POINT | S.D. landowners want ‘Bill of Rights’ protections

By Rep. Roger Chase

As the chairman of the South Dakota House Agriculture Committee, I helped negotiate significant benefits for landowners and counties in Senate Bill 201 – also known as the "Landowner Bill of Rights.” Legislators dedicated countless hours to discuss and debate a number of bills to determine what the state's role should be. Three bills were passed that provide a positive pathway forward for South Dakota's future. These bills provide safety requirements for residents, revenue for South Dakota counties, and protection for affected South Dakota landowners. 

As a farmer and rancher myself, I fought to place new and strict regulations on the proposed carbon pipelines to hold them accountable. Additionally, the Landowner Bill of Rights requires the carbon pipeline companies to pay new and significant compensation to counties and landowners. From the perspective of a landowner and a lawmaker, the compromise legislation that we passed and Gov. Noem signed into law finally leveled the playing field for South Dakotans in this carbon pipeline debate. 

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