Mining company withdraws permit for drilling project near Pe’ Sla
Pete Lien & Sons withdrew its permit request for exploratory graphite drilling near the sacred Black Hills site following legal challenges and a weeklong Indigenous occupation.
Pete Lien & Sons has withdrawn its permit for exploratory graphite drilling near Pe’ Sla, a sacred site in the Black Hills of South Dakota, according to reporting by ICT. NDN Collective and the Black Hills Clean Water Alliance told ICT the company submitted a letter Friday to the U.S. Forest Service requesting withdrawal of a permit approved in February for 18 drilling sites within a two-mile buffer zone surrounding Pe’ Sla.
The decision followed a weeklong occupation at the drilling site by Indigenous treaty defenders and a temporary restraining order issued by U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler that halted drilling operations pending further court proceedings. According to ICT, NDN Collective said drilling had already been completed at seven of the 18 approved sites before the restraining order was granted.
- 1.Amelia Schafer. ICT, .
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