Gassman: SD Energy Self-Sufficient?

I really wish our District 8 Legislators would take a cue from their District 6 colleague Rep. Kristi Noem (R-Castlewood) and start blogging. Then I wouldn't have to wait a day or two to get hold of the print copy of the Madison Daily Leader. Of course, Russ, Dan, and Dave probably don't want to make it any easier for me to give 'em heck....

Monday's MDL brings us the first Legislative Reports from our District 8 representatives. Rep. Gassman (D-Canova) makes this rather impenetrable statement:

South Dakota has reached the goal we would wish for our nation, that being energy self-sufficiency [Rep. David Gassman, "Legislative Report," MDL, 2008.01.14, p. 3].

Maybe Canova's Central Farmer's Co-op is running on pure ethanol and keeping customers warm with a corn stove (that would be cool!), but the whole state of South Dakota has reached energy self-sufficiency? So we're not importing any coal -- or looking to import more -- from Wyoming? We're telling Hyperion they can build their silly oil refinery elsewhere? We're all biking to work?

Probably just one of those verbal slips, maybe just a word left out at the keyboard while tryign to do three things at once. But better check the energy file in your campaign debate book, Dave, just in case there's a District 8 primary....

(But stay tuned -- Rep. Olson's report gets what's coming later this morning!)