South Dakota

SOUTH DAKOTA

South Dakota's Record Breaking Weather

CURRENT NEWS

South Dakota county creates CO2 transport and storage committee to review proposals

By Hunter Dunteman 11/07/23
Regulating carbon dioxide transmission lines in Lincoln County has been no easy task. That’s why the county has established a new committee to further explore an ideal ordinance.
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Navigator suspending pipeline plans in South Dakota

By Austin Goss and Joe Sneve 09/15/23
A carbon sequestration company planning a pipeline through the upper Midwest is suspending operations in South Dakota.
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Wild Springs Solar Project receives approval from SD PUC

05/15/23
PIERRE, S.D. — The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission has approved a construction permit for the Wild Springs Solar Project in Pennington County.
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When is more renewable energy coming to South Dakota?

By Joey Kragness 05/05/23
The proposal came as a response to Black Hills Energy requesting proposals for a solar or wind farm that is capable of producing up to 100 megawatts of electricity. This is because of the company's…
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Does It Make Sense to Go Solar in South Dakota?

By Sarah Drolet 04/22/23
Looking to install solar on your South Dakota home? Here's what you need to know before making such a large investment.
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SDSU receives $1.2M USDA grant for climate-smart agriculture project

By Dominik Dausch 04/07/23
South Dakota State University has received more than $1 million in funding for "climate-smart" projects, according a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant announcement.
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Rapid City seeks climate funding after state turns it down; Sioux Falls undecided, FL hasn’t applied

By Joshua Haiar 04/05/23
After the state declined to seek federal grant money to reduce greenhouse gases and other air pollution, Rapid City has decided to apply and Sioux Falls is considering it.
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State skips out on $3 million to craft emissions reduction plan

By Lee Strubinger 04/03/23
The State of South Dakota is leaving millions of federal dollars on the table that could be spent on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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Are climate experts concerned about climate change in the Midwest? Yes and no

By Michael Johnson 03/20/23
The northern Great Plains region plays an important role in providing food security for our nation and abroad.
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Lots of Wind, Far Too Little Sun: South Dakota 18th for Green Power Production in 2022

By Cory Allen Heidelberger 03/19/23
Governingpresents data from the Energy Information Administration showing how much wind and solar energy each state generated in 2022. South Dakota is one of thirteen states that cranked out more than 10,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity…
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Prairie Potholes and Mississippi River Basin Will Benefit from Major DOI Climate Investment

By Kristyn Brady 03/08/23
The boost for waterfowl and river health will come from a $120-million slate of projects to improve climate resilience and habitat
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Are CO2 Pipelines Regulated? By Whom?

03/08/23
Currently, there are about 5,000 miles of carbon dioxide pipelines in the United States, used mostly to inject it underground to move oil to the surface through enhanced oil recovery. The 2021 infrastructure law, which…
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KEY RESOURCES

South Dakota State Profile and Energy Estimates

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…

Energy State Bill Tracking Database

09/10/21
The searchable Energy Storage Legislation Database displays information in interactive maps and charts, tracking state activity from 2017 to the present.

The First National Flood Risk Assessment

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.

The Impacts of Climate Change and the Trump Administration’s Anti-Environmental Agenda in South Dakota

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.

State-by-State: Climate Change in South Dakota

08/06/20
South Dakota climate and energy facts

10-year Plan For Major Generation And Transmission Facilities

04/30/20
SOUTH DAKOTA PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION.

South Dakota’s Climate Threats

04/30/20
Explore graphics, interactives and news about South Dakota's climate threats.

South Dakota’s Climate Change Deniers

04/30/20
Meet South Dakota's climate change deniers.

South Dakota’s agriculture industry is vulnerable to climate change

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…

What Climate Change Means for 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,…

Pay Now, Pay Later: South Dakota

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…

Climate Change & South Dakota Wildlife Action Plan Revision

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.

Preparing for Climate Change in South Dakota

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.

