Hot Springs — The Hot Springs City Council on Monday voted to authorize the mayor to sign a letter to the South Dakota Board of Minerals and Environment asking that the permit hearing for Clean Nuclear Energy Corporation’s proposed exploration drilling near Craven Canyon be held in Hot Springs, and agreed to contribute up to $1,957 from the 2026 contingency fund toward costs of moving the hearing.

The action followed a series of public comments from local residents and interveners who said attending the administrative hearing in the state capital would pose financial and logistical hardship. The council approved the motion by voice vote; one councilmember voted no in roll call later in the meeting.

Why it matters: Interveners — individuals and organizations that formally participate in the state permitting process — told the council they have already spent their own money on travel, hotel and legal costs and said moving the hearing would allow more local participation and public scrutiny of potential environmental and water impacts. Council members debated whether the city should use public funds to underwrite relocation costs and whether the expense should be borne by county or tribal governments as well.

Council discussion and public comment: Dozens of minutes of public comment preceded the vote. Intervener Sarah Peterson described the effort and cost to become an intervener and to participate in briefs and discovery, saying, “There are 37 interveners in the Clean Nuclear Energy Corporation permit hearings…we’ve been doing a lot as far as money goes.” Marla Cooley and Gina Parkhurst, both Hot Springs residents and interveners, urged the council to move the venue so residents and property owners could attend without traveling to Pierre.

Several council members said they viewed the matter as regional and countywide but ultimately supported helping ensure local residents can attend. One councilmember said the requested amount was small in comparison with the potential local consequences if exploration led to contamination; another raised budgetary constraints and pointed to prior reductions in other funding requests.

Legal, budget and implementation details: The motion authorized the mayor to sign a letter of support and to contribute no more than $1,957 toward moving the hearing; the identified funding source is the city’s 2026 contingency. Councilmember Bill Lukens voted no in the roll call that followed the motion; other councilmembers voted in favor. The motion’s documentation describes the recipient as the South Dakota Board of Minerals and Environment and the subject as relocation of the public hearing for the Craven Canyon uranium exploration drilling permit.

What’s next: Council staff said the letter will be signed and sent promptly; the mayor offered to provide a signed copy to interveners. The city also indicated it could waive facility rental fees if the hearing is held at the Mueller Civic Center.