Oil drilling approved in Killdeer Mountains area

The plan drew opposition from landowners, American Indians, archaeologists and others who fear the drilling will harm the area's beauty and its historical and cultural significance.

Hess wants to drill five miles southwest of Medicine Hole, a site considered sacred by Native Americans, and near the Killdeer Mountain Battlefield Historic Site, where Sioux tribes fought Army soldiers in 1864.

Theodora Birdbear, of Mandaree, told the state Industrial Commission on Thursday that members of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation use the Killdeer Mountains for prayer and that the industrialization would affect the spiritual experience.

"It's kind of equivalent to having an oil well right beside your Catholic church," she said.

State Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms said denying the request would leave in the ground 3.5 million barrels of oil worth about $250 million. Industrial Commission members also said they had a responsibility to private mineral owners who want to see the minerals developed in their lifetimes.