Letters to the Editor - Bastian: Standing up for state rights and landowner protections

On March 6, Governor Larry Rhoden signed HB 1052 into law, delivering a major victory for South Dakota landowners. This legislation prohibits the use of eminent domain for the Midwest Carbon Express pipeline, following Summit Carbon Solutions’ failure to secure voluntary easements from South Dakota property owners. It was a bold, principled stand by our legislators to uphold our constitutional rights and protect our private land – reaffirming the 10th Amendment’s promise that power belongs to the people and the states.
Unfortunately, the fight isn’t over – just weeks after our victory, a new challenge has surfaced out of D.C.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee this week proposed alarming provisions targeting pipeline permitting carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and petroleum projects. If passed, this federal overreach would strip away a core principle of our democracy: the right of individual states and local communities to govern themselves and safeguard private property of their citizens.
This proposal would give unelected federal officials and profit-driven corporations the power to override state laws and bulldoze through private land – without any say from local communities and landowners. It not only disrespects the landowners who’ve stewarded their land for generations, but it undermines the very concept of local governance and the idea that local people should have a voice in decisions that affect them.
No matter where you stand on carbon capture or energy policy, we should all agree that private property rights matter. States must retain the authority to make decisions that affect their citizens and their land. This isn’t about opposing ethanol plants, voluntary easements, or innovation – it’s about preserving our fundamental rights and SD way of life.
Now is the time to speak up. Call U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson at (605) 275-2868 and make your voice heard.
Protect South Dakota. Defend self-governance. Preserve private property.
Brett Bastian

Brandon