Liberty Rising: The Plan to End Property May 10th 4pm

Explaining SB 49

🏡 Explaining SB 49: South Dakota’s Eminent Domain Ban and Its Impact

🏛️ SEAL SD Highlights a Win for Property Rights and Liberty

At SealSD.com, we’re dedicated to advancing liberty through the Core GRT Plan—part of the Maximum Liberty Plan (Plan 2)—which replaces all state taxes with a single 5% Gross Receipts Tax (GRT), generating $3.6 billion and saving you $3,000–$5,000 annually by eliminating property taxes. On April 22, 2025, the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) denied Summit Carbon Solutions’ permit for a carbon capture pipeline, a decision influenced by South Dakota Senate Bill 49 (SB 49) of 2025, which prohibits the use of eminent domain for such projects (Web ID: 0, Web ID: 13). This victory protects property rights, a core principle of liberty in South Dakota, and aligns with our mission to reduce government overreach. This page explains SB 49 (2025), its role in the Summit denial, and how it supports the state’s liberty-focused values, clarifying its distinction from the 2019 SB 49 and drawing on our prior discussions about property rights and lobbying concerns (Page 43: Deep Dive: The Founding Fathers on Property Rights, Freedom, and Eminent Domain; Page 45: Deep Dive: Summit Carbon Pipeline, Lobbying, Corruption, and Liberty in South Dakota).

📜 What Is SB 49 (2025)? A Shield for Property Rights

South Dakota Senate Bill 49 (SB 49) of 2025 is a landmark law that prohibits the use of eminent domain for the construction of certain facilities, specifically targeting projects like Summit Carbon Solutions’ carbon capture pipeline, which threatened to seize private land for corporate gain:

  • Purpose and Passage: SB 49 prohibits companies from using eminent domain to build facilities such as carbon capture pipelines, ensuring landowners are not forced to surrender their property against their will. The bill was signed into law by Governor Larry Rhoden in March 2025, reflecting South Dakota’s commitment to protecting property rights (Web ID: 13, Post ID: 4).
  • Role in Summit’s Denial: On April 22, 2025, the PUC denied Summit’s permit with a 2-1 vote, citing an “incomplete” application and directing the company to rework its route to satisfy landowners (Web ID: 0). SB 49’s ban on eminent domain was a key factor, as Summit had relied on this practice to access land, filing over 80 lawsuits against South Dakota landowners in 2023 (Web ID: 2, Post ID: 1).
  • Clarification on SB 49 (2019): Note that an earlier SB 49 in 2019 aimed to restrict transgender student athletes’ participation in sports based on their birth certificate gender, but it was deferred and effectively killed by the Senate Education Committee (Web ID: 2, Web ID: 7, Web ID: 23). The 2025 SB 49 is a distinct bill focused on property rights, not related to the 2019 legislation.

Analogy for Clarity: SB 49 (2025) is like a picnic fence—it stops sneaky picnic planners from taking your picnic tent for their picnic pipe, protecting your picnic space just like South Dakota protects your land!

🏚️ Eminent Domain and Liberty: Why SB 49 Matters

SB 49 upholds South Dakota’s liberty-focused values by protecting property rights against eminent domain abuses, a practice the Founding Fathers opposed as a threat to freedom:

  • Founders’ Skepticism: The Founding Fathers, like Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, were wary of eminent domain, believing it could undermine property rights if used for private gain rather than public use with just compensation, as required by the Fifth Amendment (Page 43: Deep Dive: The Founding Fathers on Property Rights, Freedom, and Eminent Domain). Summit’s pipeline, benefiting private ethanol producers, mirrors abuses like the 2005 Kelo v. City of New London case, where homes were seized for private development (Web ID: 2, Page 43: Deep Dive: The Founding Fathers on Property Rights, Freedom, and Eminent Domain).
  • South Dakota’s Stance: South Dakota’s 2025 eminent domain ban, enacted through SB 49, reflects the state’s commitment to liberty, ensuring landowners aren’t coerced into giving up their property. Governor Rhoden called the PUC’s denial an “opportunity to reset,” emphasizing decisions that prioritize South Dakotans over corporate interests (Web ID: 13).
  • Core GRT Plan Alignment: The Core GRT Plan aligns with this liberty-focused ethos by eliminating property taxes, saving $1.6 billion state-wide and reducing financial pressures that make landowners vulnerable to eminent domain (Page 10: How It Affects the Average Homeowner). Both SB 49 and the Core GRT Plan protect your property rights, ensuring you can maintain ownership without government or corporate overreach (Page 42: Deep Dive: Property Rights and the Core GRT Plan).

