Tag #Black Hills

What are the immediate economic and environmental consequences of the renewed gold mining activity in the Black Hills?

A renewed gold rush in South Dakota's Black Hills, driven by soaring gold prices, is causing conflict. New mining proposals promise economic benefits but threaten the environment and cultural heritage of the region, impacting tourism and the sacred sites of the Lakota Sioux. One proposed open-pit mine could create 250 jobs and generate $400 million in taxes, but opponents fear environmental damage and desecration of sacred lands.