MORE NEWS

Anti-ESG comes for the insurance industry

By Jordan Wolman And Debra Kahn   03/07/23  
nsurers are already on the front lines of climate change. Now they’re getting their turn on the front lines of the anti-ESG movement. Lawmakers in red states like Texas, North Dakota and South Dakota are…
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GOP Governors Tout Green Bona Fides Amid Anti-ESG Backlash

By Saijel Kishan   02/28/23  
Republican governors across the US have been trumpeting their states’ green bona fides even as the anti-ESG clatter from GOP lawmakers shows few signs of abating.
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Gevo Finalizes Renewable Hydrogen Development Services Agreement with Zero6 Energy, Selects Cummins as Technology Partner

02/27/23  
Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEVO) announced today that they have finalized a Hydrogen Development Services Agreement with Zero6 Energy (formerly Juhl Energy) for the development of a 20-megawatt hydrogen production facility in Lake Preston, South Dakota,…
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Which state is winning at renewable energy production?

By Karin Kirk   02/23/23  
Electricity is changing. As states like Minnesota commit to 100% carbon-free electric power, Montana is opting to double down on coal. Some of these developments make headlines, while others go unnoticed – though they’re no…
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50 states of solar incentives: North Dakota

By Ryan Kennedy   02/17/23  
Solar hasn’t yet taken hold in North Dakota, a state that relies more on wind power when it comes to renewable energy adoption.
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South Dakota committee rejects bill to stop carbon pipelines from using eminent domain

By Joshua Haiar   02/16/23  
A South Dakota Senate committee unanimously rejected a bill Thursday that would prevent two proposed carbon pipeline projects from using eminent domain. The bill had already passed the House of Representatives 40-28, but it was…
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Biden-Harris Administration Delivers $728 Million in Historic Investments to Address Western Drought, Improve Climate Resilience

02/13/23  
As part of the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to enhance the resilience of the West to drought and climate change, the Department of the Interior today announced a $728 million investment to deliver clean, reliable drinking…
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Allete plans transmission line between North Dakota, Montana

By Jimmy Lovrien   02/07/23  
Allete is teaming up with a Houston company to build a $2.5 billion, 385-mile transmission line connecting three electric markets. The Duluth-based energy company said it is partnering with Grid United on what it’s coined…
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South Dakota committee advances bill to stop carbon pipelines from using eminent domain

By Joshua Haiar   02/07/23  
A bill intended to prevent two proposed carbon pipeline projects from using eminent domain passed a legislative committee Monday. The committee considered a total of six bills aimed at giving landowners more power in their…
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Climate change is pushing wildfire smoke farther east in South Dakota

By Seth Tupper   01/10/23  
South Dakotans like to brag about their clean air, and for the most part, they’re right. But that boast isn’t as true as it once was, especially in the half of the state to the…
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South Dakota Cures The Renewable Energy Blues

By Tina Casey   11/07/22  
The political knives are still out when the topic turns to climate change, but it looks like the energy transition is going to happen anyways. A case in point is the “red” state of South…
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South Dakota counties most concerned about climate change

10/16/22  
Nationally, 72% of Americans believe global warming is happening. But when public opinion researchers zoom in on Americans, they find that attitudes and opinions about climate change can vary drastically from county to county—even when…
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Farmers in the Plains are in ‘dire straits’ due to drought, wildfire conditions

By Elizabeth Rembert   05/09/22  
Even with a few recent rains, much of the Great Plains are in a drought. Wildfires have swept across the grasslands and farmers are worried about how they’ll make it through the growing season.
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Which States Are the Most Environmentally Friendly?

By Sarah Lozanova   05/05/22  
A majority of Americans see the effects of climate change in their own communities and believe the federal government should do more to stop them. Despite growing concern about the climate crisis, some states are…
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Proposed co2 pipelines thrust south dakota into billion-dollar debate over carbon capture technology and climate change

By Bart Pfankuch   05/02/22  
So far, most of the discussion about two proposed multibillion-dollar carbon dioxide pipelines that would cross hundreds of miles of eastern South Dakota has centered on opposition by landowners whose properties would be affected by…
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Ethanol Company Wants Action on E30

By Todd Neeley   05/02/22  
A South Dakota ethanol company recently asked the state's congressional delegation to work toward creating a pathway to allow E30 to be sold nationally, as two Midwest governors reportedly are working on a policy to…
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8 Midwest states, including North Dakota, seek permanent waiver to sell E15 gas

By The Associated Press   05/01/22  
Governors from eight Midwest states asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Thursday for a permanent waiver that will allow each state to continue selling ethanol-blended gas year-round without restriction.
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South Dakota farmers get two-week extension to intervene in Summit’s CO2 pipeline project

