by The Biden administration moved closer to enacting a 20-year ban on mining in a South Dakota forest area because of its proximity to cultural and natural resources.
In a joint announcement Friday, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service said they would consider a 20-year, 20,574-acre retreat in the Black Hills National Forest near the Pactola Reservoir and Rapid Creek Watershed. The proposed action prohibits new mining claims and the issuance of new federal mineral leases for two years while the agencies review the proposal.
“Whether it is Northern Minnesota, Southern Arizona, Alaska or now South Dakota, these kinds of land restrictions from the anti-mining Biden administration hinder the domestic development of minerals we need for national defense, energy technology and everyday life” , Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., the chair of the House Natural Resources Energy and Mineral Subcommittee, told Fox News Digital.
“We need to use our resources we have here with our staff, not take them offline,” he continued.
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Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., quashed the proposed action, saying the US should “use our resources that we have here with our personnel, not take them offline.” (Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
According to the announcement, the action could protect the drinking water supply for nearby Rapid City, South Dakota and Ellsworth Air Force Base from the adverse effects of mineral exploration and development.
The two agencies will officially publish the proposal on March 21, opening a 90-day public comment period for stakeholders to weigh in on the action. Under federal law, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland is authorized to withdraw public lands from mining leases for up to 20 years.
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“The BLM is pleased to be partnering with the USDA Forest Service in this effort,” BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning said in a statement. “This proposal will help protect a primary source of drinking water for South Dakotans as the Forest Service assesses a 20-year retreat.”
“We will be exploring the feasibility of retiring land in the area because any activity that could impact these critical resources deserves a thorough assessment,” added forest ranger Randy Moore.
A bison grazes nearby in the Black Hills National Forest in Custer, South Dakota, on July 8, 2020. (ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
The possible 20-year pullback comes amid a multi-year approval process for a gold exploration project in the area proposed by Minneapolis-based mining company F3 Gold. It also comes months after the Forest Service issued a draft order allowing the company to explore 3 acres after a comprehensive environmental assessment and build some infrastructure under various restrictions.
F3 Gold pledged that it would not take water from the Rapid Creek Watershed or use hazardous chemicals, adding that it would never “commence any project” that puts regional water resources at risk. It also made a series of land use and environmental management commitments.
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The company has stated that the so-called Jenny Gulch Exploration Drilling Project would produce precious metals needed for green energy technology such as solar panels and batteries for electric vehicles, aerospace equipment and telecom equipment.
“Gold is everywhere,” the company states on its website. “Because of its versatile properties, it is an essential component in technologies from almost every economic sector in the US, making it strategic and critical to our future.”
In addition, several companies have expressed interest in conducting exploratory drilling in the area for lithium, another key component for electric vehicle batteries, and uranium, which is vital for zero-emission nuclear power. Copper and silver deposits have also been found in Black Hills.
Bureau of Land Management director Tracy Stone-Manning listens during a Senate hearing on June 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
“While we agree that renewable energy is key to fighting climate change, we don’t think the Black Hills are a good location for new large-scale mining,” said the Black Hills Clean Water Alliance, a local ecogroup. web site . “And mining is a major contributor to carbon emissions and climate change. The Black Hills are ecologically, culturally and historically unique and are the homelands of the Lakota people.”
“The current local economy, which is based on agriculture, tourism and outdoor recreation, is much more prosperous than a mining-based economy and causes much less damage to the land, nature and water in the area.”
On Friday, the BLM and Forest Service acknowledged in their announcement that “responsible development of domestic mineral resources is important for the transition to a clean energy economy,” but said it was also important to protect natural resources.
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Overall, the U.S. produced about 170 tons of gold by 2022, despite huge reserves of precious metal, federal data showed. By comparison, China has mined 330 tons of gold, surpassing the production level of any other country for the second consecutive year.
The International Energy Agency has repeatedly warned that ambitious green energy targets can only be met if countries support critical mineral supply chains. Green energy technologies such as batteries for electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbines rely on lithium, cobalt, copper, nickel, graphite, zinc and precious metals such as gold and silver.
