Hey, Glenn Beck Club: Try Some Real Outrage... Over Hyperion and Gov. Rounds

My Google reader surprises me this afternoon by finally burping up a backlog of posts from Elk Point's Old Cranky, a South Dakotan with no good word to say about Hyperion or the Rounds Administration. In his latest post, he celebrates Hyperion's announcement that it is letting lapse half of the land options it holds in Union County. "6000 down and 6000 to go!"—I share Old Cranky's jubilation.

I also happily add his reasoning to the growing case that Hyperion will not build a refinery in Union County. One of his neighbors offers a very rational theory that buying up land options around Elk Point was just another ill-conceived business venture by Hyperion and its boss Al Huddleston. Hyperion can't build a refinery, but it gambles that maybe a real petro-player will buy the options from them to execute an actual project. The oil economy (and pipelines) go south, and Hyperion loses another bet. Brilliant!

More admirable is Old Cranky's genuine, concrete rage at the current South Dakota government that's been all hip-hip-hooray for this these pipe dreams. Unlike the Glenn Beck fan clubs that get their rage all tangled up in one entertainer's hyperbolic schtick and esoteric conspiracy theories, Old Cranky is ready to hold Governor Rounds and South Dakota's good old boys directly accountable for direct, demonstrable harm in our own backyards:

Governor Rounds... might have started this whole mess, but I’m here to tell you WE WILL FINISH IT! This isn’t over by a long shot, and when the last 6000 acres held hostage are released, then and only then will it start to be over. The worm is starting to turn and Hyperion is going to get bit right on their butt.

Never underestimate the power of the vote my friends. We will sweep them out of office and we will turn this government back to the people.

Somebody hand me a broom please.

I'll see you and your friends at the polls, Doug!

Up next: big essay and photo feature on TransCanada's Keystone pipeline, barreling through a family farm near you....

Think Ahead: Dump Coal, Invest In Renewables Now

I've argued that Rep. Herseth Sandlin is wrong on the American Clean Energy and Security Act and that Senators Johnson and Thune need to get on board with the cap-and-trade-plus bill and vote for the future. Richard Heinberg of the Post Carbon Institute agrees that staking even our immediate energy future on fossil fuels is short-sighted for big coal-dependent states like South Dakota and Iowa:

Everyone agrees that America has enormous quantities of coal underground. But how much of that coal can practically be mined? Recent studies by the U.S. Geological Survey and National Academy of Science, among other organizations, suggest that supply problems may come much sooner than we have been led to think; indeed, one German analytic group has forecast that U.S. coal production will peak 20 years from now—well within the operating lifetime of power plants being built today.

Utilities might wish to wait until renewables are still more affordable before making the switch from old, familiar energy sources to ones that will require new infrastructure for generation, storage and transmission. But doing so entails more than higher climate impacts from the burning of carbon-rich coal. It also constitutes an enormous gamble: the utilities assume that when renewables become clearly the cheaper option, investments can be quickly mobilized to make the transition to wind, solar and geothermal. But with fossil fuel prices rising relentlessly in the meantime, will the economy then be resilient enough to summon the needed capital?

If America doesn't seriously begin the transition to renewable energy now, we may well get caught, not many years hence, with too little coal and not enough installed alternatives [Richard Heinberg, "Iowa's Future Shouldn't Depend on Fossil Fuels," Des Moines Register, 2009.09.02].

That's what I said!

Oil News: Notes on Keystone, Refineries, and Oil Sands

I'm working on a big feature on the TransCanada Keystone pipeline, which is being welded and buried 27 miles west of my house right now, so let's prime the pump with some oil industry news:

Watch Your Step: The Jamestown Sun reports that horizontal drilling for the Keystone pipeline caused seven sinkholes in the Pembina Gorge. A Keystone pipeline spokesman says the holes have been filled.

Backwards Municipal Marketing: The city of Norfolk, Nebraska, has created a "pipeline partnership program": the 750-some pipeline workers temporarily based in Norfolk get discounts at local stores. The Norfolk program seems to have the same flaw as cell phone deals for new customers: giving a discount to someone while charging your regular customers full price makes those loyal customers—in this case, your permanent residents—feel like second-class citizens. I might suggest Madison could try doing something like the Norfolk program... but if a town has money to throw around, wouldn't it make more sense to give discounts to folks laid off from Gehl and others who actually need help paying the bills?

