{"id":3358,"date":"2020-10-21T10:18:31","date_gmt":"2020-10-21T15:18:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=3358"},"modified":"2020-10-26T14:40:30","modified_gmt":"2020-10-26T19:40:30","slug":"indian-country-today-lakota-veteran-seeks-office-in-south-dakota","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/10\/21\/indian-country-today-lakota-veteran-seeks-office-in-south-dakota\/","title":{"rendered":"Indian Country Today: Lakota veteran seeks office in South Dakota"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\"><iframe  src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZZKYVkw8TiY\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Remi Bald Eagle: <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/ZZKYVkw8TiY>Public Utilities Commission &#8211; South Dakota<\/a> \r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h2-responsive\">Candidate: Tribal citizens&#8217; voice &#8216;vital&#8217; in energy regulation<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"h5-responsive sub\">Remi Bald Eagle, Mnicoujou Lakota, is seeking a seat on South Dakota\u2019s Public Utilities Commission  #NativeVote20<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Wednesday, October 21, 2020<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Eddie Chuculate<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source\">Indian Country Today<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source-website\"><a href=\"https:\/\/indiancountrytoday.com\/\">indiancountrytoday.com<\/a><\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nServing 22 years in the U.S. Army has had a profound impact on the life of <a href=https:\/\/www.remibaldeagle.com\/>Remi Bald Eagle<\/a>, Mnicoujou Lakota of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAs a combat engineer and paratrooper, he served in Iraq and South Korea. But it was during the Afghanistan war that he had an epiphany of sorts.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cDuring leader engagements we\u2019d go to their villages and talk to tribal elders,\u201d Bald Eagle said by phone from his office at the Cheyenne River Sioux tribal headquarters in Eagle Butte, South Dakota.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cWe would explain why we were there and how we could be beneficial to them,\u201d he said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cI felt the irony of talking to tribal elders who were speaking up and defending their families and land, and I felt like we needed that at home,\u201d\r\nBald Eagle said. \u201cWhy am I doing that for the U.S. when I need to be at home talking with the United States?\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2009\" height=\"1340\" data-attachment-id=\"3359\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/10\/21\/indian-country-today-lakota-veteran-seeks-office-in-south-dakota\/remibaldeagle\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/remibaldeagle.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2009,1340\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"remibaldeagle\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/remibaldeagle-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/remibaldeagle-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/remibaldeagle.jpg\" alt=\"remibaldeagle\"  class=\"alignnone img-fluid wp-image-3359\" \/><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Remi Bald Eagle, a Democrat, is running for a six-year seat on the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission. Campaign photo<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBald Eagle, 46, is following through on those emotions by running for a six-year seat on the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission as a Democrat.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAlthough a statewide office, for Bald Eagle it has implicit tribal implications as well. The three-member commission is the regulatory authority of utilities operating in the state and sets rates, and issues or rejects permits for pipelines, natural gas lines, wind farms and electrical grids. A commission seat is up for election every two years.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cI think it\u2019s vital for us (Native Americans) to be involved in something like this because no one cares for or is more impacted by these rulings,\u201d Bald Eagle said. \u201cIt\u2019s only right for us to be the voice of reason for how energy is to be used in the future.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBald Eagle, who is the intergovernmental affairs coordinator for the Cheyenne River Sioux tribe, is facing incumbent Republican Gary Hanson, 70, and Libertarian Devin Saxon, 31.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nHanson is seeking his fourth term on the commission, having served 18 years in a row since 2002.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I know I am going to be outraised because this campaign runs on grassroots support. Please share this link and tell everyone you know about this campaign. Together, we can. Wopila Tonka, thank you.<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WgMbhqw08n\">https:\/\/t.co\/WgMbhqw08n<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Remi Bald Eagle for South Dakota PUC (@RemiBald) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RemiBald\/status\/1309909348504674306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 26, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nOf course no one is more aware of the implications of pipelines than Bald Eagle, who is a staunch opponent of the proposed Keystone XL Canadian pipeline, which if approved would carry crude tar sands oil across Cheyenne River Sioux land enroute to Nebraska.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cI oppose any pipeline transporting fossil fuels or hazardous materials that may harm the environment,\u201d Bald Eagle said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nDemocratic U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden has said he\u2019d revoke the permit for the pipeline and kill the project.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nRepublican President Donald Trump is in favor of the pipeline, having approved it in 2017.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nMuch of the work on the pipeline is stalled after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in July against a Trump administration request that it continue after a federal judge in Montana blocked it.