Thursday, 3.12.15 ON THE WEB: www.yankton.net the midwest NEWSROOM: RESS AKOTAN [email protected] P D PAGE 13 Pipeline Foes Appeal To Lawmakers LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Opponents of the Keystone XL Senators Give Final OK pipeline are asking Nebraska lawmakers to repeal the law (LB473) that allowed former Gov. Dave Heineman to ap- prove a route through the state. Landowners and activists squared off with pipeline builder TransCanada on Wednesday in a hearing that in- For River Basin Districts cluded several testy exchanges with lawmakers. The 2012 state law allowed pipeline developer Tran- sCanada to use eminent domain on holdout landowners The legislation calls for an oversight once the route was approved. Vermillion River Basin Is panel and a pilot project. The project Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha says he introduced the will be in the Red River and Minnesota bill as a “shot across the bow” to TransCanada, and to give River drainage in northeastern South voice to landowners who continue to oppose the pipeline. Bypassed For Pilot Project Dakota. The House changed the loca- TransCanada land manager Andrew Craig says eminent tion from the Vermillion River basin in domain is a tool of last resort which is needed to develop BY BOB MERCER House Republican the southeast. infrastructure. State Capitol Bureau leader Brian Gosch of Frerichs said there would be a need Rapid City chaired the Vehle to work the Minnesota and North PIERRE — Legislation that creates a task force. Two of the Dakota on the project. Neb. Gas Tax Moves To Full Senate new system for water management in panel’s proposals have been passed by He acknowledged there remains LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A proposal to raise Nebraska’s South Dakota, with local boards to be the Legislature this year. The other is some hesitation among legislators gas tax to pay for bridges and roads has advanced for de- elected from nine major river basins, re- SB 3 creating a new state program offer- about the plan. But no one has offered a bate by lawmakers. ceived final approval Wednesday from ing voluntary mediation services in better alternative, he said. The Revenue Committee voted 5-2 on Wednesday to ap- the state Senate. drainage disputes. Vehle spoke in support. No one prove the measure for debate in the Legislature. The 6-cent The next stop for SB 2 is the desk of Sen. , R-Mitchell, was the spoke against it. The final tally was 28-6 increase, phased in over four years, would bring Ne- Gov. Dennis Daugaard. He is expected primary Senate spokesman for the me- in favor. braska’s total gas tax to 31.6 cents per gallon. to sign it into law, according to Sen. diation plan. Gosch was the lead House Voting against it were Republicans The bill (LB610) would generate an estimated $19 mil- Jason Frerichs, D-Wilmot. sponsor for both measures. of Gettysburg, lion a year for aging roads and bridges. Sen. Jim Smith of Frerichs served as the primary Frerichs asked senators to agree with of Spearfish, of Watertown, Papillion describes the tax as a “user fee” for motorists, spokesman in the Senate for the plan, a House amendment on the river-basin Dan Lederman of Dakota Dunes, David saying it’s a better alternative than tapping the state’s gen- which was developed by the Legisla- districts plan. Novstrup of Aberdeen and Bill Van Ger- eral fund or issuing bonds. ture’s watershed task force that has “It’s taken the entire session, literally, pen of Tyndall. Smith says the bill will reduce pressure on counties that met the past three years. to work through this,” Frerichs said. use property taxes to pay for bridge and road repairs. Raven Lays Off 115 Employees SIOUX FALLS (AP) — Raven Industries Inc. is citing a Wind Taxes Restructured In South Dakota weak agricultural market as its reason to lay off 115 em- BY BOB MERCER Solum was at the center of The legislation also repeals “There is a lot of wins and ployees. State Capitol Bureau much of the work in the state South Dakota’s tax-rebate pro- winds in that,” said Parsley, The Argus Leader reports the employees were let go House of Representatives dur- gram for electricity transmis- who was a long-time execu- Tuesday. The cuts are part of a plan intended to save the PIERRE — New projects for ing the past week that pro- sion lines and collector tive at East River coopera- company $13 million a year. wind power in South Dakota duced the final version of SB systems at generation sites. tive that carries power from The net income of the Sioux Falls-based manufacturer would pay lower taxes under a 180. Senate Republican leader Basin to many rural electric for the fiscal year that ended Jan. 31 decreased 26 percent plan that received final legisla- He served as chairman of a of Baltic praised cooperatives. to $31.7 million. tive approval Wednesday. legislative study in 2011 that House members for their The House gave its ap- CEO Dan Rykhus says farmers don’t have money to “We’ll be competitive with analyzed South Dakota’s com- work. proval to the package Tues- spend on equipment. North Dakota. We’ll be right petitiveness for wind energy “Over there a good com- The cuts affect the company’s applied technology divi- projects, and this year he is promise was brought by folks day 64-4. there with Minnesota,” Rep. Rave is the bill’s prime sion and corporate services staff. Seventy-five of the em- Roger Solum, R-Watertown, chairman of the House Taxa- from North Dakota. It makes ployees who are no longer with the company were based in tion Committee, where the us more competitive,” Rave sponsor while Solum is its said. lead sponsor in the House. Sioux Falls. The measure didn’t attract final version came together. said. The publicly traded company has been designing and much attention but ranks as The Senate voted 32-1 He was referring to officials Their co-sponsors are Wednesday to agree with that for Basin Electric, which