Biden admin inches closer to shutting down a mine in South Dakota over ecological concerns

As the Biden administration pushes for the promotion of green energy, the US government is planning to shut down another mine over ecological concerns. According to Fox News, with this move, the Joe Biden administration is inching closer to implementing a 20-year ban on mining in the South Dakota forest area. As per the American news outlet, the current government is concerned about mining in the region due to its proximity to cultural and natural resources. On Friday, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the US Forest Service issued a joint statement on the issue. 

In the joint statement, the American governmental department stated that it would consider a 20-year withdrawal from the 20,574 acres located in the Black Hills National Forest. The South Dakota forest is located near the Pactola Reservoir and Rapid Creek Watershed and hence the mining in the region becomes a major ecological concern. According to Fox News, the proposed legislation prohibits new mining claims and the issuance of federal mining leases for 2 years while the government agencies review the new proposal. However, the move also received significant criticism. 

While some praised the move calling it a step towards a greener tomorrow, others asserted that such restrictions can hamper domestic development.  "Whether it’s northern Minnesota, southern Arizona, Alaska, or now South Dakota, these sorts of land restrictions from the anti-mining Biden Administration hamstring domestic development of minerals we need for national defence, energy technology, and everyday life," Minnesota representative and the chairman of the House Natural Resources Energy and Mineral subcommittee told Fox News. "We need to be using our resources we have here with our workforce, not taking them offline," he added. 

Not the first time 

In January last year, the Biden administration revealed that it had cancelled two mining leases that would have allowed the construction of copper mines in the Minnesota wilderness, The New York Times reported. The Interior Department stated that the leases held by Twin Metals Minnesota were improperly reinstated by the Trump administration. The aforementioned company was a subsidiary of the Chilean mining conglomerate Antofagasta. Former US President Barack Obama also moved to block the mining leases in the regions, however, the leases were reinstated during the Trump administration, The New York Times reported. 

In the Friday announcement, the agency made it clear that the move could protect the drinking water supply of the nearby areas of South Dakota from the harmful impacts of mineral exploration and development. According to Fox News, the two agencies will officially publish the proposal on March 21. Following the publication, the agency will also open a 90-day comment period during which the stakeholders will give their move on the proposed action. "The BLM is pleased to work with the USDA Forest Service on 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 withdrawal,” Manning added.