Pipeline referendum overcomes signature deadline confusion

Opponents of Senate Bill 201 submit roughly 28k signatures in support of forcing referendum

South Dakota Property Rights and Local Control Alliance head Jim Eschenbaum speaks to a group of supporters along the Missouri River in Pierre. (Austin Goss/The Dakota Scout)

PIERRE — Backers of a referendum on carbon pipeline policy in South Dakota are confident they’ve forced a vote in November — despite some last-minute deadline uncertainty.

A day after submitting petitions to the Secretary of State on Monday in support of overturning Senate Bill 201, South Dakota Property Rights and Local Control Alliance announced Tuesday it had turned roughly 10,000 more signatures than the 17,508 minimum required for initiated referendums.

But leaders with the ballot question committee say some conflicting information about when petitions needed to be turned in had them fearing the worst for a time.

While addressing supporters at the state Capitol, South Dakota Property Rights and Local Control Alliance’s Jim Eschenbaum said the decision to turn petitions in a day ahead of the purported deadline to refer the measure was his, after key backers questioned the deadline given by the Secretary of State’s office.

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