April 25, 2017 • Page 2 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com Undoing The Obama Legacy Of ‘Government Knows Best’ By Sen. Mike Rounds It has been three months since President Trump took office with a Republican-led Congress in place ready to help him advance policies that grow our economy and allow hardworking Americans to keep more of their paycheck each month. Almost immediately, we have been delivering on that promise by undoing a number of Obama-era regulations, regulations that take much-needed capital away from families and small businesses. Under the Congressional Review Act, the Senate has passed 13 resolutions undoing Obama-era regulations. The savings that come from undoing these regulations, combined with the president’s executive actions and formal rule delays, will save Americans more than $65 billion total in regulatory compliance costs and roughly 52 million hours of paperwork annually, according to the American Action Forum. For example, we have been able to reverse the Obama administration’s education mandate, which would have imposed federal education standards on how to assess schools at the state and local level. We also stopped an Obama regulation that would have imposed burdensome new restrictions on internet service providers that did nothing to increase privacy protections for consumers. In all, the Senate has passed 13 bills undoing Obama-era regulations under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), an important oversight tool that allows Congress to undo federal regulations issued by unelected bureaucrats at federal agencies. We expect to use the Congressional Review Act to undo even more regulations in the near future, further delivering on our promise to provide regulatory relief to the American people, who are currently saddled with $1.9 trillion in regulatory compliance costs each year. The Trump administration has also been busy using the tools available to it to undo burdensome regulations. It put a halt to the overreaching Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule, requiring the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps to review the WOTUS rule to make certain it promotes economic growth and minimizes regulatory uncertainty. This is a victory for South Dakota farmers, ranchers and landowners who would otherwise be forced to spend countless hours filling out paperwork to get permits from the EPA and Army Corps just to conduct normal agricultural activities or spray for weeds along our county roads. The administration was also able to stop the Obama administration’s costly Clean Power Plan, which would have required states to completely rework their electric grids and led to dramatically higher electricity bills for every single American in the country. It also reversed a harmful regulation known as the “fiduciary rule” that would have negatively impacted South Dakotans saving for retirement by limiting the availability of retirement investment advice. I’m the first to admit that not all rules are bad – some rules are necessary for government to operate in an orderly fashion and to keep Americans safe. But too much regulation is costly and stifles innovation. Under the eight years of the Obama administration, Americans saw an unprecedented amount of new rules and regulations issued by unelected, unaccountable Washington bureaucrats. In 2016 alone, the last year he was in office, the federal register which prints all the new rules being promulgated surpassed 97,000 pages, by far an all-time record. This is unacceptable and unsustainable. At the end of the day, overregulation hurts families the most because they are the ones forced to pay more for goods and services. As the 115th Congress moves forward, I will continue working with my colleagues on ways to provide regulatory relief for South Dakota families and businesses. USDA Seeks Applications To Support Rural Businesses And Create Jobs U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Acting State Director Bruce Jones has announced the agency is accepting applications for the Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) program. “This grant promotes long-term economic growth and community vitality in rural areas,” said Jones. “We encourage non-profits, tribes and public agencies to apply.” The Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) is designed to assist with startup and expansion of small and emerging private businesses and/or nonprofits in rural communities. Eligible applicants include public bodies, government entities, Indian tribes, and non-profit organizations. Funds can be used for business incubators, leadership and entrepreneur training, acquisition or development of land or buildings, capitalization of revolving loan funds to be re-lent to local businesses and many other purposes – all to assist small businesses. For example in 2015, Brookings Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) leveraged their own funds with RBDG funds towards workforce education efforts with the South Dakota Education Campus (SDEC) located in Brookings. SDEC works closely with Brookings businesses and provides training in the areas needed by those businesses. In some cases, they have individuals who want to learn a new skill so they can get a job or develop new skill sets that will support their career development. Examples of training provided include CNAs, welders, and carpenters, as well as classes in Quicken, Excel, and other computer programs. Their emphasis is in STEM, and have worked with MN West Community College in Granite Falls, MN as well as the Brookings School District. In 2015, BEDC also leveraged their own funds with RBDG funds towards the Brookings community entrepreneurship growth strategy that they titled Makerspace. The Brookings Area Makerspace provides affordable access to unique space and specialized equipment in several areas. Categories include wood shop, kitchen area, industrial sewing machine, 3-D printer, electronics bench, welder, CNC router table, laser engraver, plus more. The Makerspace is intended to be used by entrepreneurs, artists, makers, and hobbyists to collaborate on projects and experiment on innovate ideas – to encourage learning and entrepreneurship. Funds have been set aside nationally to assist Native Americans, and additional monies will be allotted among the states for non-set aside applicants. All grants will be awarded competitively, based on several areas including: • Evidence showing job creation to occur with local businesses; • Percent of nonfederal funding committed to the project; • Economic need in the area to be served; • Consistency with local economic development priorities; and • Experience of the grantee with similar efforts. Complete applications must be received by USDA Rural Development at the South Dakota state office no later than 4:30 p.m. on Friday, April 28. If you are planning to submit an application in South Dakota, we encourage you to contact a local Business & Cooperative Program Specialist or the State Office for more details about the application requirements and process. Local contacts include: Dana Kleinsasser, Rural Business & Cooperative Programs Director (Huron State Office) Phone: (605) 352-1142 Email: dana.kleinsasser@sd.usda.gov Cayla Hilbrands, Assistant (Huron State Office) Phone: (605) 352-1137 Email: cayla.hilbrands@sd.usda.gov Jolene Pravecek, Specialist (Yankton) Phone: (605) 655-3516 Email: jolene.pravecek@sd.usda.gov Earth Day: A Time To Celebrate SD’s Farmers And Ranchers By Gov. Dennis Daugaard men’s Association, South Dakota Grassland Coalition and Sand County Foundation bestow the Leopold Conservation Award® upon a farming or ranching family for outstanding natural resources conservation leadership. The award is named for conservationist Aldo Leopold. This year’s Leopold Conservation Award recipients are Herb and Bev. They demonstrate their deeply-held conservation ethic by taking voluntary action to improve the health of the land and habitat that sustains wildlife. The Hamanns have developed diverse native vegetation on the land, and they graze their cattle in a manner that considers ecological impacts to accommodate wildlife needs at critical times, such as nesting. No one understands the importance of being good stewards of the land better than our farmers and ranchers. Their livelihoods depend on it. Because the vast majority of land in our state is privately owned, conservation efforts employed by those in agriculture are integral to the quality of our natural resources. I thank the Hamanns as well as every farmer and rancher who is committed to improving the natural resources in their care. Their efforts ensure the preservation of our natural resources for generations to come. In 1973, a woman by the name of Beverly Gabriel decided to leave her profession to get back to her roots. She had received a teaching degree from Black Hills State University a few years earlier and had taught in Rapid City and Wyoming. Her parents were growing older and it was becoming difficult for them to manage their two operations in separate parts of the state. When Bev’s father approached her about managing Blue Bell Ranch near Clear Lake, she readily accepted. The year Bev took over Blue Bell Ranch she met Herb Hamann, who was out deer hunting with his brother. Herb saw Bev standing near the gate to her property and his brother introduced the two of them. Two years later, the couple married and began to jointly run Blue Bell. Today, Bev and Herb continue to operate Blue Bell Ranch with the help of their children Breck and Arla. They’ve multiplied their land operation by almost eight times and they’re regarded by their friends and neighbors as being honest in their business dealings. The Hamanns are also known for their conservation practices. 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