The American Rock Salt procures all of its rock salt from a mine near a historic Seneca village in New York. Photo from ARS

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved a permit to expand operations at a salt mine near a historic Seneca village in New York.

The Seneca Nation and the Tonawanda Band of Seneca Indians were worried about the exposure of ancestors and artifacts at the site. But Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) said protocols have been adopted to address excavation.

Ancestral remains were previously uncovered at the site in the 1990s. The tribes were never told where they were reburied or how they were being protected until a meeting last month. Some artifacts were donated to a museum for study.

American Rock Salt plans to be extend a rail line at the site in order to ship more rock salt for the winter season

Get the Story:
Salt mine gets OK for rail extension (The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle 10/9)
Schumer Says Salt Mine Gets Permit For Rail Extension (WXXI 10/9)

Related Stories:
State kept Seneca tribes in the dark about reburial of remains (09/25)