Senator John Thune today joined a bipartisan coalition of Senators in supporting the Travel Promotion Act of 2007, legislation that would boost the number of international visitors to South Dakota and other favorite tourist destinations in the United States. The bill passed today out of the Senate Commerce Committee, on... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune made the following comments today after voting no on a procedural vote on the proposed immigration reform legislation: “The immigration reform legislation before the Senate is a flawed bill and I cannot support it. This bill would grant immediate legal status to over 12 million illegal immigrants... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune will once again call together Senate Republicans for a meeting of the Ag Posse in his office on Wednesday. This week the Posse will be joined by Agriculture Department Secretary Mike Johanns. The Ag Posse is comprised of Republican Senators who are not members of the Senate... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today announced that important funding he requested for South Dakota has been included in the Fiscal Year 2008 Energy and Water Appropriations bill. The bill, which was reported out by the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, is scheduled to be considered by the full Appropriations committee Thursday.... Continue Reading
Today, U.S. Senator John Thune will meet with Tim Meeks, the new chief administrator of the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA). A large proportion of the electricity grid infrastructure in South Dakota is controlled and maintained by WAPA. Senator Thune’s agenda includes: (1) receiving a progress report on his request... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today issued a statement following the Senate Appropriations Committee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education passage of the FY2008 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill, which approved several requests Senator Thune had made on behalf of various South Dakota institutions: “This important... Continue Reading
The U.S. Senate late last night passed H.R. 6, the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007, which included several provisions championed by Senator John Thune to invigorate the development of renewable energy sources, such as wind and ethanol. “Last night’s vote in the Senate is an important step forward for our... Continue Reading
Today, the United States Senate passed U.S. Senator John Thune’s energy transmission amendment to the energy bill, which would promote the development of energy transmission infrastructure. “This legislation is critical to promoting the development of wind energy in South Dakota and around the country. As the windiest state in the... Continue Reading
Today, the Senate Finance Committee approved a revenue measure that includes legislation introduced by U.S. Senator John Thune earlier this year to extend the Production Tax Credit for wind energy. The Finance Committee proposal will be added to the energy bill currently being debated in the U.S. Senate. This afternoon,... Continue Reading
Sens. John Thune (R-SD) and James Inhofe (R-OK) today offered an amendment to the energy package being considered this week in the U.S. Senate. The measure would have provided incentives for expanded refinery capacity in order to produce clean domestic fuels from oil, coal and cellulosic biomass to reduce gas... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune (R-SD) today joined Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) in offering an amendment to the energy package being considered this week in the U.S. Senate. The measure would provide incentives for the construction of new refineries on federal lands in order to increase domestic oil production and reduce gas... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune announced today that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the United States Department of Energy (DOE) have awarded South Dakota State University (SDSU) $420,000 for biobased fuels research that will accelerate the development of alternative fuel resources. “SDSU continues to be a leader in the... Continue Reading
