung diseases like asthma and COPD. When the air quality is unhealthy, people with these conditions may experience symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, or fatigue. Anyone concerned about health effects related to poor air quality should contact their health care provider.

DANR provides air quality data on the department’s website for several locations in South Dakota. Hourly PM2.5 values greater than 35 microgram per cubic meter (ug/m3) are a concern to public health.

Individuals may track the real time PM2.5 concentrations by visiting DANR’s website at https://denravweb.sd.gov/AirVision/default.aspx or EPA’s website at https://www.airnow.gov/.

An explanation of the air quality index levels and their meaning can be found at https://danr.sd.gov/Environment/AirQuality/AirMonitoring/RealTimeData.aspx.

For an easy-to-use outdoor activity and air quality guide created by the EPA and CDC visit https://www.airnow.gov/sites/default/files/2018-09/air-quality-and-outdoor-activity-guidance-2014.pdf.

 

PIERRE, S.D. (South Dakota Searchlight) – The South Dakota Secretary of State’s Office said Monday that a petition seeking to repeal the state sales tax on groceries has enough signatures from registered voters to make the Nov. 5 ballot.

If nobody mounts a successful challenge to the petition’s validation in the next 30 days, it will become the third statewide measure to make the ballot, with several more measures still possible.

The grocery tax repeal is a citizen-initiated proposal, led by the Dakotans for Health ballot question committee. The other two measures already on the ballot were placed there by the Legislature: a proposal to change male-specific officeholder references in the state constitution to neutral language, and a proposal that would allow the state to impose work requirements on some Medicaid expansion enrollees.

Validation is pending for citizen-led petitions that would create open primary elections, re-establish abortion rights and legalize adult recreational marijuana use.

Meanwhile, a citizen-led group is trying to refer a new pipeline law to the ballot. The Legislature passed the law last winter to implement new protections for landowners affected by a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline, while still allowing a regulatory path forward for the project.

In a related announcement, the Secretary of State’s Office issued a warning Monday to South Dakotans about scam phone calls. The calls come from random numbers with a 605-area code, and the caller claims to be with the the Secretary of State’s Office and the “South Dakota Integrity Committee” or the “Petition Integrity Commission.” Scammers are pressuring people who answer the phone to withdraw their signature from the abortion rights petition. People who receive such calls are encouraged to contact the Secretary of State’s Office, Division of Elections, at elections@state.sd.us or by phone at (605) 773-3537.

State law dictates the number of petition signatures required from registered voters to place a measure on the ballot. This year, the requirements are 17,508 signatures for an initiated measure or referred law, and 35,017 for an initiated constitutional amendment.

The grocery tax measure would prohibit the state from collecting sales taxes on “anything sold for human consumption,” except alcoholic beverages and prepared food. The measure would wipe out the 4.2% state sales tax on such items, while cities could continue imposing a tax of up to 2%.

Proponents say the measure would help low-income people, but it would also cost the state an estimated $124 million in lost sales tax revenue during its first year of implementation.

Ballot question status update

Measures placed on the Nov. 5 ballot by the Legislature:

An amendment to the state constitution updating references to certain officeholders and people (replacing male-specific pronouns with neutral language).

An amendment to the state constitution authorizing the state to impose work requirements on certain people who are eligible for expanded Medicaid.

Citizen-proposed measure validated for the ballot, pending potential challenges:

An initiated measure prohibiting state sales taxes on items sold for human consumption, specifically targeting state sales taxes on groceries.

Citizen-proposed measures, pending validation of the required number of petition signatures:

An initiated amendment to the state constitution re-establishing abortion rights.

An initiated amendment to the state constitution establishing open primary elections.

An initiated measure legalizing adult recreational use, possession and distribution of marijuana.

Petition still in circulation:

A proposed referendum of a new law regulating carbon dioxide pipelines.

 

SOUTH SIOUX CITY, NE – The City Council for South Sioux City, Nebraska has approved a special election which aims to add to the South Sioux City Fire Department.

In a news release the city says they have been working with local firefighter representatives to find a way to grow the fire department which has not added a full-timer since 2018.

In the special election, the city is proposing that the existing 1/2 cent sales tax allocated to street and infrastructure be split between infrastructure and public safety. If the proposal passes, 75 percent of the 1/2 cent sales tax would be allocated to street and infrastructure needs while the remaining 25 percent would go to public safety. City officials say this would put $325,000 into funding sources that could cover the cost of hiring three full-time firefighters.

To change the way the 1/2 cent sales tax funds are allocated, there must be a public vote. If voters vote “yes” on the special election scheduled for July 9, 2024, they would be giving the city permission to reallocate the 1/2 center sales tax funds.

The ability to staff four firefighters per day (instead of three per day) allows the South Sioux City Fire Department to move closer to aligning with the response and staffing standard 1710 of the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA 1710).”

 

MT. RUSHMORE, S.D. (Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight) – A sample of Mount Rushmore National Memorial’s drinking water had levels of a “forever chemical” exceeding new limits established by the federal government.

Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, or PFOS, is a member of the synthetic chemical group known collectively as perfluorinated alkylated substances, or PFAS. The chemicals have been used in industry and consumer products since the 1940s and don’t break down easily in the environment or in the human body. Research indicates PFAS exposure may be linked to negative developmental and reproductive effects, and an increased risk of some cancers.

A 2023 test of Mount Rushmore’s drinking water showed a PFOS concentration of 9.8 parts per trillion, more than two times higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s new limit of 4 parts per trillion. The EPA finalized limits for several types of PFAS last month.

