{"id":38553,"date":"2025-03-14T12:22:30","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T17:22:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/lawmakers-reject-studying-black-hills-growth\/"},"modified":"2025-03-14T12:22:36","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T17:22:36","slug":"lawmakers-reject-studying-black-hills-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/lawmakers-reject-studying-black-hills-growth\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawmakers reject studying Black Hills growth"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Black Hills mountain goat herd on HIghway 44 West. (Photo by Marnie Cook)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

PIERRE\u2014The Black Hills region of South Dakota has seen a surge of new residents and visitors in recent years, sparking a debate in the state legislature over how to manage this growth while preserving the area\u2019s unique character and natural beauty.<\/p>\n

The discussion at the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources committee centered around a resolution, HCR 6010, introduced by District 31 Republican Representative Scott Odenbach who lives in Spearfish. The resolution called for establishing an interim legislative committee to evaluate existing laws and development in the Black Hills and recommend appropriate regulatory provisions.<\/p>\n

Proponents of the resolution argued that the rapid influx of new residents, vacation homes, and economic development projects are threatening the solitude, environmental health, and historic character of the Black Hills.<\/p>\n

Odenbach cited concerns from local residents about rising property taxes, strained infrastructure, and the potential for overdevelopment turning the region into an \u201covercrowded mountain town. People have said to me over and over at meetings or cracker barrels, \u2018do something,’\u201d Odenbach told the committee. \u201cWe need to pause and reflect for a bit on whether we\u2019re headed in the right direction, before we just let things take their course.\u201d<\/p>\n

Supporters of the resolution, including Rapid City resident District 34 Republican Senator Taffy Howard, said not only is it \u201cGod\u2019s country,\u201d but she emphasized the Black Hills\u2019 status as a \u201ccrown jewel\u201d of South Dakota that deserves careful stewardship for future generations. She argued an interim study would give citizens a voice in shaping the region\u2019s long-term future. \u201cThe resolution is simply acknowledging how special the Black Hills are and asking that we have an interim study to allow our citizens to bring forward what they\u2019d like to see in the Hills in twenty, thirty, fifty plus years from now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howard said when she was campaigning the number one criticism she heard from voters of then-Governor Kristi Noem was \u201cjust tell her to stop begging people to move here.\u201d She said the people are tired of feeling as though the government is in control. \u201cThey want to be in charge of their community\u2019s growth and their future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howard said that Peter Norbeck, the state\u2019s first governor born in South Dakota, had designed the pigtails on the Needles Highway so people driving through would have to drive slowly. \u201cYou\u2019re not supposed to drive 60 miles an hour. A lot of our citizens feel like government is forcing us to drive 60 miles an hour when we want to get out and walk.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, opponents pushed back, arguing the resolution does undermine local control and the ability of county and municipal governments to manage growth through existing comprehensive planning processes.<\/p>\n

Visit Rapid City board member and Chair of Appropriations District 34 Republican Representative Mike Derby from Rapid City warned the resolution could open the floodgates for similar requests for state-level studies on growth in other regions. \u201cNow everybody who wants a summer study is going to introduce a resolution. So, let\u2019s just stick to the current process.\u201d He said the Legislative Research Council is currently asking for summer study topics.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best decisions are made at the local level and county government is about as local as you can get,\u201d said Eric Jennings, a Lawrence County Commissioner. He pointed to the county\u2019s long history of zoning regulations, land use planning, and public input as evidence that local leaders are effectively balancing development and conservation. \u201cPeter Norbeck was my great grandfather,\u201d said Jennings. \u201cHe saw the need for conservation, but he also saw the potential for economic development in the Black Hills.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the resolution seeks to form a committee of legislators outside of the Black Hills to evaluate the regulatory provisions. \u201cI can only believe this is an attempt to limit economic development and residential growth and extractive uses in the name of historical preservation and environmental health factors.\u201d Jennings said these are already protected through regulations and permitting.<\/p>\n

Other opponents, including representatives from the mining, tourism, and real estate industries, expressed concerns that the resolution could lead to new restrictions on economic activity in the Black Hills.<\/p>\n

Pete Lien said this bill would hurt his mining business. \u201cI\u2019m third generation in our family business.\u201d Lien explained that his mining business is more than just gravel. \u201cOur company, our family business, was awarded the EPA birth care award. Only mining company to ever get that. Robert Redford gave us the award.\u201d\u00a0 Pete Lien & Sons received that award in 1980. \u201cSo, we share the love and desire to keep the Black Hills beautiful and be good corporate citizens.\u201d But what he was most concerned about was the collateral damage to his family business.<\/p>\n

Other opponents pointed to lack of housing and efforts to keep young people here. District 32 Republican Representative Steve Duffy who had previously voted on the House floor in favor of the bill efforted to explain why he now opposed the bill. He too expressed his belief that outsiders would be making the decisions. \u201cI don\u2019t know if this is the right environment. Fact is, as I\u2019ve looked at it, it isn\u2019t the right environment, but we do need to have a conversation, because what you worry about, and what I said, is there\u2019s no chance of a South Dakotan going to outbid an out of state person who is further in their career for the limited housing that we have.\u201d He said that Denver and Minneapolis have taken \u201cour best and brightest for 100 years. My goal is South Dakotans first and foremost, if somebody is from here and they understand us and they want to stay, if we can help them stay, I think that\u2019s fantastic. Now we need growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Garth Wadsworth from Elevate Rapid City explained that there has been a decrease in housing inventory and a significant increase in housing prices. \u201cThis is a free country and there\u2019s nothing we can do to stop people from moving here and to further restrict the supply of housing would have resulted in steeper increase in housing prices in the last five years had we not done anything to address that.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said efforts to restrict new development in the Black Hills will drive up property taxes. \u201cIf we accept the premise that it\u2019s a free country, there\u2019s nothing we can do to stop people from moving here, then we have to recognize that policies to slow and constrain growth are the policies that will turns us into California and the Front Range, not the other way around.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Contact Marnie Cook at cookm8715@gmail.com)<\/p>\n

The post Lawmakers reject studying Black Hills growth<\/a> first appeared on Native Sun News Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Black Hills mountain goat herd on HIghway 44 West. (Photo by Marnie Cook) PIERRE\u2014The Black Hills region of South Dakota has seen a surge of new residents and visitors in recent years, sparking a debate in the state legislature over how to manage this growth while preserving the area\u2019s unique <\/p>\n

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Shared by Native Sun News Today<\/a> March 14, 2025<\/p>\n

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