PIEDMONT, S.D. (MITCHELLNOW) Residents in the small Black Hills city of Piedmont say they were blindsided by state approval of a massive limestone mining project set to surround their community. According to South Dakota News Watch, Wyoming-based Simon Contractors received state approval to operate a 300-acre limestone mine through 2043 without notifying local officials or residents. The lack of public input stems from South Dakota’s mining laws and Meade County’s absence of zoning regulations. Mining could begin as soon as August. For more Government stories from MitchellNow.com, Click Here.