Dusty Johnson says it’s ‘Important to stay ahead of the issue’ with Chinese Communist Party

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - Representative Dusty Johnson introduced the Securing Infrastructure from Adversaries Act aimed at prohibiting the Department of Transportation from using LiDAR technology. LiDAR, also known as Light Detection and Ranging, uses remote sensors to capture detailed three-dimensional maps of nearby environments.

Johnson says America must not rely on this technology from adversaries who seek to undermine our nation.

“China is increasingly using data to get an edge over our country. To the extent that China has been able to use that LiDAR data to go in and understand what our airports look like. What do all of our roads look like? How do all of these things fit together? That gives them a lot of data that can be used to harm our country,” Johnson said.

China’s threat to America has been a focus for Johnson. He has also voted in favor of the Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act, which would strengthen the review process for purchases of U.S. farmland by China. Johnson says in the last ten years China has increased their foreign farmland ownership by 1,000%, and although it hasn’t been a huge problem in the U.S., he says it’s important to stay ahead of the issue.

“So, we can get this problem taken care of before it gets much worse. We know that food security is national security and if we’re giving the Chinese Communist Party control of America’s food supply, we are making a huge mistake,” Johnson said.

In addition to a closer review process for China, this bill would also look more closely at land purchases from Korea, Russia, and Iran. Johnson is hoping this legislation will be one step toward keeping America and its citizens safer.