Today, the Forest Supervisor for Black Hills National Forest, Shawn Cochran, issued a “Response” to public objections surrounding the proposed Golden Crest gold drilling project.  This project is immediately west of Spearfish Canyon and would involve placing two dozen drilling pads upstream of Spearfish Canyon and in a prime and popular recreation area.

There were 383 formal objections from the public, and the Forest Service determined that 122 objections were “eligible for review.”  However, no objection resolution meeting was held, as is typical with this process.  Instead, the Forest Service will move directly to a decision.  Its draft decision was that there would be “no significant impact” and to let the drilling go forward.

It is unclear whether the Forest Service really evaluated a number of serious issues raised by the public.  A few of these are tribal consultation on the project, the impacts of other activities in the area, hazardous materials, potential water contamination, and impacts on outdoor recreation.  The lack of full evaluation of potential impacts means that there may be unique or unknown risks that the Forest Service has not considered in its rush to let this project go ahead.

We object to the lack of taking public input seriously.  Like 382 others – and like hundreds more in other phases of the project — Black Hills Clean Water Alliance put time and effort into this process.  To see the Forest Service brush off our concerns with its repeated assertions that they did the minimum necessary is insulting.

If you object to the effort to rush forward without proper review of this project, you can contact Scarlett Vallaire, Administrative Review Coordinator for the Rocky Mountain Forest Service Region at scarlett.vallaire@usda.gov (801-989-6605) or BHNF Supervisor Shawn Cochran at 605-673-9200. 

This response will also be posted on the project website:https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=62590