Environmentalists seek to block Nevada lithium mine needed for EV batteries
Jun 28, 2023
By Karah Rucker (Reporter), Jack Aylmer (Producer)
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Conservationists and tribes urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
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Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
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Appeals court to hear challenges to lithium mine from environmentalists, tribes
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Conservationists and tribes urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
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Court to hear appeal over Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine opposed by tribes, environmentalists
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Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
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Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
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Court to hear appeal over Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine opposed by tribes, environmentalists
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Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
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Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
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Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
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Court to hear appeal over Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine opposed by tribes, environmentalists
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US appeals court to hear appeal over Thacker Pass lithium mine
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Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
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Court to hear appeal over Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine opposed by tribes, environmentalists
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Court to hear appeal over Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine opposed by tribes, environmentalists
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Court to hear appeal over Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine opposed by tribes, environmentalists
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Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
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Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
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Court to hear appeal over Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine opposed by tribes, environmentalists
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Court to hear appeal over Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine opposed by tribes, environmentalists
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Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
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Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
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Court to hear appeal over Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine opposed by tribes, environmentalists
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Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
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Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
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31 other sources covering this story
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Leaning Right
5
Last Updated
10 months ago
A decision by a federal district court judge to permit the construction of a massive lithium mine in Nevada, despite the project’s failure to comply fully with federal law, is now facing backlash. Environmentalist groups and Native American tribes have challenged the ruling in federal appeals court, claiming it represents an illegal overexertion of authority.
Referred to as the “Thacker Pass mine,” the district court acknowledged in March that federal land managers had violated the law in approving certain aspects of the mine’s construction. Yet despite this acknowledgment, the court refused to revoke the project’s operation plan, which has sparked concern among opponents who view it as a dangerous precedent that allows illegal mining plans to move forward with the expectation that they will be addressed later.
“This is the first time in public land history that we have a major project violating a number of provisions but is allowed to go forward,” said Roger Flynn, the director of the Colorado-based Western Mining Action Project.
Native American leaders have joined the opposition, objecting to the mine’s planned construction on what they consider sacred lands. The proposed location sits on the site where U.S. soldiers massacred dozens of tribal members in 1865.
“It’s going to directly affect my people, my culture, my religion, my traditions, it’s literally desecrating a massacre site of my people,” Daranda Hinkey, a member of the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe, said. “And I’m worried that these environmental issues and these cultural issues are directly going to affect my children, the children after that and children after that. And to me that’s cultural genocide.”
Conservationists are also expressing worries that the project’s construction will result in groundwater pollution and damage the habitat of the near-threatened sage-grouse bird species, as well as other local wildlife.
However, attorneys representing the mining company, Lithium Nevada Corp., argue that their client has invested heavily in efforts to mitigate the mine’s environmental impact. Both the company and the Bureau of Land Management, the federal government agency that approved the mine, have denied that this project will cause serious harm to wildlife.
Lithium Nevada Corp. claims to have already invested over $8.7 million in the environmental analysis and permitting process, even making alterations to the original proposal to relocate construction away from environmentally sensitive areas. Additionally, the company will be required to set aside over $47 million in financial assurance to guarantee revitalization of the site after the mine closes.
“There were no short cuts. There was no expense spared, no corners cut when it comes to mitigation,” Laura Granier, a lawyer for Lithium Nevada Corp., said.
“As a responsible steward of the environment, we are focused on reducing our energy consumption and our priority is to sustainably manage water resources by limiting its use and safeguarding its quality,” Lithium Nevada Corp. said on its website. “Thacker Pass has been engineered to minimize the environmental footprint, by avoiding sensitive environmental habitat and employing the best available environmental control technologies.”
This legal battle unfolds against the backdrop of the Biden administration’s push to promote electric vehicles, for which lithium extraction plays a crucial role. If the mine’s construction proceeds, it is projected to produce enough lithium for over 1.5 million electric vehicles annually over the next four decades, generating an estimated annual profit of $1.5 billion.
Media Landscape
This story is a Media Miss by the right as only 23% of the coverage is from right leaning media.
Learn more about this dataLeft 68%
Center 9%
Right 23%
Bias Distribution
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Conservationists and tribes urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
Click to see story on Associated Press News
Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
Click to see story on abc News
Appeals court to hear challenges to lithium mine from environmentalists, tribes
Click to see story on npr
Conservationists and tribes urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
Click to see story on Star Tribune
Court to hear appeal over Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine opposed by tribes, environmentalists
Click to see story on Alaska Highway News
Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
Click to see story on North Shore News
Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
Click to see story on Lakeland Today
Court to hear appeal over Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine opposed by tribes, environmentalists
Click to see story on Mountainview Today
Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
Click to see story on Burnaby Now
Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
Click to see story on Delta Optimist
Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
Click to see story on Coast Reporter
Court to hear appeal over Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine opposed by tribes, environmentalists
Click to see story on Flin Flon Reminder
Court+to+hear+appeal+over+Biden-backed+lithium+mine+opposed+by+tribes%2C+environmentalists
Click to see story on Arizona Capitol Times
US appeals court to hear appeal over Thacker Pass lithium mine
Click to see story on Reno Gazette-Journal
Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
Click to see story on westernwheel.ca
Click to close
Court to hear appeal over Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine opposed by tribes, environmentalists
Click to see story on Washington Times
Court to hear appeal over Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine opposed by tribes, environmentalists
Click to see story on Financial Post
Court to hear appeal over Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine opposed by tribes, environmentalists
Click to see story on MY Northwest
Click to close
Far
Right
+0
Click to close
Untracked Bias
Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
Click to see story on Richmond News
Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
Click to see story on AlbertaPrimeTimes.com
Court to hear appeal over Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine opposed by tribes, environmentalists
Click to see story on St. Albert Gazette
Court to hear appeal over Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine opposed by tribes, environmentalists
Click to see story on My Mother Lode
Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
Click to see story on Rocky Mountain Outlook
Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
Click to see story on Airdrie City View
Court to hear appeal over Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine opposed by tribes, environmentalists
Click to see story on Vancouver Is Awesome
Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
Click to see story on Powell River Peak
Tribes and conservationists urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine
Click to see story on cochraneeagle.ca
Click to close
31 other sources covering this story
Total News Sources
31
Leaning Left
15
Center
2
Leaning Right
5
Last Updated
10 months ago
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