An effort to stop the merger of the state Ag Department and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources came up short in the South Dakota Senate.

Senators initially defeated a motion of disapproval of the merger with an 18 to 17 vote Monday.

Senator Troy Heinert of Mission moved to reconsider the vote but then spoke on the Senate floor about the effort…

Heinert says he had a lot of public support to stop the merger….

Governor Kristi Noem had proposed the merger through an executive order. Either House could have stopped the plan with a majority vote.