Rep. John Thune (R): Dirty Dozen 2002
South Dakota Senate

2001 LCV environmental rating = 0 percent 

 Lifetime LCV rating = 11 percent

 

View John Thune's Race At A Glance page.

In his three terms representing South Dakota in the United States House of Representatives, John Thune has failed to protect the health of South Dakota's environment and South Dakota's citizens.

Thune has earned a failing grade on the League of Conservation Voters National Environmental Scorecard every year that he has served in Congress and has a lifetime LCV rating of only 11 percent.

Failing to Protect South Dakota's Drinking Water
According to the National Academy of Sciences, arsenic in drinking water can cause cancer and reproductive problems.  In 2000 the Environmental Protection Agency issued a new, more protective standard for arsenic in drinking water; in March 2002 the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources found that 13 of the state's drinking water systems do not meet the new standard.  Yet in both 2001 and in 2000, Thune voted to allow more arsenic in drinking water.  

More than three-quarters of South Dakotans get their drinking water from groundwater sources and although the quality of that water is generally adequate, some problems do exist.  For example, the Big Sioux aquifer in the eastern portion of the state supplies about one-third of the state's drinking water and isolated cases of nitrate contamination had been documented�g with about 80 cases of �e baby disease,�potentially life-threatening infant disease caused by drinking water contaminated with nitrates.  One of the solutions identified for this problem was better management of livestock manure.  South Dakota ranks 8th in the U.S. for cattle waste production and 9th in the U.S. for hog waste production.  However, in 2001 John Thune opposed an amendment to the farm bill that would have brought more money to South Dakota farmers to install better manure management systems and improve water quality in the state. 

Failing to Clean Up South Dakota's Rivers and Lakes
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 161 of South Dakota's waters are considered impaired, with water that may not be safe for fishing, swimming or drinking.  This includes 64% of the state's rivers and streams and 84% of its lakes.  Soil erosion from farms and developed land is the most common problem for the state's streams and rivers; fertilizer, pesticide and manure runoff and soil erosion are the most common lake pollutants in the state.  

In 2001, Representative Thune voted against legislation to expand the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, which helps farmers to reduce their discharge of manure and improve water quality.  In addition, Thune has opposed the Environmental Protection Agency's efforts to reduce polluted runoff in South Dakota and other states.

Supporting Dirty Energy
South Dakota is very dependent upon polluting fossil fuels like coal for its energy needs: coal power plants, which emit smog-forming nitrogen oxide and toxic mercury, supply 34% of the state's electricity.  However, South Dakota has the potential to generate 465,500 megawatts of electricity from wind power�ly 150 times its current electricity needs.  If the federal government were to adopt a standard requiring that 20 percent of all electricity come from renewable sources, benefits to the South Dakota economy over the next 20 years could include: $544 million in new capital investment; $34 million in new property tax revenues; and $11 million in lease payments to farmers and ranchers whose land is used for wind production.  

In 2001, Thune voted for energy legislation to increase our dependence on energy from polluting sources such as coal and do little to promote clean renewable energy sources like wind.  Thune also voted against more funding for renewable energy research and development.

The State
South Dakota is historically a farming state, but as the state experienced a steady migration into its cities in the 1990s, finance (Citibank), computers (Gateway), and health care have taken over as the primary industries.  In the sparsely populated and more politically conservative western part of the state, ranching, mining, and tourism are the principal industries.  South Dakota has one of the nation's largest populations of Native Americans, most of whom live on reservations in the central part of the state.  Registered Republicans outnumber Democrats in the state, and South Dakotans have supported the Republican presidential candidate in all but three elections in the past century.  George Bush received 60 percent of the state's popular vote in 2000.

Thune's opponent, incumbent Senator Tim Johnson (D), was first elected to the Senate in 1996 with 52 percent of the vote�ating then-incumbent Larry Pressler, a member of LCV's 1996 Dirty Dozen.  Both John Thune and Senator Johnson currently represent the entire state, both are popular, and both have relevant committee assignments in tune with the state's needs.  Each has powerful backing: Johnson from Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, and Thune from the White House.  This race is seen as a toss up, and a voter survey conducted in late April has the candidates dead even, with Johnson polling at 42 percent and Thune at 46 percent.