Construction will soon begin on a mine that is reportedly expected to be the largest source of lithium in the United States. The mine is seen as key to Joe Biden’s $2 trillion clean energy plan, which will power a ramp-up of electric vehicles in the country.
On Monday, a U.S. District Court judge dismissed most of the legal challenges filed by environmentalists, ranchers and indigenous peoples, ruling the federal government’s decision to approve the Thacker Pass mine in 2020. supported that they were mostly not in error. However, Chief Justice Miranda Du agreed with one of the protestors’ claims, noting that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) had the right to deposit waste rock on 1,300 acres of public land for Lithium Americas Corporation. A new investigation has been ordered to be completed to determine if a mining project wants to use it as a waste site.
The land may not be validly claimed as a waste site under current U.S. mining laws because the waste site may not contain valuable minerals, Du ordered. The Mining Act of 1872 requires that all claims to public lands be verified before mining projects receive federal approval. That means Lithium America will have to provide evidence that valuable minerals were found at the proposed Sucker Pass waste site in order to restart the project.
The review could delay the project’s primary construction schedule by up to six months, but that doesn’t appear to be a major concern for Lithium Americas. Reuters reported that the company met with BLM today to initiate a review. The company’s chief executive, John Evans, told Reuters that Lithium Americas called Du’s order to conduct a review “a simple fix” because lithium had been previously found throughout the project area. Said he was thinking
Calling it a triumph for the mining project, Evans confirmed that mining site preparations would begin immediately and predicted that large-scale construction would be underway by this summer.
In the order, Du rejected allegations that the project could disturb wildlife, degrade air quality and groundwater resources, and overlook Thacker Pass’s cultural significance to local tribes, stating that the BLM determined that the environmental and cultural impacts had been adequately considered before approving the project.
Ars was not immediately able to reach BLM for comment. Lithium Americas linked Ars to a statement the company posted today saying it is working closely with BLM to investigate the waste site and sees no reason to further delay construction.
“The favorable federal court ruling confirms that Thacker Pass’s permitting process was thoroughly and responsibly conducted, and as a result, nothing will prevent construction from starting,” Lithium Americas said in a statement. Says.
