Environmentalists seek to block Nevada lithium mine needed for EV batteries – By Karah Rucker (Straight Arrow News) / June 28, 2023
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.
