KOTA Territory NewsMany Harding County business owners behind pipeline project

Many Harding County business owners behind pipeline project

Matt Hunter

Norman Negaard, owner of a hardware store on Buffalo's Main Street, has heard it all before, only to be left disappointed when plans never materialized.

"They say they're going to bring in a lot of money into the community, they're going to bring a lot of extra people and that and the next thing, they end up in Belle Fourche or Bowman," Negaard said.

That's why he's skeptical of TransCanada's plan to construct a crude oil pipeline from Canada to the Gulf Coast, that would cross nine South Dakota counties, including Harding County.

"It would be great, if we could increase the economy like that," said Negaard, who thinks it's unlikely the construction will benefit the local economy as much as TransCanada reps are saying.  "We'll have to wait and see what takes place."

Reps from TransCanada, who are testifying before the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission this week in Pierre, say construction of the pipeline will create as many as 1,500 temporary construction jobs in the area, providing a boost to a local economy that could use one.

"We'll have the impact on the restaurants, the gas stations, you know, all of our businesses, the grocery stores," Harding County Auditor Kathy Glines said.  "We'll see impact from every direction, from repairs to vehicles to just buying food to feed them with."

It's estimated TransCanada would also have to pay more than $10-million in local property taxes in the state. All that is more than enough reason for local business owners to get behind it.

"We don't have a lot of industry in this part of the world, other than some oil and agriculture," said Ron Floyd, who owns a construction company and ranch in Harding County.  "So I think this is a boon that we need to get behind and push."

"As long as it's handled correctly, I feel that it would be a positive impact for our community, for our county and for our schools," massage parlor owner Linnette Stugelmeyer said.