By Carleen Wild
Moody County Enterprise
One of the most closely watched bills of the 2025 legislative session takes center stage this week in the Senate. House Bill 1052 aims to reform eminent domain laws and strengthen protections for property owners.
As written, the bill states: Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law, a person may not exercise the right of eminent domain to acquire right-of-way for, construct, or operate a pipeline for the preponderant purpose of transporting carbon oxide.
Rep. Jon Hansen, House Speaker and one of Moody Countys three legislative representatives, didnt mince words when addressing a small crowd at a local Cracker Barrel this past weekend.
That bill needs to pass and land on the governors desk, he said. Thats probably the most important bill of this legislative session.
Hansen sat alongside fellow Rep. Les Heinemann and Sen. Tom Pischke for an hour and a half Saturday morning in the Flandreau City Council Chambers. While they briefly outlined their priorities for the 2025 legislative year, they spent most of the time answering questions from the nearly two dozen residents gathered to better understand the issues being discussed this year in Pierre.
The first and last topic discussed? Carbon capture pipelines.
House Bill 1052 passed the House in late January by a vote of 49-19.
The bill is in response to Summit Carbon Solutions request to build carbon sequestration pipelines across the eastern half of the state part of a multi-state plan to reportedly help ethanol plants and other producers reduce emissions, meet climate goals, and keep the ethanol and energy industries competitive.
Many in the ag industry support the project, saying the technology is critical to keeping South Dakota a global player in ethanol production even if landowners dont agree to private pipelines crossing their property.
Opponents, including a vocal contingent in Moody County, argue the pipelines amount to nothing more than a corporate land grab and a safety hazard and exist more for corporate profit than climate solutions.
The federal government, under the Biden administration, offered lucrative tax credits for carbon capture and storage. The future of those tax credits remains unclear, but conversations around carbon capture and development of the technology continue not only in South Dakota but in surrounding states as well.
Protecting private property rights remains a top priority for all three Moody County legislators, who said they hope to see House Bill 1052 pass without amendment.
Lawmakers also discussed, at this most recent Cracker Barrel forum, voter apathy and how few often turn out for elections; establishing annual dates for school bond elections to increase voter awareness; transparency in government; the selection of a new lieutenant governor; the best location for a new mens state prison which could be the states largest-ever one-time expenditure; reinstating funding for South Dakota Public Broadcasting; and rising property taxes to cover it all.
Spending is the problem, Hansen said.
Thats what is causing your property taxes to be so high. If we really want to address the property tax issue in our state, which I think we ought to, we have to look at cuts. Because we are spending too much as a government right now.
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