U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) today commented on the passage of the omnibus appropriations bill for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 and applauded the inclusion of a number of important South Dakota provisions: “I’m pleased the annual funding bill included a number of provisions important to South Dakota,” said Thune.... Continue Reading
U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) today issued the following statement on the Senate Democrats’ latest blockade of the Keystone XL pipeline: “While Senate Republicans have spent the last six years working to get the job-creating Keystone XL pipeline approved, Senate Democrats have done all they can to block... Continue Reading
U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) today launched a new interactive map on his website displaying South Dakota rivers, streams, wetlands, flood plains, and other waterways that could be under new federal regulation due to a proposed power-grab from the Obama administration. “The Obama EPA’s power-grab over small and seasonal... Continue Reading
U.S. Senators John Thune (R-South Dakota), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) today sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack calling on USDA to conduct an economic analysis of the rail service challenges facing agricultural shippers. Thune... Continue Reading
U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, delivered the following prepared remarks at today’s “Freight Rail Service: Improving the Performance of America’s Rail System” hearing: I appreciate the chairman agreeing to hold this hearing to elevate the profile of various... Continue Reading
U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) sent a letter to the Surface Transportation Board (STB) today calling for the inclusion of two new metrics on the weekly grain order reports required by the board from Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway and Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railroad. Following increased concerns from... Continue Reading
Today at a hearing before the Senate Agriculture Committee to discuss the reauthorization of child nutrition programs, U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) addressed the need for flexible child nutrition standards. Following the passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, school districts throughout South Dakota and around the... Continue Reading
U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) today introduced several amendments to the bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act (S. 2363) on the Senate floor. Thune’s amendments would improve the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to save farmers and taxpayers money, redirect Forest Service funds to fight pine beetles and wildfires, and encourage elk hunting... Continue Reading
U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) joined a number of his GOP colleagues in cosponsoring Senator John Barrasso’s (R-Wyoming) legislation to block a proposed rule from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expanding its authority to regulate small wetlands, creeks, stock ponds, and ditches under the Clean Water Act (CWA). The... Continue Reading
Today Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) wrote U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack requesting that USDA stop requiring the destruction of vegetative cover on certain CRP contracts at a cost to taxpayers. “CRP holds a significant role in the success of South Dakota’s agriculture and rural economies,” said... Continue Reading
U.S. Senators John Thune (R-South Dakota) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-North Dakota) today led a bipartisan effort to support farmers who are prevented from planting crops due to adverse weather by sending a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack requesting that approved prevented planting acres are included... Continue Reading
U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) today sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack calling on the Forest Service (FS) to accept responsibility for the April 3, 2013, Pautre Fire, and to approve damage claims from individuals who lost buildings, trees, bales of forage, and fences... Continue Reading
