New congressional legislation would authorize the sale of 266 acres of EPA Superfund land to the state of South Dakota.
The legislation is sponsored by South Dakota’s three congressional delegates.
The bill pertains to the Gilt Edge Mine, which is about 5 miles southeast of Lead in the Black Hills. The Brohm Mining Company was the last operator of the mine. Brohm went bankrupt 21 years ago.
The site has pits with polluted water, and piles of excavated earth and rock. The EPA is in charge of the cleanup. Someday, when the EPA is finished, the agency will transfer responsibility for the site to the state.
The state already owns some of the roughly 1,500-acre site and wants to continue consolidating ownership. The bill in Congress would authorize the sale of 266 acres within the Superfund boundaries from the Forest Service to the state.
Kevin French, deputy chief of the Forest Service, provided written testimony in favor of the bill during a recent Senate subcommittee meeting.
“Consolidating the entire land ownership of the Gilt Edge Mine to the state of South Dakota will make it easier for the State to fulfill their obligation for remediation of the site,” French’s testimony said.
The bill requires an appraisal to determine the land’s value. Proceeds from the sale of the land would go to the Black Hills National Forest for maintenance and improvement of land or administrative facilities.
-Contact SDPB reporter Seth Tupper by email.