Tribes sue US Forest Service over graphite drilling near Pe’ Sla
Lawsuit challenges approval process for project near sacred Black Hills site
Nine Native American tribes have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service over its approval of a graphite drilling project near Pe’ Sla in the Black Hills, according to reporting by South Dakota Searchlight. The Oglala Sioux Tribe, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, Santee Sioux Tribe, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and Yankton Sioux Tribe are plaintiffs. The lawsuit challenges the agency’s decision to allow Rapid City-based Pete Lien & Sons to conduct exploratory drilling for a potential graphite mine near the site, which tribes use for prayer, ceremony and cultural activities.
The lawsuit alleges the Forest Service improperly used a “categorical exclusion” to bypass environmental and cultural reviews. Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out said in a press release the Black Hills remain the spiritual center of the Oceti Sakowin. The Forest Service said it does not comment on ongoing legal proceedings. According to South Dakota Searchlight, Pete Lien & Sons did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
- 1.Meghan O’Brien. South Dakota Searchlight, .
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