What Refinery? More evidence that folks banking on Hyperion to build a refinery near Elk Point are wishing on a falling star: Petroleum Economist reports that North American refiners are retreating from plans for expansion and new construction. Irving and BP axed a New Brunswick refinery project: "Based on their own 18-month evaluation of various forecasts for gasoline demand over the next 30 years, the two companies concluded that North American consumption has peaked for the foreseeable future" [emphasis mine].

Canadian Oil Sands Pollution: Two studies funded by the Alberta government find greenhouse gas emissions from Canadian oil sands production (that's where TransCanada's oil comes from) are similar to emissions from conventional oil production in some areas. The Pembina Institute points out that the studies compare Alberta's oil sands industry to places like Nigeria, where environmental regulations are abbysmally weak. Pembina says the Alberta studies still show that "producing and burning oil from the oil sands results in up to 45 per cent more greenhouse gas emissions relative to some sources of conventional crude oil."

School Board Blog -- Why Not?

Amidst the thronging masses at Prairie Village this weekend, I saw Madison Central School Board member Tammy Jo Zingmark. She was working the gate as part of a fundraiser for the MHS band (throw a successful signature event, wealth trickles out to non-profits... heck of a deal!).

I asked her when we might see her lead the school district into Web 2.0 and start a school board blog. I paraphrase TJZ's response:

Oh, I don't know I don't know much about blogs or Twitter or any of that.

Five minutes, I say, and I can have you set up and blogging.

Well, the board would have to authorize something like that.

What, authorize a board member to express an opinion?

You know, we take an oath saying we'll work as a team. People call me and ask about issues, and I have to tell them, "Come to the board meeting." And then they never do.

Wait a minute. So if I want to find out what's coming up on the school board agenda or talk pros and cons with a board member, I can have that conversation once a month, during the public comment period at each official board meeting?

Let's review that oath:

[Madison Central Policy BBBB-E] Do you solemnly swear, or affirm, that you will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of South Dakota, and that you will faithfully and impartially perform your duties as a member of the school board of the Madison Central School District, Lake County, South Dakota, to the best of your ability, and in accordance with the laws now in effect and hereafter to be enacted, during your continuance in said office, and until your successor is elected and qualified?

And do you further swear to:

1. Observe and enforce state laws and regulations pertaining to education.
2. Accept office as a board member as a means of unselfish service.
3. Transact school business only in regular sessions.
4. Represent the entire community without fear or favor.
5. Remember at all times that I am one of a team.
6. Accept all board decisions once they are made and assist in carrying them out effectively.
7. Delegate action to the chief school administrator as the board executive and to confine board action to policy making, planning and appraisal.
8. Employ only competent, trained personnel and these only on the recommendation of the chief school administrator.
9. Preserve the right and obligation of teachers to teach controversial issues fairly and without bias.
10. Adhere to the School Board Member Code of Ethics.
11. Govern the school in accordance with the school board adopted polices for the school district. (The answer is: “I do”.)

MCSD oath word count: 232. Presidential oath word count: 35.

Now help me out: which clause of that weighty vow supersedes the First Amendment? More specifically, which clause of that oath says that the board must authorize any public communication that a board member may issue relating to school matters?

For contrast, consider the city commission of Portland, Oregon. Here is a board like our school board, empowered to act only as a body, not as individuals. Yet the mayor and three of the four commission members maintain separate blogs to keep their constituents informed. They don't wait for a phone call and then say, "Come to the meeting." They actively push information online for anyone interested.

A school board blog would be a wonderful channel for information flowing in both directions: observations, opinions, and questions from board members and from citizens. And I see no policy clause that prohibits any school board member from opening a blog, saying "Here's what I think," and inviting fellow citizens to some healthy public online discourse.

...if they want to engage in such open conversation. If they believe regular public communication is part of their sworn duty to "unselfish service." If.

Hunter: Lake County Should Lead Water Quality Projects

Lake is our county's name, so perhaps it makes obvious sense that our county government should take the lead in protecting water quality in our namesakes. Madison Daily Leader editor Jon Hunter calls for the Lake County Commission to take just such an environmental leadership role:

The first reason is geography. Any efforts to improve surface and ground water must focus on the Lake County watershed, which in rough terms approximates the boundaries of Lake County.

Second, the government entity is already in place that can apply for, and accept, federal grants to help pay for the projects.

