Minerals and Mining Program

Bob Townsend, C.P.G. Administrator  E-mail  l Staff Directory

Phone (605) 773-4201
Fax (605) 773-5286

Welcome to the Minerals and Mining Web Page

The Minerals and Mining Program is the regulatory arm of DENR responsible for ensuring that the impacts from mineral exploration, mining, and oil and gas production in South Dakota to the environment are minimized and that affected lands are reclaimed and useable after the resources have been extracted. The regulatory process includes issuing exploration permits, mining permits, mining licenses, and oil and gas permits in accordance with the requirements of state law and rules and then, inspecting and monitoring development activities to ensure compliance with permit requirements

LAC Minerals Release Petition, Postclosure Plan, and Updated Reclamation Plan

LAC Minerals (USA), LLC has submitted a request to the Board of Minerals and Environment to release reclamation liability for the majority of acreage affected under Large Scale Mine Permit Numbers 445 and 460 at its Richmond Hill Mine approximately five miles northwest of Lead, SD.   As part of its request, LAC Minerals has submitted a release petition, postclosure plan, updated reclamation plan, and two request letters to DENR.  A hearing on the release petition, postclosure plan, updated reclamation plan, and request letters is scheduled on August 19 and September 17, 2015.  For more information, go to the LAC Minerals Release Petition web page.   

Interactive Construction Aggregate Map

The South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) announces a new sand, gravel and construction aggregate mining web site. The site - http://arcgis.sd.gov/server/denr/conagg/ - allows visitors to find information on 519 construction aggregate licenses that have been issued to mine 20,769 acres at 1,638 pits. Site visitors can also see information on nearly 4,600 sites that have been licensed through DENR since 1983. For more information, click on the map.

The new website is searchable by site, operator, county and material mined. Other site features allow you to determine how large a mine area is, how much has been mined from a specific area and much more information about each mine.  In addition to sand and gravel mine sites, the website includes mine sites for rock to be crushed and used in construction, pegmatite minerals or for limestone, iron ore, sand, gypsum, shale, pozzolan, or other materials used in the process of making cement or lime. 

Interactive Oil and Gas Map

The South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) now has an interactive map for oil and gas wells in the state.  The site - http://www.arcgis.com/explorer/?open=dfb223c6d8974f46a123b9f903adb04d - has information on oil and gas wells through the state, including production and injection information, well field locations, enhanced recovery units, and operators.

Powertech Environmental Permits

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is making environmental permitting files related to Powertech (USA) Inc. uranium exploration and proposed in situ leach mining projects near Edgemont available to the public in electronic format.   In addition to ground water discharge permit and water rights permit applications submitted earlier this year, Powertech submitted a large scale mine permit application on October 1, 2012.  For more information, go to the Powertech environmental permit web page.