South Dakota Board of Minerals and Environment to host 5-day hearing on proposed uranium drilling permit near sacred site in Black Hills

The South Dakota Board of Minerals and Environment is hosting a five-day hearing, beginning April 13, at the Mueller Civic Center in Hot Springs, regarding an application for uranium drilling in the southern Black Hills. The Canadian firm Clean Nuclear Energy Corp. is seeking a permit to explore the area known as Craven Canyon for uranium deposits. The firm wants to drill up to 50, 700-foot-deep test holes adjacent to sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Lakota elders, tribal nations, landowners and community members oppose the project, saying the location is a sacred site. Opponents plan to hold a five-day prayer vigil during the hearing, with a sunrise ceremony scheduled for April 13. The meeting was initially planned in Pierre but changed to Hot Springs at the request of Lakota organizers. 

The meeting will be the first in the state's history to accept comments in the Lakota language. On March 9, Gov. Larry Rhoden signed legislation requiring the state to provide translator services in official hearings. The law was named after Helen Red Feather, a fluent Lakota speaker from Wounded Knee, South Dakota. She previously provided comments about the significance of Craven Canyon in the Lakota language and was told by the South Dakota Board of Minerals that it couldn't accept comments in a language other than English. Organizers then successfully lobbied to change the law, allowing state proceedings to accept verbal submissions in any language, including the Lakota language.