South Dakota Court Halts Drilling Project on Sacred Tribal Site

A group of Native American tribes and advocacy organizations won their bid to temporarily halt a drilling project approved by the US Forest Service in South Dakota’s Black Hills.

The plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits of their claim that the Forest Service acted arbitrarily when it approved the project based on a categorical exclusion, Judge Camela C. Theeler of the US District Court for the District of South Dakota said in a Tuesday order.

The groups alleged the Forest Service approved the Rochford Exploration Drilling Project for activities in and adjacent to Pe’Sla. The site is ...