Gov. Noem sympathetic to men's prison site opponents, defends plan

Lincoln County group remains unsatisfied

PIERRE — Gov. Kristi Noem says she's still open to meeting with Lincoln County residents who want to stop a new prison from being built there.

But if that's going to happen, it won't be until a lawsuit brought against the governor's administration related to the project is resolved.

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"I know that community is struggling with the location, it's one of those things that we'll continue to work on," Noem told The Dakota Scout Monday in a sit-down interview at her state Capitol office. "But litigation always makes things very difficult as far as what I can do and what I can say. But absolutely, my door is always open to people when I have the opportunity."

In November, Noem and DOC Secretary Kellie Wasko had been invited to attend a public forum being hosted by a group calling itself Neighbors Opposed to Prison Expansion (NOPE). However, neither attended after NOPE — less than a week before the forum — sued the state, contending the DOC cannot place the planned men's prison on a 320-acre site near Worthing without the consent of local government planners, while also asking for a ruling on whether the process used to select the planned location was legal.