The Impacts of of Lithium Mining in the Black Hills

The Black Hills Clean Water Alliance works to protect the valuable resources of the Black Hills for generations to come. Recently, The Black Hill Clean Water Alliance has been focused on preventing the destructive mining of the Black Hills, particularly lithium mining. The Black Hills Clean Water Alliance is a diverse group of citizens concerned about the health, environmental and economic costs of mining projects in the region. Earth Rising Foundation is grateful to support such impactful, important work.

Map produced by Black Hills Clean Water Alliance showing impacts of mining on natural resources and sacred land

Over the past year, the Black Hills Clean Water Alliance has been disseminating information on the negative health, environmental and economic impacts of mining projects on indigenous and low-income communities. Through a range of different methods, including a two day conference, a press conference, publication of a poster, a webpage and social media campaign and many conversations, the Black Hills Clean Water Alliance has informed community members, indigenous leaders and environmentalists of the link between the climate crisis and lithium mining (and mining more generally) in the Black Hills, Lakota territory, also known as western South Dakota. 

Cover of Conference Packet

This is crucially important work as education is the first step towards protecting low income and indigenous communities in the Black Hills and mounting resistance to extractive industries in the region. Specifically, through the work of the Black Hills Clean Water Alliance, information on the impacts of lithium mining has become common knowledge to the environmental leadership on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

Through conversation and presentations, this information has also become more generally known to leaders of other reservations in western South Dakota. Presentations have also included the Great Plains Tribal Water Alliance and the Sicangu Lakota Oyate Treaty Council.

In all, this work has moved forward the discussion of the climate crisis, lithium mining, and the intersections of these issues so that more people can be involved in the fight for the protection of valuable, sacred resources in the Black Hills.

To learn more about the work of the Black Hills Clean Water Alliance visit there website here.