Pete Lien & Sons Withdraws Black Hills Drilling Plan

A Rapid City, South Dakota-based mining company, Pete Lien & Sons, has withdrawn its plan for a graphite drilling project in the Black Hills following opposition from Native American tribes and local groups, according to a letter sent to the U.S. Forest Service on Thursday and released Friday by the Indigenous advocacy organization NDN Collective.

The company stated in the letter that it does not intend to submit another plan of operations for the project. Neither Pete Lien & Sons nor the Forest Service immediately responded to requests for comment Friday afternoon.

Opponents, including Sioux tribes, cited the project's location near Pe' Sla, a sacred meadow in the Black Hills used for ceremonies, prayers and buffalo grazing throughout the year. The pushback included legal action. Nine tribes from South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska sued the Forest Service, alleging violations of the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act because permits were granted without an environmental review. Separately, NDN Collective and environmental groups challenged the Forest Service's decision to exempt the project from review via a categorical exclusion,...