House Bill 1071 starts groundwork to bring Uranium mining and nuclear power to South Dakota

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - Efforts are underway to put uranium mining in parts of South Dakota.

But some are concerned over the risks that could come with it. House Bill 1071 will allow the governor to agree with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to bring uranium mining and nuclear energy to Rushmore State.

The South Dakota Clean Water Alliance says that reopening mining operations in the region will contaminate waterways

Lilias Jarding, the Executive Director of the Black Hills Clean Water Alliance, stated, “There are almost 300 old uranium mines and prospects in western South Dakota, and they leach into the Cheyenne River for sure; that has been measured, and they probably leach into the rivers in the northern parts of the state, but that hasn’t been measured as much.”

The Dewey-Burdock uranium mining project has been in the approval process for years.

The project manager, Mark Hollenbeck says their studies show the worries about water contamination are unfounded.

“We have done an absolutely complete study and environmental risk analysis of our project, which includes some old mining properties, and there is absolutely nothing affecting the drinking water quality downstream for those mines.” Hollenbeck also added that this bill would bring the regulatory process closer to home, but says those laws and regulations would still be watched closely by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The bill is making its way through the legislature.

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