Looking Forward
South Dakota has accomplished a great deal in the last five years, but our work is far from done. Dusty has a clear vision for our state’s future and is looking forward to another six-year opportunity to help make that vision a reality. Renewable energy and high-speed Internet access have the potential to transform the rural parts of our state, and Dusty wants to be a part of that transition.
- Energy development is a growth industry for South Dakota. We have among the strongest wind resources in the nation and a citizenry that is largely supportive of new development. At the state level we have reduced taxes, removed regulatory barriers, approved needed transmission lines, and encouraged responsible development. That has worked, but to make the leap to the next level, regional and barriers must be removed. In the next term, Dusty will step up the PUC’s regional planning efforts and become a more strident advocate for changing the federal cost allocation rules that hold back South Dakota wind power.
- Energy efficiency is our best source of future power. When done properly, efficiency can be significantly cheaper than new generation. South Dakota is not yet embracing all forms of cost-effective energy efficiency and there is room for improvement with utility programs, building codes, and tools available to consumers. Efficiency will be a major focus of Dusty’s next six years on the Commission. We may not be able to control the global price of energy, but we can empower families and businesses to use less of that energy.
- High-speed Internet has changed our world. When Dusty graduated from high school he had never been on the World Wide Web and had never sent an email. Now, those tools are an invaluable part of every day for most of us in South Dakota. Our state has been lucky to have a number of providers investing substantial capital into our rural areas. Our nationally policy is not as supportive of high-speed Internet as it needs to be, and Dusty will be a strident advocate for investment in rural telecommunications infrastructure.
- Protecting consumers and producers is all-important. If the PUC isn’t fighting for lower utility bills, fair treatment of consumers, and prudent grain storage and purchasing, who is? Dusty is personally involved on a regular basis with the activities of the PUC’s consumer affairs division and grain inspection division. The practices of those operations have been improved in recent years and Dusty will work to expand the public outreach and education efforts of these divisions over the next several years.
- Environmental protection has become a larger and larger part of the PUC as permits for wind farms, pipelines, transmission lines, and power plants have increased. The PUC has always been focused on the environment through its pipeline safety program. That is one area where the PUC has quietly made great strides in recent years. In the next several years we will continue to improve our rules, practices, and procedures.
- Cell phone service has improved so much in recent years that too many forget that there are still many rural areas without adequate service. Dusty is adamant that the job is not done until we have near ubiquitous wireless voice and data coverage across South Dakota. Our state is a small portion of the service territory of carriers like Verizon and Alltel and our state needs a strong voice that will keep South Dakota concerns on the front burner. We also need commissioners willing to work with wireless carriers and communities in making sure the best coverage is deployed and Dusty has had success doing just that.
- Energy policy is something that our federal government often gets wrong. Dusty has been a nationally-recognized advocate for smart energy policy. He believes in a greener-energy future, but also in not forgetting about the ratepayer impact of making hasty or imprudent decisions as we move down that path. Dusty believes the best energy portfolio is a broad one that utilizes all energy sources, including renewables, energy efficiency, nuclear, clear coal, hydroelectric, and natural gas. We need even greater investment in research and technology so that the transition to a new energy economy can be made through innovation and prosperity, rather than through hardship and sacrifice.