By Nicole Ki   04/19/22  
Roughly 30 farmers and ag businesses seeking to fight a proposed CO2 sequestration pipeline have two more weeks, as of last Thursday, to register with the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission.
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Mayors Outside South Dakota Interested in Fighting Climate Change

By Cory Allen Heidelberger   04/18/22  
Kate Wright, new exec of Climate Mayors, says the hundreds of mayors participating in the group’s effort to take local action to fight climate change are hoping to use the big Biden infrastructure program to…
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Biden’s ‘cost of carbon’ policy survives court challenge

By Kevin Mcgill   04/14/22  
In a victory for President Joe Biden, a federal appeals court Thursday refused to revisit its March decision reviving administration plans to account for potential damage from greenhouse gas emissions when creating rules for pollution-generating…
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MISO finds broad benefits to building $10.4B of transmission projects to support 53 GW of clean energy

By Ethan Howland   04/07/22  
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator is advancing through its stakeholder process a $10.4 billion set of transmission lines that could support about 53 GW of wind, solar, hybrid and stand-alone battery projects.
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Sioux Falls city officials push sustainability plan to 2023 after ‘extensive’ feedback

By Trevor J. Mitchell   03/22/22  
Sioux Falls officials are taking a step back from the proposed Sustainability and Climate Action Plan, which debuted just weeks ago, citing a "need to ask more questions and reach out to a wider group…
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Spring Outlook: Drought to expand amid warmer conditions

03/17/22  
NOAA issued its U.S. Spring Outlook today and for the second year in a row, forecasters predict prolonged, persistent drought in the West where below-average precipitation is most likely. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center — part…
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South Dakota losing public reservoirs, one torrential rain after another

By Christopher Vondracek   01/14/22  
The South Dakota Legislature has a menu of infrastructure fixes this year, including some state-owned spillways damaged in flooding and record rainfall in 2018 and '19. But few lawmakers will invoke the words "climate change,"…
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44,000-acre Xcel Energy South Dakota wind farm begins powering over 150,000 homes

By Makenzie Huber   01/12/22  
Xcel Energy announced Wednesday that its new eastern South Dakota wind farm is now in service and is powering more than 150,000 homes to customers in the Upper Midwest, according to a news release.
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USDA accepts more than 2.5 million acres in grassland CRP, double last year’s signup

09/10/21  
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has accepted offers for more than 2.5 million acres from agricultural producers and private landowners for enrollment through this year's Grassland Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Signup
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Gevo Files for Environmental Permits in South Dakota for the Net-Zero 1 Project

By Gevo Inc   08/26/21  
Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEVO) is pleased to announce that the air quality and wastewater permit applications for the company’s Net-Zero 1 project have been filed with the South Dakota Department of Agriculture & Natural Resources.
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There’s smoke in the air above the Black Hills, where climate change has created the ravages of the fire season

By Jay Davis   08/25/21  
Black Hills realtors and conservative politicians have been touting for months the arrival of refugees from the east and west coasts. Apparently thousands of migrants, many of whom are now free to work remotely from…
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From Floods To Drought: Ranchers Reflect On Extreme South Dakota Weather

By Meghan Fieghery   08/24/21  
The state is so deep into a drought that it’s easy to forget the situation was much different two years ago. In 2019, widespread floods damaged farmland, roads, and infrastructure.
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SD Intertribal Wind Project Gets Boost From Apple

By Arielle zionts   08/17/21  
The Oceti Sakowin Power Authority (OSPA) is one of 15 businesses selected for Apple’s inaugural Impact Accelerator program. Apple will provide training and networking for Black, Hispanic and Native American-owned, eco-friendly businesses.
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How drought conditions are impacting South Dakota

By Sarah McDonald   07/29/21  
You don’t have to look far to find dry conditions in KELOLAND – just a few weeks ago we talked with people across the state dealing with the the drought.
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Climate change goals and oil production are clashing in the U.S.

By Joel K. Bourne , Jr.   07/19/21  
On his first day in office, President Joe Biden rejoined the Paris Agreement, temporarily banned all new oil and gas leases on federal land, and canceled permits for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline.
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Disparities of climate change mapped

By Monetory Bay Aquarium   07/14/21  
"One of the dirty tricks of climate change is that local pollution has far-reaching consequences," says former Aquarium Chief Scientist Dr. Kyle Van Houtan, who led the study during his tenure. "When we burn fossil…
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The Impacts Of Climate Change And The Trump Administration’s Anti-environmental Agenda In Washington, D.c.

