South Dakota Senate Approves Bill for Hydrogen Pipeline Permits, Awaiting Governor’s Signature for Finalization.

South Dakota Senate has approved House Bill 1034, which mandates the permitting of hydrogen pipelines by the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission (PUC), a crucial moment in the state’s regulatory approach to emerging energy technologies. The bill passed a decisive 27-5 vote in the Senate, demonstrating a bipartisan consensus on the need for regulatory oversight in the field of hydrogen transmission. It is now awaiting Governor Kristi Noem’s signature to be enacted into law. The move comes at a time when interest in green hydrogen development has surged due to initiatives such as the Biden Administration’s promotion of “hydrogen hubs” like the Heartland Hydrogen Hub (HH2H), a collaborative effort involving the University of North Dakota’s Energy & Environmental Research Center, Marathon Petroleum Corporation, TC Energy, and Xcel Energy.