The North Dakota Public Service Commission upheld its decision to permit a coal mine expansion despite tribal objections. At a June 9 meeting, the Standing Rock Sioux, Cheyenne River Sioux, and Defenders of the Black Hills challenged the permit, which allows Cocteau Properties Company to expand its Freedom Mine by 17,000 acres, over Sioux sacred sites and burial places. The three-member commission voted unanimously to uphold the permit, claiming sufficient measures would be taken to protect cultural resources. Tribal archaeologists say the mine expansion threatens more destruction of cultural resources in the United States than in any current project.