Third, the county commission members are a diverse set, including people who live in the city, at a lake, in the country and so on. They are knowledgeable about local water issues and can make sound decisions about which path to take.

Fourth, experienced partners are available. The lake associations have decades of experience working on water quality issues, the sanitary districts are right in the middle of the action, and the city of Madison staff has knowledge and resources to draw upon [Jon Hunter, "Who Should Take the Lead for Better Water? Lake County," Madison Daily Leader, 2009.09.01].

That's one of the most logical things I've heard our man Hunter say this year. I might quibble only with one point: our sanitary districts are restricted by statute from being in "the middle of the action" on water quality projects (though I'm working on changing that!). Otherwise, Hunter makes a great case. Our county commission is positioned to do what no other taxing and governing agency in our county can do: take action that will benefit nearly the entire watershed at a shot. The only improvement on county action would be to see the Legislature take a more active role in water quality.

Of course, if we add new duties to the county's plate, we need to find money to support that action. At the very least, we might have to extend hours for someone in the auditor's or treasurer's office to write those grant applications and administer the money. I'm not worried on the fiscal side, though. If we can find $25,000 for the Lake Area Improvement Corporation, we can find another $25,000 to pay for actual improvement of our lakes and streams.

Jon, heck of an idea. County Commission, run with it!

Potpourri! Death, Doctors, Tinkle, Justice, and Energy

Brain full yet?

Holy buckets! I've got eight tabs open on my browser—time to clear the cache! Here's some brain potpourri:

1. Senator Gene Abdallah: before you stink up the airwaves again with your suggestion that we ought to expedite death penalty trials, read Bob Herbert's column about a Texas father put to death for killing his children by arson. 18 years after the fire, a scientist hired by the state of Texas finds the fire was an accident, and the father was innocent.
2. Bill Moyers is on a health care tear this summer. His latest Journal on PBS features American doctors destroying the myth that America has the best health care in the world.
3. But don't take Bill Moyers's word for it: run your own numbers on the really cool Death Risk Rankings calculator from Carnegie Mellon.
   
4. McCook Central School District is getting double the bang for its computer buck by using netbooks in its elementary classrooms. Now where'd they get that idea?
5. "City Commission Worried About Water Supply," but not enough to give first reading to its new proposed public urination ordinance. Says KJAM, Madison's leaders "wanted to take some time to change the original wording of the proposed ordinance." Now where'd they get that idea?
6. That Sioux Falls paper turns a couple quotes and now "No comment" from the White House into fodder for speculation that President Obama will give the Black Hills back to the Lakota. Hold your nose and gape in awe at the ignorance and racism in the Argus forum. Note also that Nixon gave federal land back to the Taos-Pueblo in New Mexico in 1970, and no social chaos ensued.
7. Hey Jason! Want to get us off oil? Why not do something simpler than building stills everywhere: just ban cars! Vauban, Germany, has!
8. Also on getting us off oil: individual homeowners may lead the way in creating more solar power-generating capacity. Now if we could just get the big power utility corporations out of our way....

Dang this Internet for giving us so much interesting stuff to read!

July Unemployment Down in Lake County...

...workers simply disappear?

Good news—I think—from the South Dakota Department of Labor: Lake County's unemployment rate dropped back down to 6.2% in July. That erases the bad jump to 7.6% we had in June and then some.

But that figure is still double our 2008 average of 3.1%. That figure also appears to be the result not of businesses hiring Lake County residents, but of Lake County workers punting. Lake County actually lost 15 jobs in July, but 125 people left the labor force, resulting in a net decline in the raw number of unemployed folks of 110.

Meanwhile, neighboring Brookings County saw unemployment drop just a tick, from 3.8% to 3.7%, still higher than it's been since 2002. At this rate, we might catch up with Brookings in a couple months! But let's try doing it by adding jobs, not sending workers away.

R. Blake Curd: 2.2 Times Phonier Than Heidepriem?

Anonymi do have some use.

Dakota War College and slime-meister Lucas Lentsch of the SDGOP have had some fun criticizing Democratic gubernatorial candidate Scott Heidepriem for having a nice big house (asking price $1.275 million).

By that tack, it looks like Republican R. Blake Curd is out of the running for any high office in 2010. Just as Pat Powers attempts to puff up the health care histrionicist to run for Congress (puffed cheese curds, anyone?), a commenter notes that Curd's house is up for sale:

10,056 square feet and turrets, all yours for $2.8 million. Boy, sell that, and you won't need any campaign donations.

