Pipeline company makes donations

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HURON – Dakota Access Pipeline LLC has donated $20,000 to each emergency management agency across South Dakota counties through which the pipeline travels, for a total of $260,000.
Checks were presented to the counties of Beadle, Miner, Kingsbury, Spink, Faulk, Edmunds, McPherson, Campbell, Lake, McCook, Minnehaha, Turner and Lincoln.
Dakota Access will make similar donations to county emergency management agencies across its four state route, totaling $1 million across 50 counties in the Dakotas, Iowa and Illinois.
“This donation will be greatly appreciated by all six of our volunteer fire departments,” said Taylor Jans, Beadle County emergency management director. “Each department will be able to use the funds based on their specific needs.”
“We appreciate that Dakota Access Pipeline cares about maintaining their relationships in each county,” said Larry Tebben, emergency management coordinator for Spink County.

“We plan to split the donation funds between the Tulare and Redfield rural volunteer fire departments and our emergency management agency,” he said.
He said the plan is to buy new radios, personal equipment and thermal imaging equipment for the county’s drone.
Kingsbury County has six fire departments that will all benefit from the donation, said Cindy Bau, emergency management director.
“We may use the funds to upgrade their communications equipment or to purchase a different system for the county’s cascade (air compressor) trailer,” she said.
Kent Terwilliger, Miner County emergency management coordinator, said the funds will be used to upgrade the digital radio systems for the county’s four fire departments and emergency management agency.
“Donations like this make a big difference for public safety,” he said.
Dakota Access Pipeline traverses about 101 miles through Spink, Beadle, Kingsbury and Miner counties.
The company made a similar donation of $1 million to county emergency management agencies after it went into service in 2017.