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Ban on Eminent Domain for Carbon Pipelines Passes SD House

By Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight Jan 28, 2025 | 4:30 AM

State Rep. Karla Lems, R-Canton. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

 

(South Dakota Searchlight) – The South Dakota House of Representatives advanced a bill 49–19 that would ban the use of eminent domain for carbon dioxide pipelines, sending the legislation to the state Senate.

Eminent domain refers to the power to take private property for public use, with just compensation to the owner determined by a court.

Supporters of the bill attended the House debate Monday at the Capitol and cheered when the vote was displayed. House Speaker Pro Tempore Karla Lems, R-Canton, proposed the legislation and said it does not stop carbon pipelines from being built in the state.

“They just don’t get the supreme power of eminent domain to force their projects down the throats of South Dakota people,” Lems said.

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