Let's see, that price would make R. Blake Curd what... the phoniest tea-bagger in South Dakota?

--------------------
Update 2009.10.05: Well, running for House must sell houses: now that R. Blake Curd has declared his candidacy for U.S. House, his turreted castle is no longer listed on the realty pages. You can look at the old version of the page archived in the Google cache. And just so you know I wasn't blowing smoke, here are some screen shots of the original listing (click each to enlarge). Darn nice house! Funny, though: no tea room.

Munsterman: Fill Deficit by Cutting Bureaucracy

For the record: My fiscal questions to South Dakota gubernatorial candidate Scott Munsterman, and his reply:

[CAH]: Where would he have found the $71 million dollars to plug this year's state budget shortfall without accepting federal stimulus dollars? How does he suggest we reduce the state budget so we can send our share of spirit-sapping federal stimulus dollars back in FY2011? And what actions does Candidate Munsterman propose to fill the fiscal chasm that will yawn open again during the first year of the next gubernatorial administration when the stimulus runs out?

[Munsterman, with my emphasis]: All of these questions strike to the core issue – where do we go from here to correct our budget problem? It is time we brought our budget back to zero and prioritize our role for state government. Where would I have found the money to fill the hole last year, this year and for 2011? Within the operation of state government. Fiscal Leadership sets boundaries to the budget. We have significantly expanded the size of state government while not experiencing the same increase in the level of service. In a Munsterman administration the state budget will be based upon realistic revenue projections and the return of fiscal discipline to expenditures. As Governor I will veto any budget that use reserves to fund ongoing programs and which do not coincide with our core goals to move this state forward in a responsible manner. The state has experienced mission drift. We have significant problems funding basic services while at the same time we are expanding services offered. We need to move the state back to a position of financial strength where we adequately fund necessary productive programs, cut the waste in programs that are not producing, and keep taxes low to stimulate economic growth. This is essential in positioning the state for future success. This is established by:

1. Set a realistic revenue projection for the state. I would have begun with 2007 actual revenue numbers for the 2009 budgeted projections.
2. Set a policy regarding one time use of funds. Reserves cannot be used towards ongoing expense in operations. This is absolutely fundamental and essential to budgeting.
3. Develop benchmarks and measure performance of departments and their programs. We need to be able to make good decisions based upon good data.
   1. Expenses must be brought into line with budgeted revenue.
      
   2. The rate of growth of government must not exceed the rate of growth of the economy.
   3. Here is a history of our expenditure in the Department of Executive Management (for example):

Jobs in Governor's Office and Bureaus of Finance and Management, Administration, Information and Telecommunications, and Personnel 2006–2009
Full Time Employee Growth	FTE	% increase
2006	654.8
2007	659.3	0.69%
2008	674.3	2.28%
2009	689.3	2.22%
Total Increase in FTEs	34.5	5.27%

----------------------------------------------

South Dakota State Budget
% Increase		Total	B of Admin	B of Inf/Tech
	2006	$ 110,144,926	$ 34,633,874	$ 43,968,915
0.54%	2007	$ 110,735,613	$ 35,230,020	$ 44,913,335
4.88%	2008	$ 116,135,177	$ 36,809,115	$ 45,738,479
16.26%	2009	$ 135,020,308	$ 39,494,251	$ 60,990,737

[Note: all dollar values come from Scott Munsterman; I refigured percentage calculations on my spreadsheet. Rows were misaligned in the spreadsheet Munsterman sent me, so final numbers may vary from those distributed by Munsterman in other communications.]

Our state government has grown close to 1400 jobs in the last 7 years. Some of those are research related and in my opinion necessary for economic development. And yet it is hard to justify the growth in light of the small growth in our overall population. State programs/departments would get a close review of performance. Develop strategies to lower expenses. Do a full review of government programs using a performance based system instead of spending all the money we have and all of the reserves. We need to focus on results and developing “best practices” within programs and department functions. Cuts will have to be made based upon priorities. Not all of these cuts will be popular, but we need to place our resources in programs that work.

I am the only candidate who has a track record to make this happen. Please read my Budget chapter in A Vision for South Dakota. Thanks again! [Scott Munsterman, e-mail to Madville Times, 2009.08.30]

I'm brewing my own commentary, but what do you think? How well did candidate Munsterman answer the question and offer a roadmap for fiscal independence from Uncle Sam?

