Pipeline legislative package sent to governor, Noem says she will sign bills

Pro-carbon pipeline companies celebrate passage of ‘Landowner Bill of Rights’

Signs in opposition of the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline line the boundary of a bean field in western Minnehaha County. (Joe Sneve / The Dakota Scout)

PIERRE — Gov. Kristi Noem will sign three hotly-contested measures related to carbon pipelines that are on their way to her desk.

Noem said Wednesday that Senate Bill 201, House Bill 1185 and House Bill 1186, dubbed the “landowner’s bill of rights” by supporters, are compromises enough to earn her signature.

The governor’s announcement came just minutes before the state House passed the most followed of the three, SB 201, on a 39-31 vote. She’ll see the package before the legislative session comes to a close Thursday.

“I stand with South Dakota landowners and always will,” said the Republican governor. “I am looking forward to signing a Landowner Bill of Rights that will provide new protections for landowners and allow for economic growth to move forward through a transparent process.”

The bills pave the way for Summit Carbon Solutions, an Iowa-based company seeking to construct roughly 500 miles of carbon capture pipeline through 18 counties in eastern South Dakota, to move ahead with their project.

“We are excited to have a path forward that establishes best practices we are committed to following,” a spokeswoman for the company wrote following the bills’ passage.

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