Environment & Climate
Tribes and advocacy groups halt South Dakota exploratory drilling project at Pe’ Sla
A coalition of Native American tribes and environmental organizations used lawsuits and direct action to force a mining company to abandon exploratory graphite drilling on sacred land.
The short version
- A coalition of Indigenous tribes, environmental organizations, and advocacy groups forced Pete Lien & Sons to abandon exploratory graphite drilling plans at Pe’ Sla in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
- The U.S. Forest Service had approved 18 exploratory boreholes using a categorical exclusion, bypassing a full environmental impact review.
- Following a federal court order temporarily halting the operation and a week-long blockade of the drill pads by tribal members, the company withdrew its plan and stated it would not refile.
Key facts
- On Feb. 27, 2026, the U.S. Forest Service approved exploratory graphite drilling by Pete Lien & Sons for 18 boreholes on national forest land at Pe’ Sla.[The Guardian]
- Pe’ Sla is a sacred prairie site in South Dakota of cultural, historical, and medicinal significance to the Great Sioux Nation.[The Guardian]
- In early April, the NDN Collective, environmental groups, and Dakota tribes filed federal lawsuits against the U.S. Forest Service over the permit.[The Guardian]
- Demonstrators and tribal members established an occupation on the drill pads starting April 30 to physically block drilling activities.[The Guardian]
- On May 4, a federal judge ordered a temporary halt to the drilling, ruling that plaintiffs were likely to prove the agency unlawfully bypassed environmental review.[The Guardian]
- Pete Lien & Sons withdrew its drilling plan following the court decision and committed not to submit another plan for the project.[The Guardian]
What remains uncertain
- Pete Lien & Sons did not publicly state the explicit rationale behind withdrawing its project plan or respond to media inquiries.[The Guardian]