06/26/21  
Just in the past three years, the Trump administration has attempted to roll back at least 95 environmental rules and regulations to the detriment of the environment and Americans’ public health. Moreover, the administration refuses…
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Will climate change cause another dust bowl?

By Nathaniel Scharping   06/10/21  
Growing up in rural Iowa in the 1990s, Isaac Larsen remembers a unique herald of springtime. The snowbanks piled along roads, once white or gray, would turn black. The culprit was windblown dust, stirred from…
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South Dakota’s Noem launches legal strategy to take on Biden

By Stephen Groves   05/25/21  
 South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem catapulted onto the list of conservative politicians favored by former President Donald Trump with her libertarian approach to the pandemic. With the virus waning, she may be seeking to stay…
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Biden revokes Keystone XL pipeline permit, tipping scales in decade-old fight in western South Dakota

By Christopher Vondracek   01/20/21  
PIERRE, S.D. — Within hours of taking the Oval Office on Wednesday, Jan. 20, President Joe Biden followed through on a campaign promise to yank the Keystone XL permit that President Trump issued just four years…
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Avangrid unleashes 155MW of South Dakota wind

01/19/21  
Avangrid Renewables and WEC Energy have begun commercial operation of the 155MW Tatanka Ridge wind farm in South Dakota, US.  
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Tatanka Ridge Wind Farm Achieves Commercial Operation

By Dairyland Power Co-operative   01/19/21  
LA CROSSE, Wis., Jan. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Avangrid Renewables, LLC, a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) completed commissioning of the 154.8 megawatt (MW) Tatanka Ridge Wind Farm on January 5, 2021. The facility's 56 wind turbines are located in Deuel County,…
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Gevo Inc unveils Net-Zero 1 project to turn renewable energy into liquid hydrocarbons

By Andrew Kessel   01/11/21  
Gevo Inc (NASDAQ:GEVO) has announced the first project in its new Net-Zero series, which is designed to create energy dense liquid hydrocarbons that deliver net-zero greenhouse gas emissions when burned.
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Tight Grid Capacity Limits SD Wind-Energy Growth

12/30/20  
PIERRE, S.D. - The renewable-energy industry is happy to be included in the COVID-19 relief bill signed this week by President Donald Trump. However, South Dakota regulators say that to see more growth for wind…
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Climate change: Many of the states most at risk are also the least prepared

By Megan Latshaw , Jon Links and Matt McKillop   12/09/20  
Climate change is often seen as a problem for the future, a calamity that looms over the coming decades. In fact, it is already here, and wreaking havoc.
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Will Extreme Weather Keep Getting Worse? Scientists Say Yes.

By Jan Wesner Childs   11/15/20  
One by one, climate and disaster records and milestones have been shattered in 2020. The stories of the extremes make daily headlines: Nine cities see their earliest snowfall ever.
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States that have lost the most farms the last 100 years

By Liz Barrett Foster   10/23/20  
Agriculture is an integral part of the American economy. Stacker examines which states have lost the most farms over the last 100 years, with data from the 1920 Agriculture Census and 2019 Census State Agriculture Summaries.
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Public Utilities Chairman says South Dakota seeing Boom in Renewable Energy Projects

By Troy VanDusen   10/06/20  
Power production is changing rapidly across the country and regulators are sometimes scrambling to keep up.
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Solar and wind energy continue to grow in Midwest

By Andrew Weeks   10/06/20  
Everybody needs it – energy to power businesses and homes, to give light when it is dark, to help keep people cool in the summer and warm during the cold months.
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SAGE Development Authority Launches Crowdfunding Initiative

10/02/20  
Project Will Utilize Renewable Energy Resources to Advance Economic Development for a Tribal Nation and Provide a Replicable Model for Other Native Communities
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Climate change is killing the farm belt. With a little help, farmers can fix it

By Art Cullen   09/19/20  
They call the storm a derecho, and it blasted through Tim Gannon’s central Iowa farm at 100 mph on Aug. 10, wrecking a machine shed and burying his equipment. Fourteen million acres of Iowa crops…
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Which State Gets the Highest Percentage of its Electricity from Wind Turbines?

09/11/20  
The answer is Iowa. In the month of June, Iowa got 54.4% of it’s electricity from the wind. Second place went to Kansas with 47.0%, followed by Oklahoma with 37.3%, S. Dakota with 33.1% and…
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