With a population just under one million people, South Dakota is one of the five least populated states.
With a total area of 77,116 square miles it is the 17th largest in the Union. A landlocked state in the North Central region of the US, it is also part of the Great Plains. It is named after the Dakota Sioux tribe, which comprises a large portion of the population — with nine reservations currently in the state. The state is bisected by the Missouri River, dividing South Dakota into two geographically and socially distinct halves, known to residents as "East River" and "West River". South Dakota is bordered by North Dakota to the north, Minnesota to the east, Iowa to the southeast, Nebraska to the south, Wyoming to the west, and Montana to the northwest.
CLIMATE IMPACTS
Temperatures in South Dakota have risen 2 degrees (F) over the last century. In addition to health risks, warming temperatures can lead to evaporation and soil moisture loss, increasing drought risk.
- Annual rainfall in South Dakota is also increasing, as is the intensity and frequency of extreme precipitation events. These impacts of climate change will be significant on the agriculture-based economy of South Dakota.
ENERGY
The majority of South Dakota’s electricity is generated from renewables, accounting for 77% of total electricity in 2023.
- Wind and hydroelectric account form the majority of renewables with wind generating 55%of electricity in 2023, surpassing hydroelectric power for the first time in 2021.
- South Dakota is second in the nation for wind generation, behind only Iowa.
- Hydropower generated 21% of the state’s total electricity in 2023, down from 55% in 2019 partly due to drought conditions. South Dakota’s three largest power plants by capacity and two largest by generation are hydroelectric facilities.
- Natural gas generated 14% of the state’s electricity in 2023, surpassing coal for the first time that year.
- Coal, meanwhile, has been slowly declining from producing the majority of South Dakota’s electricity in 2008, and now accounts for about 9%.
- Agriculture is South Dakota’s top industry, and provides the state with some renewable resources. South Carolina is one of the top five fuel ethanol producers in the nation, in part helped by its status as one of the nation’s top corn producers as well.
- Multiple renewable natural gas products in South Carolina use animal manure to produce biogas.
CLEAN ENERGY GOALS
South Dakota has no mandated Renewable Portfolio Standard. It passed a voluntary renewable portfolio goal in 2008 calling for 10% of electricity sales from renewables by 2015. This goal was met by some of the state’s electricity providers, but has not been updated since.
LEGISLATION
While 56% of the population in South Dakota is worried about climate change, South Dakota has no statewide climate plan.
- The majority of states with no existing independent climate plan before 2024 produced a plan under the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program, but South Dakota is one of just five states that declined to participate in the program (The other four states are Florida, Kentucky, Iowa and Wyoming).
- The only climate report in the state is the Department of Transportation’s Carbon Reduction Strategy, released in November 2023, which notes that “one of the best ways to limit emissions is to not produce them.”
- Some climate action is happening on a more local level. Rapid City was the only city in South Dakota to participate in the EPA’s CPRG program, receiving a $1 million grant to produce its Priority Climate Action Plan in 2024. The plan focuses on emissions reductions in city, school and nonprofits, and does not seek to regulate private business or residential emissions.
PLANS TO ACCELERATE RENEWABLES
03/22/24
With more sunny days than the national average, South Dakota has the perfect conditions for installing solar. Going solar can help cut your high electricity bills, produce clean, carbon-free electricity and increase your home’s value.…
02/01/24
South Dakota is one of five states that will be part of an upcoming clean energy plan for the upper Midwest.
01/26/24
In 2023, solar electricity generation in South Dakota was set to increase by approximately 3,600% compared to 2022, as highlighted in pv magazine USA’s 50 States of Solar output report. This growth stems from the…
01/22/24
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development South Dakota State Director Nikki Gronli today announced tengrants totalling $3.2 million to lower energy bills, generate new income, create jobs, and strengthen competition for South Dakota farmers,…
01/13/24
Clean Energy Fuels Corp. announced that it has completed a new renewable natural gas (RNG) production facility at Drumgoon Dairy in Lake Norden, South Dakota. The 6,500-cow dairy farm is expected to supply 1.66 million…
12/08/23
The removal of solar panels from a site earmarked for a sustainable aviation fuel plant near Lake Preston does not mean Gevo has left the state or abandoned the project, a company official said on…
11/01/23
The Nature Conservancy’s Whitney Preserve near Hot Springs, South Dakota is officially solar powered!
10/16/23
Grid North Partners utilities have identified 19 transmission project upgrades expected to be built over the next three years. These projects, which span Minnesota and touch eastern South Dakota, will enable more low-cost renewable energy…
10/13/23
Hydrogen power may soon spread across the country thanks to federal grants, and South Dakota wind turbines could provide some of the electricity to make it.
09/08/23
The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission’s staff has filed a motion to deny Summit Carbon Solution’s application to construct a carbon dioxide pipeline, citing non-compliance with ordinances in Brown, McPherson, Minnehaha and Spink Counties.
11/03/22
Wind has surpassed hydroelectric power as the largest generator of electricity in South Dakota.
03/05/25
South Dakota lies in the Northern Great Plains, straddling the transition from the moist eastern United States to the semiarid West. Due to its location in the center of the North American continent, far from…
03/05/25
Its aim is to grow Sioux Falls into “a thriving community today and for future generations by strengthening community well-being, protecting the environment, and supporting economic prosperity.”
02/05/24
Rapid City is joining jurisdictions across the United States that are using federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding (through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program) to take local action to reduce…
11/05/23
The South Dakota Department of Transportation gives public notice of its policy to uphold and assure full compliance with the non-discrimination requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and related Nondiscrimination…
10/26/21
South Dakota's vast prairie stretches from the lowlands in the state's east across the rolling hills, canyons, and buttes of the plains to the state's highest peaks, including Mount Rushmore, in the west. The Black…
09/10/21
The searchable Energy Storage Legislation Database displays information in interactive maps and charts, tracking state activity from 2017 to the present.
10/06/20
The First Street Foundation Flood Model represents the culmination of decades of research and development made possible by building upon existing knowledge and frameworks regularly referenced in the identification of flood risk.
09/19/20
Between 2017 and 2019, South Dakota experienced one severe flood and one intense drought. The damages of these events led to losses of at least $1 billion.
08/06/20
South Dakota climate and energy facts
04/30/20
SOUTH DAKOTA PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION.
04/30/20
Explore graphics, interactives and news about South Dakota's climate threats.
04/30/20
Meet South Dakota's climate change deniers.
04/30/20
South Dakota’s climate is already changing. In the past century, most of the state has warmed by 1-2 degrees Fahrenheit. Rainstorms are becoming more intense, and annual rainfall is increasing. In the future, South Dakota…
04/30/20
South Dakota’s climate is changing. In the past century, most of the state has warmed by one to two degrees (F). Rainstorms are becoming more intense, and annual rainfall is increasing. In the coming decades,…
04/30/20
Admittedly, the effects of climate change, a complex and intri- cate phenomenon, are difficult to predict with precision. Informed scientific and economic projections, however, allow us to see that South Dakota faces significant losses to…
04/30/20
The South Dakota Wildlife Action Plan assesses the health of South Dakota's fish and wildlife and associated habitats, evaluates the problems they face, and outlines actions to help conserve them for the long term.
04/30/20
South Dakota has not developed a statewide adaptation plan. Other resources from the Adaptation Clearinghouse, which have been developed by the state and localities to help communities prepare for climate change, are highlighted below.