Analogy for Clarity: The Founders didn’t want picnic planners stealing your picnic tent for their friends’ picnic shops—SB 49 and the Core GRT Plan say “No!” by stopping picnic eminent domain and clearing $1.6 billion in picnic fees, keeping your picnic tent free and yours!

🕵️ Corporate Influence: A Clash with South Dakota Values

Summit’s pipeline project, despite its environmental claims, appears to prioritize corporate interests over South Dakotans’ liberty, highlighting a clash with the state’s values:

  • Corporate Agenda: Summit Carbon Solutions, backed by ethanol producers and investors, aimed to profit from carbon capture credits and an expanded ethanol market, often at the expense of landowners (Web ID: 0). Posts on X describe the project as a “green new deal carbon sequestration pipeline boondoggle,” suggesting it benefits corporate elites over local communities (Post ID: 0).
  • Eminent Domain Overreach: Summit’s reliance on eminent domain—filing over 80 lawsuits against landowners—threatened family farms held for generations, a direct assault on property rights that South Dakota’s liberty-focused values reject (Post ID: 1, Web ID: 2). This echoes the Founders’ belief that “property must be secured, or liberty cannot exist” (John Adams, 1787) (Page 43: Deep Dive: The Founding Fathers on Property Rights, Freedom, and Eminent Domain).
  • South Dakota’s Resistance: The PUC’s denial, influenced by SB 49, shows South Dakota prioritizing individual liberty over corporate gain, a value the Core GRT Plan reinforces by eliminating property taxes and empowering citizens to resist overreach (Page 45: Deep Dive: Summit Carbon Pipeline, Lobbying, Corruption, and Liberty in South Dakota).

Analogy for Clarity: Summit wanted to take your picnic tent for their picnic pipe profits, but South Dakota’s picnic liberty rules—backed by SB 49 and the Core GRT Plan—say your picnic tent stays yours, not theirs!

💡 Why It Matters: Liberty Over Corporate Control

South Dakota Senate Bill 49 (2025) is a powerful shield for property rights, prohibiting eminent domain for projects like Summit’s pipeline and ensuring landowners aren’t forced to surrender their land. The PUC’s denial of Summit’s permit on April 22, 2025, reflects South Dakota’s commitment to liberty, prioritizing individual freedom over corporate interests that threaten property rights (Web ID: 0, Web ID: 13). This aligns with the Core GRT Plan’s mission to eliminate property taxes, saving $1.6 billion state-wide and protecting your property from financial coercion, upholding the Founders’ vision of secure property as essential to liberty (Page 43: Deep Dive: The Founding Fathers on Property Rights, Freedom, and Eminent Domain). By rejecting corporate overreach, South Dakota sets a precedent for liberty-focused governance, ensuring your property and financial freedom are defended against those who seek to control through eminent domain or taxation.

Analogy for Clarity: SB 49 is a picnic hero, stopping Summit from taking your picnic tent, while the Core GRT Plan clears $1.6 billion in picnic fees—together, they keep South Dakota’s picnic free, honoring the Founders’ picnic liberty dream!

🚀 Join the Movement

Got more questions? We’re here to help. Join the movement to learn more, volunteer, and help secure tax freedom for every South Dakotan. Your voice can make a difference.

👉 Join the Movement Now →
Your voice. Your state. Your moment. Get involved today.

📂 Learn More

📅 Freedom Feast — May 10, 2025 | 4:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M.
📍 First Assembly of God, Rapid City, SD — 💲 $9 Meal — RSVP Now!
Seal SD - is powered by everyday South Dakotans