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cThe tribe plans on participating in that process,\u201d Bald Eagle said. \u201cSo far they (U.S. government) have used an improper methodology that doesn\u2019t take into account all the (environmental) effects.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"mt-1 mb-1\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8411603009680747\" data-ad-slot=\"6394965691\"><\/ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/div><p><\/p>\r\nHanson told South Dakota Public Broadcasting Radio on October 1 that as a public utilities commissioner, he previously voted in favor of the Keystone XL project based on evidence presented to the commission. He also said he was one of the few people in any state to vote against the Dakota Access Pipeline.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cWe\u2019re not legislators,\u201d Hanson said. \u201cWe\u2019re quasi-judicial and look at everything on a nonpolitical basis.&#8221;\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nSaxon is on record as opposing the Keystone XL project.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBald Eagle never imagined himself in this spot when he first joined the Army. But when he returned home from Afghanistan in 2014 he was working in the business office at a local high school and was asked to attend a tribal council meeting.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nImpressed with his background and credentials \u2014 Bald Eagle also has earned an associate of applied science in pre-law from Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas \u2014 an at-large chairman asked him to serve in his cabinet, Bald Eagle said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nFrom there, a political career took off. State leaders took notice after Bald Eagle was picked as a delegate for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders for the South Dakota state convention.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nHe was slated to attend the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee as a Sanders delegate before it was canceled due to the coronavirus.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nSoon after, state Democratic leaders approached him with the idea of running for the Public Utilities Commission.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cI had no aspirations of being a politician until people asked me to,\u201d Bald Eagle said. \u201cMy father (David Bald Eagle, a traditional leader) always said when people ask you, you don\u2019t refuse them. As a warrior and a member of the tribe.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">So the Republican governor of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SouthDakota?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SouthDakota<\/a> admitted it. Her opposition to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Coronavirus?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Coronavirus<\/a> checkpoints in Indian Country is linked to the Keystone XL Pipeline. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#COVID19<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NoKXL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#NoKXL<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Sovereignty?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Sovereignty<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/govkristinoem?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@govkristinoem<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/R7nLyr6Jqb\">https:\/\/t.co\/R7nLyr6Jqb<\/a><\/p>&mdash; indianz.com (@indianz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/indianz\/status\/1268576646082301953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 4, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBald Eagle\u2019s wife, Alaina, is a journalist who until recently was editor of the West River Eagle, a weekly newspaper covering the reservation and area towns. She\u2019s taken a leave to be Bald Eagle\u2019s campaign manager.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nA daughter, Hope, 13, lives with them, and the couple have three adult children: daughter Demi, 26; son Remi, 25; and daughter Destiny, 24.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe family enjoys fishing and kayaking, tending to their horses and chickens, and caring for their house cats and adopted \u201creservation\u201d dogs, of which there are four.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBald Eagle thinks he has a chance November 3, although South Dakota trends Republican.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s a funny thing.\u201d Bald Eagle said. \u201cSouth Dakota has traditionally voted red, but it\u2019s a simple fact that Democrats and independents outnumber Republicans, and there\u2019s a relatively active Libertarian set.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cPeople feeling disenfranchised (and) voting Democrat or Libertarian would change the dynamic. It\u2019s a matter of which horse in the herd are you going to jump on. The only thing is, I hope I don\u2019t get trampled.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<HR><EM>Eddie Chuculate, Creek\/Cherokee, is a writer based in Minneapolis.<\/em><HR>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;Like these stories? Support our work with a $5 or $10 contribution today&#8221;:\r\nThis article originally <a href=https:\/\/indiancountrytoday.com\/news\/candidate-tribal-citizens-voice-vital-in-energy-regulation-24jZhZzAw0GQF61zjI8Brw>appeared on Indian Country Today<\/a> LLC, a nonprofit, public media enterprise. \r\n<P><\/P>\r\nContribute to the <a href=https:\/\/support.indiancountrytoday.com\/>nonprofit Indian Country Today<\/a>.","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Serving 22 years in the U.S. Army has had a profound impact on the life of Remi Bald Eagle.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3359,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,1,14],"tags":[4,600,708,94,75,56,284,129,707,25,55,706,85,98,57],"class_list":["post-3358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environment","category-national","category-politics","tag-4","tag-cheyenne-river-sioux","tag-dakota-access-pipeline","tag-democrats","tag-donald-trump","tag-elections","tag-energy","tag-ict","tag-keystone-xl-pipeline","tag-military","tag-native-vote","tag-remi-bald-eagle","tag-republicans","tag-south-dakota","tag-veterans","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/remibaldeagle.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-Sa","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3358"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3358\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}