RESISTANCE TO DESTRUCTIVE MINING – SOME SUCCESSES

UPDATE: SUCCESSES IN THE BLACK HILLS WE’RE PROUD OF:

  • In May 2026, a company abandoned a graphite drilling project by withdrawing their permit to drill in the central Black Hills at Pe’ Sla – a critical Lakota sacred landscape — after a mix of public education, lawsuits, public involvement in the permit process, and nonviolent direct action.

  • Also in May, a state permit hearing on a uranium project at Craven Canyon – a 7000+ year old cultural and ceremonial site – was “adjourned until further notice.” This was the immediate result of a lawsuit filed by Lakota hearing participants. Lots of public education and organizing were also important.

  • In 2024, the US Department of the Interior declared a mineral claims withdrawal on 20,000 acres around Pactola Reservoir after a public uproar about proposed gold drilling. The withdrawal blocks drilling and mining for 20 years. The company involved dropped 61% of its mining claims in the Black Hills.

  • In 2022, Fall River County residents passed a citizen initiative that declared uranium mining an illegal “nuisance.” As a result, one company left the area.

  • The Dewey-Burdock uranium project in Custer and Fall River Counties, which intended to start mining in 2009, has not started. This is a result of public education, tribal insistence on protecting cultural resources, legal action, and public participation in hearings.

Series of past successes by tribes, communities, and government officials that opposed destructive mining. 

A few of these are clearly permanent solutions, but many of these could be overturned in the future, if people aren’t vigilant.  One of the lessons of these stories is that an unmined mineral will always be a temptation to a greedy company.  Another related lesson is that protecting a place from mining is a marathon, not a sprint.   With those caveats, here are some reasons for hope and persistence.  

  • Clay – Hungry Valley, NV – 2004
  • Copper –  Boundary Waters Wilderness Area, MN – 2022
  • Copper and Gold – Skagit Headwaters, BC – 2022
  • Copper and Nickel – Fond du Lac Chippewa Territory, WI – 2023
  • Copper, Gold, and Molybdenum – Mount Saint Helens, OR – 2022
  • Dolomite – Florida Mountains, NM – 2024
  • Gold – Beartooth Mountains, MT and WY – 1996
  • Gold – Black Hills, SD – 2024
  • Gold – Proposed Donlin Mine, Southwest AK – 2024
  • Gold and Copper – Bristol Bay, AK – 2023
  • Gold and Silver – Romania – 2024
  • Lithium – Hualapi Territory, AZ – 2024
  • Molybdenum – Mount Emmons (Red Lady), CO – 2024
  • Molybdenum – Mount Hope, NV – 2023
  • Multiple Minerals – Alaska – 2024
  • Uranium – Black Hills, SD – 1981
  • Uranium – Colorado – 2008
  • Uranium – Fall River County, SD – 2022
  • Uranium – Jabiluka, Australia – 2024
  • Uranium – Virginia – 2021
  • Zinc and Copper – Crandon, WI – 2003

These successes in the Black Hills and elsewhere, tells us that we can work together to protect water and land from destructive mining in the future. Please join us to keep the successes here in the Black Hills coming. You can let us know you want to help by contacting us HERE. Ask how to organize in your community, and donate if you can. And be sure to follow us on our Socials linked below.

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