RAPID CITY, S.D. -- As the energy bill winds its way from the House to the Senate, opposition to the package has been solid in South Dakota.
Sen. John Thune is strongly opposed to House version of the bill. And in the House itself, Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin voted against her own party when she joined only 43 other Democrats in opposition. There has been a public outcry against the bill and major corporations have cautioned that, if passed, it likely will mean increased utility costs for consumers.
Despite those efforts, the bill narrowly passed the House and now is before the Senate.
While the end goal of the bill might have merit, it's a rushed piece of legislation that could have a serious impact on the people of South Dakota mainly in the form of higher utility bills.
What's proposed is a major reduction in greenhouse gases through a cap-and-trade program that allows the sale and purchase of pollution permits. Some states will be winners under the proposal, but others like coal-dependent South Dakota could end up paying the price.
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The people of South Dakota have little interest in the bill.
Despite that, Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson hasn't made a decision how he intends to vote on the energy proposal. Granted, the House version won't stand as is in the Senate. Yet, we'd encourage the senator to listen to the people and organizations of South Dakota and state his opposition to the bill.
We understand Johnson is under great pressure from the Democratic party, from the president down, to support this proposal -- one of the president's priorities.
It's an interesting position the senator has found himself in: Vote with the party or for the people of South Dakota?
We don't envy Johnson that decision, but we see an easy solution: Support the wishes of the state, not the party, on energy legislation.