Black Is White: Sibby Shows Cash for Clunkers Has No Negative Impact on Donations

Steve Sibson and I have picnicked together twice this summer. We played the bad kids in class at Saturday's Glenn Beck picnic, distracting ourselves with small asides on what we were hearing.

But our positive personal interaction does not change my opinion that Mr. Sibson has a bad tendency to hear what he wants rather than what is. His post this morning about Cash for Clunkers is a stunning example of Sibby's disconnect from logic and reality.

Sibby's headline: "What Cash for Clunkers Is Destroying." His tag line: "It is obvious that Cash for Clunkers are destroying donations like these."

He then copies and pastes this KSFY article about the Wheels to Work program in its entirety (Sibby! Learn to use blockquote!). I expect the KSFY article to perform the normal function of evidence and support Sibby's argument. Silly me.

Among other things, Cliff Chandler's report says...

• "While [Wheels to Work] has been operating in the Sioux Empire for 15 years, the only started to take off within the past month"... the same month Cash for Clunkers was in effect.
• "Suzanne 'Lynn' Cheesman said, 'We set a goal of ten cars. We know it's a big item to donate and we're blown away.' Tires, Tires, Tires offered to fix the donations up, making sure they're safe for the road. Since the first of the month, more than 30 cars have been dropped off."
• "'So we're going to have enough cars to cover enough people on our waiting list and to help people in the future,' said Karen Hattervig of Wheels to Work."

The KSFY report Sibby cites says not one word about Cash for Clunkers. It says not one word about Wheels for Work or any other auto donation program suffering. As a matter of fact, it says the exact opposite, that Wheels for Work is enjoying unprecedented success in Sioux Falls.

There's plenty of legitimate ground on which to argue the merits of Cash for Clunkers. But Sibby's post this morning is illogical and irresponsible. I like Steve, but he needs to take his head out of his bucket and listen to what the people he cites are actually saying.

ThePostSD.com Launches!

The Argus is toast.


My friend Scott Meyer and his brother John are building the newest news source in eastern South Dakota. Heather Mangan steps up from personal blogging to editor-in-chiefship of this brave new venture. She explains just what ThePostSD.com is:



Sounds like fun. Go get 'em, Post!

Munsterman Timeline: Evolution of a Question

South Dakota gubernatorial candidate Scott Munsterman has graciously replied to a question I posed here on the Madville Times last week. To review:

• Friday, August 21: Munsterman posts to his blog a quick little rah-rah note about the need for fiscal leadership in government. Specifically he bemoans our reliance this year on $71 million of federal stimulus money to fill our state budget hole. "Crawling on our knees when times get bad is not a good sign of a healthy, fiscally responsible state that budgets for the future," says Munsterman. (Perhaps, although if you've been knocked on your can, you might have to crawl a step or two and reach for a hand to help you up... but that's a different argument.)
• Monday, August 24: I wonder aloud just which $71-million worth of programs Munsterman would cut to close that gap and wean us of federal dependency. (Oh, that Cory, always niggling over details....)
• Same day: Munsterman campaign manager Pat Powers leaves a comment saying I should call the candidate myself with that question. PP says I should also prepare a list of other questions, to make the call worthwhile for all participants.
• Tuesday, August 25: In another victory for citizen journalism, frequent commenter Stan Gibilisco takes PP up on the offer and calls Munsterman himself. Stan learns from Munsterman that the candidate is unequivocaly against any sort of income tax in South Dakota (there goes one deficit plugger) and that he thinks education needs to run more like a business (putting my humanities hackles on alert).
• Sunday, August 30: PP e-mails his invitation to call the candidate with questions to the entire South Dakota political blogosphere. I appreciate this outreach to the non-mainstream media (perhaps we can call ourselves the woodshed of the Fourth Estate?). Nonetheless, I issue a grumpy Reply-All saying, essentially, "Just answer the dang question!"
• Same day: Munsterman answers the dang question, by e-mail. He also leaves me a nice message on the phone while I'm away in Sioux Falls discussing further digital revolution.
  
• Monday, August 31: A couple other bloggers (Bob Mercer, Bill Fleming) find my response amusing.

So what did Munsterman say... and do I buy it? This post is already long enough... and I'm still trying to reformat the table Munsterman included, so stay tuned!