South Dakota drilling project canceled amid fierce tribal opposition Clio

A South Dakota mining company canceled Drilling engineering In the Black Hills after opposition from Native American tribes and local groups

In a letter provided Friday by the Native advocacy group NDN Collective, Rapid City-based Pete Lien & Sons told the U.S. Forest Service on Thursday it would withdraw operations from its graphite drilling project. The letter said it does not plan to submit another plan for the project.

Some groups opposed the project because of its proximity to a sacred site called Pe’Sla, a meadow in the Black Hills where the Sioux tribe held ceremonies and prayers year-round. The land is also used for grazing buffalo.

The Forest Service and Pete Lien & Sons did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday afternoon.

Nine tribes in South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska filed suit against the Forest Service over the project, accusing the Forest Service of violating the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Protection Act by issuing permits without environmental review.

NDN Collective and environmental groups also filed a lawsuit arguing that the Forest Service should not exempt the project from environmental review because it did not meet the requirements for a categorical exclusion. In that case, a temporary restraining order issued to Pete Lien & Sons on Monday banned drilling operations for two weeks.

“Today’s victory is multifaceted and provides a blueprint for future land defense battles,” NDN Collective said in a statement.

Named for its rolling hills covered in pine and spruce, the Black Hills are home to attractions such as Mount Rushmore and state parks, but it has long been nervous between mining interests and tribes who consider the area unceded territory.

The 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie designated the Black Hills as belonging to the Sioux tribe, but the U.S. government occupied the land a few years after the discovery of gold. The Supreme Court later ruled that the tribes should receive compensation, but they did not accept and maintain title to the land.