South Dakota Board to Hear Testimony on Proposed Uranium Drilling Project Near Historic Sites
The South Dakota Board of Minerals and Environment is set to hear arguments regarding a proposed exploratory uranium drilling project near Craven Canyon in the Black Hills. This area is significant for its historic petroglyphs and pictographs, some dating back over 7,000 years. The Chord Project, as it is known, includes a study area with 12 rock art sites and at least one suspected burial site. Environmental advocates and Indigenous activists have raised concerns about potential damage to these sites. The project, if approved, would involve drilling 50 holes, each 700 feet deep, on state-owned land. Despite assurances from the South Dakota Archaeological Society that the project poses no risk to historical sites, several nonprofit organizations and tribal governments have filed petitions opposing it. 
