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Voices of the Heartland Independent Film Society booked filmmakers to lead a discussion on the issue following the 6:30 p.m. screenings of “Crying Earth Rise Up!” by Oglala Lakota producer Debra White Plume and “Black Waters” by Black Hills native Talli Nauman.

The Council voted 9-1 against the Canadian company’s proposal for the mining 50 miles west of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, after hearing testimony about treaty rights and children’s health downstream on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation.

“Due to the potential risk to the Madison Aquifer, the city opposes the proposed in-situ mining of uranium in the Black Hills by Powertech Uranium Corp.,” the Aug. 19 resolution states……..

“Crying Earth Rise Up!” by Debra White Plume, explores contaminated water and the impact of uranium mining on the people of the Great Plains. In the making for years, it is now 55 minutes long. Final release is due in 2014.

The documentary film is part of a community engagement project addressing the impact modern uranium extraction has on land, water and social life.

It focusses on current ISL extraction near Crawford, Nebraska, by the Canadian Cameco Corp., one of the world’s largest multinational uranium interests. Located close to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and the Ogallala Aquifer, Cameco’s Crow Butte Mine and proposed expansion is a lesson for forthcoming ventures.

The film addresses questions that have arisen over contaminated water. It shows that mine operators maintain the practice is safe and the proponents assure that energy from uranium is clean, while some residents and geologists claim that the process has fouled groundwater with radon and toxic heavy metals.

In “Crying Earth Rise Up!” with the mine owners seeking permission to expand operations, community members begin to consider mining’s impact on their water supply and the fate of their small town. The film intimately chronicles the parallel stories of ranchers, families, and concerned citizens as they debate the future of uranium mining.

“Black Waters” is a 28-minute historical documentary produced in 1981 about the first time cowboys and Indians of the area joined for a cause, blocking proposed uranium mining in the Black Hills. It is returning to the Dahl Art Center 32 years after it premiered there at the Back Room……. http://climate-connections.org/2013/09/02/rapid-city-backs-tribes-in-uranium-mine-fight/