U.S. Senators Tim Johnson (D-SD) and John Thune (R-SD) and Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) today asked Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to hold a listening session regarding the proposed National Animal Identification System (NAIS) in the state of South Dakota. The request follows an announcement by the USDA that the... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune issued the following statement in response to the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) approval of a so-called low-carbon fuel standard that unfairly penalizes biofuels: “The California Air Resources Board’s decision to unfairly target ethanol for carbon emissions from around the world is one that could have a... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today offered an amendment (S.AMDT.1002) to the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery bill (S.386) that would require the Secretary of the Treasury to use taxpayer funds returned by financial institutions under the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) to reduce the national debt. Several financial institutions that received TARP... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune joined a bipartisan group of his colleagues in sending a letter to fellow Senators urging them to cosponsor the Rural Veterans Health Care Improvement Act (S.658). This legislation would expand access to medical care for veterans who live far from Veterans Administration (VA) facilities. Senator Thune is... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today introduced a bill that would require the Secretary of the Treasury to use taxpayer funds returned by financial institutions under the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) to reduce the national debt. Several financial institutions that received TARP funding have returned or expressed an interest in returning... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today sent a letter to Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) administrator Timothy Meeks urging the development of a wind power permitting process that does not unduly burden wind developers and land owners while at the same time accounting for wildlife habitat preservation issues. “South Dakota has the... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune announced today that he has been selected as a co-chairman of the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Internet Caucus. The Congressional Internet Caucus has over 150 members from the House of Representatives and the Senate who work to promote Internet issues. “The Internet continues to change our lives by... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today criticized an announcement from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson that could result in the implementation of new regulations on carbon dioxide and methane gases, including the creation of a “cow tax.” EPA’s proposed endangerment findings could result in further regulation of carbon dioxide and... Continue Reading
Before the U.S. Department of Agriculture charges ahead with an animal identification system, farmers and ranchers need to know the costs and benefits and that sensitive business information will remain secure. U.S. Senators John Thune, R-S.D. and Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., drove that point home in a letter to Agriculture Secretary... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune announced today that South Dakotans have the chance to comment on a proposal that would allow a higher percentage of ethanol to be blended with gasoline for use in non-flex fuel engines. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) moved forward with a fuel waiver application that would... Continue Reading
U.S. Senator John Thune joined several colleagues in the U.S. Senate in encouraging the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to exclude off-highway motorcycle and all-terrain vehicles from the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. Last year, Congress passed this measure in response to toys made in China failing to meet lead... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), criticized today’s decision by the Obama Administration to not pursue the development of the Next Generation Bomber. “I am puzzled by this decision by President Obama. Only three months ago, Secretary Gates wrote in the Foreign Affairs journal... Continue Reading
