{"id":63546,"date":"2026-04-29T21:14:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T21:14:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ndncollective.org\/?p=63546"},"modified":"2026-04-30T05:10:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T05:10:13","slug":"pe-sla-ndn-collective-files-restraining-order-and-preliminary-injunction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ndncollective.org\/pe-sla-ndn-collective-files-restraining-order-and-preliminary-injunction\/","title":{"rendered":"Pe\u2019 Sla: NDN Collective Files Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction\u00a0– Ongoing, Irreparable Harm to Cultural Uses and Practices Named in Emergency Motions","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"\n

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 28, 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Rapid City, SD<\/strong> \u2013 Last night, plaintiffs in the ongoing lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service (NDN Collective, Black Hills Clean Water Alliance, and Earthworks) filed motions for an emergency temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The motions, filed in the United States Federal District Court for the District of South Dakota, can be viewed here<\/a>. Exhibits supporting the motions can be viewed here<\/a>. Please note, you may need a Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) account to access the documents. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLast week, we became aware that there are at least two active drill pads already operating at Pe\u2019 Sla, both within a zone protected for cultural and religious use,\u201d said Tracey Zephier, General Counsel for NDN Collective. <\/strong>\u201cIt\u2019s clear the project is determined to go full steam ahead within the sixty day window that the U.S. Forest Service has to respond to our lawsuit \u2013 so we filed these motions to stop the drilling before irreparable damage is done to the land.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe believe the graphite drilling project is operating both unethically and illegally,\u201d said Wizipan Garriott, president of NDN Collective. <\/strong>\u201cThis land has been sacred to the Lakota and other tribes for over 2,000 years. We regularly practice ceremony there \u2013 including peaceful prayer, songs, offerings for plant and animal relatives, and sharing of spiritual food. We must act now to stop the desecration of the land before it\u2019s too late.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a water issue, a human rights violation, an ecological threat, a slap in the face to Indigenous peoples, and endangers religious and cultural freedom for everyone,\u201d said Dr. Lilias Jarding, Executive Director of the Black Hills Clean Water Alliance. <\/strong>\u201cEveryone living in Rapid City and Ellsworth Air Force Base, as well as tribal communities and ranchers downstream along the Cheyenne River, should be gravely concerned about the potential this project has to contaminate their drinking water.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NDN Collective, Black Hills Clean Water Alliance, and others have been fighting to protect Pe\u2019 Sla for over a year. They filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service<\/a> earlier this month, mobilized community members to submit thousands of public comments last spring<\/a>, testified against the project at hearings and information gathering meetings, collected over 6,000 signatures on a petition<\/a> calling on the U.S. Forest Service to rescind the permit to Pete Lien and Sons, and educated audiences about the importance of this sacred site through the LANDBACK For the People podcast<\/a>, social media, news interviews, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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NDN Collective<\/em><\/a> is an Indigenous-led organization dedicated to building Indigenous power. Through organizing, activism, philanthropy, grantmaking, capacity-building, and narrative change, we are creating sustainable solutions on Indigenous terms.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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TO REQUEST AN INTERVIEW CONTACT<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

cabot@ndncollective.org<\/h3>\n\n\n\n