62 



Mr. Nelson. I operate on BLM lands. BLM lands that I know of 

 are, I think, in real good condition. I think the grasslands in South 

 Dakota are in excellent condition, and I think that — I haven't per- 

 sonally looked at any forest permits, I guess, here in the Black 

 Hills, but I think that they would be in good condition also. 



Senator Pressler. Larry Mann, would you expand on how the 

 mining industry has addressed reclamation and what we can 

 expect in the future? I know you covered that in your statement, 

 but do you want to expand on that issue? 



Mr. Mann. Yes, Senator. Let me just speak to that for a few 

 minutes. In the South Dakota Codified Law, there's a section in the 

 code that's called the Mine Land Reclamation Act, and it consists 

 of a 103 separate statutes. Each and every one of the statutes that 

 have been placed on the books of the laws of South Dakota, with 

 the exception of one, has had the support and active support of the 

 mining industry. So we've been strong activists supporting good 

 regulation. The only statute that we didn't support was one that 

 was passed in 1992 by public initiative, and we only opposed that 

 one because we felt that it was — that it contradicted a governor's 

 commission finding, and so that's the main reason that we didn't 

 support it. 



The reclamation process in South Dakota is a very stringent one. 

 It is open to public input, public hearings. The decision on a permit 

 is made by a citizen's board, which is the Board of Minerals and 

 Environment. And as an example, Senator, the last permit which 

 Homestake submitted for the open cut expansion weighed 60 

 pounds. And people — I'm not talking 60 pages. I mean it was a 60- 

 pound permit. And that wasn't the full permit because there were 

 questions on that, and additional data was required to complete the 

 permitting process. 



We have to have a reclamation plan in place and approved by 

 the State before the permit is heard. And we also have to post cash 

 bonds to insure that the work will be done, should we not be here 

 to do it. And that reclamation bond is determined by the State and 

 by State agencies and is not fixed. It's a moving number to reflect 

 current circumstances. A number of initiatives on the part of 

 South Dakota government have been awarded by EPA, for in- 

 stance, for outstanding environmental achievement, and we sup- 

 port that process fully. 



Senator Pressler. Good. I think this panel has done an excellent 

 job of summarizing their statements and I know they may have ad- 

 ditional materials for the record. 



I'm going to call on panel three. These witnesses will cover the 

 impact on the environment. Brian Brademeyer of the Black Hills 

 Group Sierra Club; Joseph Satrom, director of Dakotas Field Office 

 of The Nature Conservancy, Sioux Falls, SD; Dick Fort, member, 

 Action for the Environment, Rapid City, SD; Tom Troxel, executive 

 secretary of Black Hills Regional Multiple Use Coalition, Rapid 

 City, SD; Angie Many, secretary. Black Hills Women in Timber, 

 Hill City, SD; and John Percevich, owner and operator of the Pac- 

 tola Pines Marina, Rapid City, SD. 



Brian, you're closest, so why don't you begin. 