The result doesn’t necessarily mean Mount Rushmore is out of compliance with the EPA’s new rule, which will be implemented in phases. Current testing is preliminary. Tests won’t count toward the new limits until 2027, and the EPA will use annual running averages to determine compliance. The EPA won’t begin issuing violations until 2029.

The current sampling is part of a multi-year, nationwide testing effort by the EPA. The South Dakota Association of Rural Water Systems is conducting a majority of the testing in the state.

In publicly available results published so far, Mount Rushmore is the only site in South Dakota to test above the new EPA limits for forever chemicals. Additional Mount Rushmore sampling results will be published in the coming weeks and months. Elsewhere in South Dakota, some of the chemicals have been detected at levels below the new EPA limits.

PFAS from firefighting foam was previously known to have contaminated groundwater at military installations in or near locations including Rapid City and Sioux Falls, leading to mitigation efforts in those areas.

In an emailed statement, Mount Rushmore National Memorial spokesman Earl Perez-Foust said the National Park Service is monitoring the results and considering any mitigation that may be necessary.

“This could include treatment or considering a new water source,” Perez-Foust said. “Public health and safety is always our top priority.”

Reverse osmosis, granular activated carbon, nanofiltration and other methods have been identified as methods of removing PFAS from drinking water, according to the EPA.

The exact source of the contamination at Mount Rushmore is unknown, said Galen Hoogestraat, a hydrologist for the U.S. Geological Survey’s Dakota Water Science Center.

“In general, PFAS sources can come from anywhere humans are interacting with the environment: food wrappers, water-resistant clothing, common products and waste,” Hoogestraat said.

For over a decade, Hoogestraat has studied perchlorate contamination in Mount Rushmore’s groundwater and local streams from former fireworks displays at the memorial. He said the amount of perchlorate in the water has “dropped substantially” in the last decade.

Hoogestraat said the memorial provides water to over 2 million visitors every year from a “very small postage stamp of an area in the Black Hills,” because the memorial is limited to using water from within the park boundaries.

That source is a fractured rock system that collects rain and groundwater, which makes it susceptible to contamination.

“There’s very little soil on top of the rocks, so there’s very little filtration of anything that comes from the surface — good or bad,” Hoogestraat said.

That can create volatile test results, since concentrations of contaminants can vary based on the seasons and weather conditions.

“There needs to be more sampling done to assess the variability around this,” Hoogestraat said, “and wrap our arms around the trends of this: Is this a long-term, persistent thing, or will this be variable over time?”

 

SALIX, IA – On February 28 of this year there was a train derailment in the Northwest Iowa town of Salix.

Crews for Union Pacific worked to clean up the wreckage and get the rails back into use, and they completed that job pretty quickly and efficiently.

But they didn’t clean up all the soybeans that spilled as a result of the derailment and that stinks for the folks who live near the tracks in Sallix…actually it stinks for the town of Salix…to be honest, it just stinks.

Residents cannot escape the unpleasant odor coming from leftover rotting soybean grain…some residents say it smells like something died and they can’t even spend time outside.

Residents who live nearby say they didn’t notice the smell at first during the winter months but as spring kicks into full gear the smell and the flies have gotten worse.

In a statement from Union Pacific the company says they, quote, “apologize for the delay in removing the soybeans. We attempted to pick them up several weeks ago but had to stop, due to the rainy weather. Our equipment kept getting stuck in the mud. We have a contractor scheduled to return on Thursday to remove the remaining soybeans.”

Kevin Nelson, the Mayor of Salix, says he has heard multiple complaints from residents and people who attend the local park near the train tracks regarding the smell and bugs. He has been in contact with Union Pacific and hopes that they hold up on their promise to remove the soybeans.

Mayor Nelson said if Union Pacific doesn’t clean up the remaining mess the city would have to contract someone to do it, something he said would be a major cost.

Nelson said the city hasn’t reached the point of looking at ordinances to see if fines could be in order but he said it could be on the table.

 

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Kathleen Shannon, Greater Dakota News Service) – South Dakota ranks fifth in the nation for its rate of refugee resettlements per capita and the rate increased dramatically in the last year, according to the Immigration Research Initiative.

More refugees, or people unable to return to their home countries due to persecution, are resettling in the U.S. following historic declines during the Trump administration.

According to the Lutheran Social Services Center for New Americans, South Dakota took in more than 200 refugees last year, up from about 50 the year before, representing a 320% jump. The national rate increased 135% in the same time frame.

Rebecca Kiesow-Knudsen, president and CEO of Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota, said the numbers are manageable.

“Still a pretty small number in our state and definitely a size that we feel we can responsibly integrate into the community,” Kiesow-Knudsen acknowledged.

The numbers do not include arrivals through “Uniting for Ukraine,” a separate federal program which resettled more than 250 individuals in the state last year. Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota is the sole resettlement agency in the state and works mostly in Sioux Falls where, Kiesow-Knudsen noted, the school districts are welcoming. But finding affordable housing is a challenge, one faced by most communities doing similar work.

Kiesow-Knudsen pointed out the Sioux Falls job market for New Americans is good and Lutheran Social Services offers a vocational English program to help them get jobs.

“If I’m going to go into the hospitality sector, as an example, what are the key English language words that I need to know and understand so that I can work with my employer successfully?” Kiesow-Knudsen suggested.

The Congressional Budget Office predicts immigration will be increasingly vital to the American workforce, as fertility rates decline. Net immigration is expected to account for all population growth starting in 2040, according to a demographic outlook the office released in January.