PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — Changes made to a South Dakota law earlier this year are forcing huge reductions in environmental reclamation bonds for some limestone mining businesses and in the process are causing heartburn among some members of the state board that regulates them.
On Thursday the South Dakota Minerals and Environment Board followed those revisions to state law and released a handful of large bonds that had been posted by two Rapid City companies. They totaled $294,500 for Pete Lien & Sons and $1,563,300 for Simon Contractors of South Dakota .
The companies mine limestone for use in concrete and other purposes. Their statewide bond amounts will now drop to $20,000 apiece until mid-2025 as a result of what the Legislature did…