pro- senators Jason Frerichs, D- manufacturing high-value technical products since 1956. It one of the significant eco- will have around 1,000 employees when the restructuring nomic-development accom- House version of the package, vides power to many South Wilmot; , R- plishments of the 2015 which now goes to Gov. Den- Dakota rural cooperatives. Clark; and Jim Peterson, ends. legislative session. nis Daugaard for his review. Repealing the rebate pro- D-Revillo; and representa- Wind projects in South Various provisions in the gram will allow the state tives Fred Deutsch, R-Flo- R.C. Residents Reject $180M Expansion Dakota reportedly are paying legislation allow county gov- treasury to keep more money, rence; , R-Big Stone about $5 million more in taxes ernments to continue receiv- according to Sen. Scott Pars- City; Patrick Kirschman, D- RAPID CITY (AP) — Rapid City residents have rejected a over their lifespans than they ing their current amounts of ley, D-Madison, while holding Sioux Falls; House Demo- proposed $180 million expansion of the Rushmore Plaza would in neighboring states, taxes on existing wind proj- counties unharmed and offer- cratic leader Spencer Hawley Civic Center. according to various legisla- ects, while reducing the pro- ing a more attractive tax of Brookings. Unofficial returns from Tuesday’s election show 61 per- tors and several representa- duction tax for new projects structure to prospective cent of the 12,902 voters were against the idea. tives of wind-power that begin producing electric- projects. The project would have replaced the facility’s 9,400-seat companies. ity April 1 and after. arena with one that could seat up to 19,000 people. The City Council approved the expansion in December, but an opposition group submitted petitions to force the public vote S. Dakota House Fails To Create State Debt Office Supporters of the proposed project considered it a wiser investment than upgrading the existing facility, BY BOB MERCER privately operated by a con- would report to the Legisla- the cost of private business. which doesn’t comply with the Americans with Disabilities State Capitol Bureau tractor as part of the state Bu- ture’s Government Opera- “There’s really two vi- Act. Opponents questioned the cost of what would have reau of Administration but at tions and Audit Committee. sions and we have to decide been the costliest project in city history. PIERRE — The Daugaard no expense to the state Lawmakers opposed to which vision to go with,” one administration’s proposal to treasury. the center’s creation don’t of the opponents, Rep. Al create an obligation recovery There would be an over- want more government at Novstrup, R-Aberdeen, said. YOUR NEWS! THE PRESS & DAKOTAN center to collect debts owed sight panel and the center

to state government and to 2015 crime victims bogged down Wednesday in the House of Representatives. House members twice took votes, and fell short of the two-thirds majority of 47 each time, first by two ayes and then by one. NEW The result was House members sent HB 1228 to a conference committee of three House members and three LOCATION! senators to negotiate. The Senate approved the bill by a simple majority 18-17 Tuesday. It is unusual for two differ- ent thresholds to be used. House Speaker Dean Wink, R- Howes, said Wednesday the bill contains an appropriation. The legislation calls for the center to operate on revenues from a 20 percent surcharge on the debts collected. That is continuous appropriation authority. Appropriations, or spend- ing, bills require a two-thirds majority for passage. The two- VENDOR LIST: thirds requirement wasn’t in- voked in the Senate. Weather Guard Urethane The legislation is now in its fourth variation. It had passed Kalin’s Indoor Comfort Lewis & Clark the House in version three on Hardscapes Outlet/Concrete Materials Home Builders Feb. 25 with a vote of 58-11. Wink ruled a two-thirds major- Larry’s Heating & Cooling Association ity was needed then. Mead Lumber (Yankton & Vermillion) Amendments by the Senate th Appropriations Committee re- Kisch Construction 10 Annual quired its return to the House for a decision whether to Morton Buildings agree with the Senate version. Tri-State Irrigation Rep. Justin Cronin, R-Get- tysburg, is the bill’s prime Kaiser Heating & Cooling sponsor. As he argued for it Culligan Water Conditioning Home Wednesday, he said the bill doesn’t include an Tabor Lumber appropriation. Cronin is in his first ses- Enercept sion as the House Appropria- Pinkelman Sales tions Committee chairman. When the time came for Kopetsky’s Ace Hardware the vote, however, Wink said Show Hartington Tree, LLC the bill “still” required a two- thirds majority. Radon Mitigation th th The legislation is opposed Best Basement Technologies by debt collection agencies March 14 & 15 , 2015 throughout South Dakota. Concrete Revival Cronin said the current system of using debt collec- Roy Wilcox-State Farm, Ins. Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. • Sunday Noon – 4:00 p.m. tors on contracts — state gov- Vast Broadband ernment’s executive branch has one, for example — isn’t Bath PLanet working well. Yankton Archery Complex Reportedly there are tens Ultimate Edge & Landscaping of millions of dollars in unpaid Window World 800 Archery Lane • East Hwy 50 debts between the court sys- tem, the state universities and Any many more! Admission: $3.00/person • Children 12 & Under Free state agencies. $1.00 OFF Admission with a non-perishable food item. The legislation would allow Thank You To Our Show Sponsor: the center to use tools such as Donations will be given to the Food Pantry. blocking driver license re- newals and rejecting pur- chases of hunting and fishing Get Inspired... licenses. The Lewis & Clark Home Builders Association Home Show is designed for home owners in all stages of The center would be building, remodeling, landscaping and decorating their homes.