By SARAH RAZA, Associated Press
A South Dakota mining company has canceled a drilling project in the Black Hills after opposition from Native American tribes and local groups.
In a letter provided Friday by Indigenous advocacy group NDN Collective, Rapid City-based Pete Lien & Sons told the United States Forest Service on Thursday that it is withdrawing its plan of operations for a graphite drilling project. It doesn’t intend to file another plan for this project, the letter said.
Groups opposed the project because of its proximity to a sacred site called Pe’Sla, a meadow in the Black Hills where Sioux tribes hold ceremonies and pray throughout the year. The land is also used for buffalo grazing.
The Forest Service and Pete Lien & Sons did not immediately return requests for comment Friday afternoon.
Nine tribes in South Dakota, North Dakota, and Nebraska filed a lawsuit against the Forest Service over the project, alleging violations of the National Historical Preservation Act and National Environmental Protection Act for granting permits without an environmental review.
