South Dakota Uranium Mine Permitting Process Reopens Amid Water Concerns
A company has reopened its state permitting process for a proposed uranium mine in southwestern South Dakota, specifically in Custer and Fall River counties near the Black Hills. This move follows the company's acquisition of federal permits earlier this year.…
Sioux Falls, SD, October 28, 2026 —
A company has reopened the state permitting process for a proposed uranium mine in southwestern South Dakota, starting a public comment period on a project that includes significant water withdrawal applications and has drawn opposition over potential groundwater pollution.
The proposed mine is in Custer and Fall River counties near the Black Hills. The company’s name and the dates or duration of the comment period were not provided. The amount of water sought in the applications was also not specified.
The state process resumed after the company acquired federal permits earlier this year, according to the available information. The specific federal permits and the agency that issued them were not identified. The reported federal permits do not establish the outcome of the reopened state process: the summary does not say that state approval has been granted.
Opponents have raised concerns about possible groundwater pollution. The information provided does not identify the groups or individuals opposing the project, describe the basis for their concerns, or report findings from any environmental review or inspection. No project timeline or details about planned mine operations were provided.
A separate lawsuit concerning uranium exploration in the same region has been dismissed. The parties, court, date of dismissal and grounds for the decision were not provided. The available information does not indicate that the lawsuit involved the proposed mine or affected the permitting process.
The reopened state process and the dismissed lawsuit are distinct developments, and no connection between them was reported. Further details about the applications, public-comment schedule, state review and the lawsuit were not available in the summary.
Story summarized from the original created by Meghan O’Brien on southdakotasearchlight.com, see more information here.
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