PIEDMONT, S.D. – Three lawmakers who represent this Meade County city hope to change weak state mining laws that allowed a proposed limestone mine to be sited without notification or input by any local officials or residents.
The plan by Simon Contractors to begin mining limestone on 300 acres within the city of Piedmont and in the surrounding Black Hills came as a shock to locals, who only learned of the mine project through an October notice in a local newspaper.
Piedmont is located along Interstate 90 about midway between Rapid City and Sturgis.
Simon, a French-owned, Wyoming-based mining and materials company, said it has acquired state approval and private landowner agreements to allow limestone mining on 10 parcels of land in and around Piedmont. The mine is expected to start running in August and operate through 2043, according to Simon.
Simon followed lax state mining laws that allow mining of sand, gravel and limestone without a formal permitting, notification and public input process required of more invasive hard rock mining operations. The lack of zoning ordinances in Meade County also enabled the mining company to develop its plans without county input.
Opposition to the mine has crystalized quickly in Meade County, where residents have held meetings and created a Facebook page that had 700,000 page views in its first month. More than 700 people have signed up for regular emails about the project.
The three Republican lawmakers from Meade County – Rep. Kathy Rice, Rep. Terri Jorgenson and Sen. John Carley – have teamed up in an effort to support Piedmont residents and to prevent similar mining operations from popping up suddenly in other communities around the state.
“There’s a lot of mining to be done and the question is, ‘Does it have to be done right next to houses, and does it need to be put in after the homes are already there?’” Carley said.
So far, the lawmakers said they hope to file bills in the 2026 legislative session that would increase public notification requirements, require environmental impact statements for sand and gravel mines and tighten up state regulations that allow some mining operations to proceed without a permitting process.
“They (mining companies) can afford an impact study,” Rice said
Rice said she also intends to contact the landowners who have agreed to allow Simon to mine for limestone on their land and perhaps persuade them to change their minds.
The latest discussion of how to respond to the limestone mining plans came during a crowded public meeting held at the Elk Creek Resort in Piedmont that drew about 250 residents on Nov. 20.
Carley, who hosted the meeting at the resort he manages, said he intends to file legislation that would require greater public notification of proposed sand, gravel and limestone mines.
Under current state law, more invasive hard rock mines, including for silver and gold, require a full state permitting process that includes environmental studies, public notification and public hearing processes as well as approval by the state Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
The proposed limestone mine in Piedmont fell under state sand and gravel mining laws that allow a mine company to obtain a state license that enables them to mine anywhere in the state where they own land or have landowner permission
Carley said he is researching a bill that would require notification of proposed mining operations to all property owners within a certain distance of the mine.
The Simon Contractors limestone mine also was not subject to county zoning ordinances that could have restricted where it was built.
During an hourlong public discussion on Nov. 20, attendees brought up a number of questions and concerns, including potential impacts on property values, air and water quality, and whether more mines are planned for the Black Hills.
Simon did not return a call from News Watch seeking comment.
Some neighbors have hired Yankton attorney Nick Moser, who represented dozens of East River landowners in their mostly successful battle to stop the Summit Carbon Solutions carbon pipeline from being built on their land.
“Keep the pressure on and make your voices heard,” he said. “Be engaged, talk to your elected officials and encourage them to make reasonable policy.”
This story was produced by South Dakota News Watch, an independent, nonprofit organization. Read more stories and donate atsdnewswatch.org andsign up for an email to get stories when they’re published. Contactinvestigative reporter Bart Pfankuch at bart.pfankuch@sdnewswatch.org.
