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ND wants more time to comment on butterflies
• BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- North Dakota officials want a 30-day extension to comment on a proposal to list two Upper Midwest butterfly species as threatened and endangered.
• Gov. Jack Dalrymple, Sens. John Hoeven and Heidi Heitkamp, and Rep. Kevin Cramer sent a joint letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requesting the extension.
• "We believe granting this extension to the comment period would help ensure that public input is maximized and the effects of this proposal are fully understood," the letter said.
• The agency has proposed listing the Dakota skipper as threatened and the powershiek skipperling as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
• Both species are native to prairie and upland grasslands and their declines have been blamed on the loss of habitat.
• "If these critical habitat designations are put into place, they could have a negative impact on local economies by hampering such activities as farming, ranching and energy development," the officials' letter said.
• A 60-day public comment period is scheduled to close Dec. 23. The officials requested an extension to Jan. 23 to allow additional comments.
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South Dakota surprise: $70M windfall
CARSON WALKER, Associated Press
• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- Changes in unclaimed property law and moves by two big banks in South Dakota have filled the state's coffers with about $70 million of unexpected revenue.
• It includes account balances and other items of value that businesses, governments and other institutions must turn over to the state where they reside when the owner can't be found. For example, savings and checking accounts, life insurance policies, overpayments or rebates and gift cards.
• The state expected about $53 million but took in almost $122 million.
• There were two main reasons for the largesse.
• South Dakota legislators changed the law so unclaimed property now must be sent to the state after three years of account inactivity, instead of the previous five years. That meant getting some accounts two years earlier than they would have.
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