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January jobs report: Unemployment rate falls to 4%, wages rise more than forecast; Trump signs order imposing sanctions on International Criminal Court over investigations of Israel; Ten Commandments in public schools debate reaches South Dakota; Virginia ranks among worst states for wage theft; Mexican long-nosed bat makes appearance in Arizona.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi strikes a Trump tone at the Justice Department, federal workers get more time to consider buyouts, and an unclassified email request from the White House worries CIA vets.

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During Black History Month, a new book shares how a unique partnership built 5,000 schools for Black students, anti-hunger advocates say ag communities would benefit from an expanded SNAP program, and Americans have $90 billion in unpaid medical bills.

Weak protections for SD wetlands could lead to more flood damage

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Wednesday, December 11, 2024   

Wetlands protect against floods, like those some in eastern South Dakota experienced this June and researchers warned the growing presence of factory farms in the Midwest makes it harder to shield the state's natural resources.

A new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists said 30 million acres of wetlands in the Upper Midwest are at risk of destruction by industrial agriculture and other heavy industries. The authors said the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to strip some federal wetlands protections accelerates the potential loss.

Travis Entenman, managing director of Friends of the Big Sioux River, said action or inaction now will affect the outcomes in future high flood years.

"What we do on our landscape will directly impact the damage and the severity of those floods on our private properties, on our farm fields and our businesses and our urban settings," Entenman outlined.

Entenman pointed out South Dakota has no policies in place to protect wetlands and the state will be threatened by weaker federal ones. The report noted the pending Farm Bill could present opportunities to bolster existing conservation programs.

Wetlands can capture and slow floodwaters threatening homes.

Stacy Woods, food and environment research director for the Union of Concerned Scientists, said they provide other services, too.

"They're often called 'nature's kidneys,' because they provide such a service in cleaning our waterways," Woods explained. "But when we dump so much pesticide and fertilizer, and other pollutants onto our fields, that can run off into these wetlands and really impact the wetlands' ability to clean our water."

Researchers say one acre of wetlands provides $745 in flood mitigation benefits to residential homes. Without wetlands, they said homeowners and taxpayers absorb the costs through the National Flood Insurance Program.


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