S.D. congressional delegation pushes for broad energy policy, trade agreements

Town hall features predictions on Farm Bill, criticism of Biden administration

Sen. John Thune, left, Sen. Mike Rounds, center, and Rep. Dusty Johnson get ready for an agriculture town hall at Dakotafest on Aug. 16, 2023. (Jonathan Ellis/The Dakota Scout)

MITCHELL – While California and other states are moving aggressively to mandate electric vehicles, South Dakota’s congressional delegation thinks liquid fuels will be in the nation’s energy policy for the foreseeable future.

“There are a lot of folks out there that think everything is going to go electric,” said Sen. Mike Rounds. “It’s not.”

Rounds was joined by fellow Sen. John Thune and Rep. Dusty Johnson at an agriculture town hall during Dakotafest, the annual agriculture trade show. Energy policy, and South Dakota’s place in the biofuels industry, were among the topics they discussed for about an hour and a half.

South Dakota’s delegation is Republican, and the crowd was friendly. The delegation has been entirely Republican since 2015.

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