Northeast South Dakota News

U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), who has served in Congress since 2019 representing South Dakota’s at-large district, has re-introduced legislation aimed at restricting the Department of Transportation from using LiDAR technology sourced from foreign adversaries, particularly China. LiDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging, is a digital 3-D mapping technology that creates detailed maps of environments and is widely used in transportation infrastructure.

Johnson explained the motivation behind his bill: “LiDAR technology creates incredibly detailed maps of its surroundings. Allowing our adversaries like China to have access to these maps of critical infrastructure like ports, railways, airports, roads, and bridges could allow them to disrupt our supply chains and cause a national security crisis,” said Johnson. “My bill ensures our nation’s critical infrastructure is protected from the malign interests of the Chinese Communist Party.”

The proposal received bipartisan support on Capitol Hill. Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) commented: “Taxpayer dollars should never be used to fund technology from our adversaries. This bill makes America’s critical infrastructure more secure from foreign surveillance and influence by ensuring the Department of Transportation is not supporting the growing market share of Chinese-made LiDAR equipment. It’s a common-sense step to put American security first.”

Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) added: “LiDAR is essential to modern infrastructure, but when it’s controlled by companies linked to the Chinese Communist Party, it becomes a security risk. We can’t allow adversaries to gather sensitive data or disrupt our systems. This bill takes a necessary step to keep our infrastructure secure and our technology supply chains trusted.”

Representative Julia Brownley (D-CA) highlighted concerns about data privacy: “While LiDAR technology is widely employed in our nation’s transit infrastructure, including in airports, autonomous vehicles, and traffic control systems, it is increasingly being produced by Chinese companies that are required to hand over any data collected by their equipment to the Chinese government upon request,” said Rep. Brownley. “This raises serious concerns that China could not only access sensitive data mapping U.S. infrastructure, but also use it to disrupt the systems that rely on their technology. That is why I am joining Rep. Johnson to introduce legislation prohibiting the Department of Transportation from using LiDAR technology sourced from foreign adversaries. Now more than ever, we must remain vigilant and proactive in safeguarding the infrastructure that Americans depend on every day.”

Industry organizations expressed support for the legislative effort as well. Henry Hanscom with the American Trucking Associations stated: “Trucks reach every corner of the country and routinely access some of our nation’s most sensitive sites—such as ports, border crossings, and military installations.  That is why supply chain and infrastructure security are very important to our industry. The American Trucking Associations commends Reps. Johnson, Brownley, Moolenaar, and Krishnamoorthi for taking this issue seriously by working to block potential national security threats from foreign-owned LiDAR technology.”

Michael Robbins of the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International noted: “This legislation marks an important step forward in strengthening the security of America’s transportation systems and critical infrastructure. As LiDAR technology becomes increasingly central to the future of transportation, including autonomous systems, it’s essential that the technology used to build and operate our national infrastructure is safe, secure, and protected against adversarial interference.”

The Securing Infrastructure from Adversaries Act was introduced with bipartisan co-sponsors John Moolenaar (R-MI), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), and Julia Brownley (D-CA).

Johnson was born in Pierre in 1976; he lives in Mitchell now after graduating with a BA from University of South Dakota in 1999.