Lithium Mine Ruling May Will Help US Combat Climate Change but Could Devastate the Indigenous Tribes Already Impacted by Environmental Injustice

The fate of the biggest, planned lithium mine in the U.S. is now in the hands of a federal judge. The proposed mine is on a remote piece of federal land along the Nevada-Oregon border. It’s seen as key to boosting domestic electric vehicle production. But some Native American tribes say the land is sacred, and they’re suing to stop it…

Tribal activists marching through the snowy streets of Reno this week led by a man holding a traditional eagle staff – elders carried signs reading, mining isn’t green and keep your Indigenous rights…

Inside the courtroom, lawyers for the tribes accused federal land managers of skirting environmental law and trying to greenlight the mine in the final days of the Trump administration. So far, the Biden administration has not moved to stall it. During a three-hour court hearing yesterday, the mining company Lithium Nevada’s attorney, Laura Granier, said Congress required the Bureau of Land Management to prioritize developing critical minerals needed for the energy transition…

A government attorney insisted that the federal BLM followed all environmental laws carefully before issuing an initial permit. Thacker Pass is the largest known lithium deposit in the U.S. Industry analyst Cameron Perks of Benchmark Mineral Intelligence says the judge’s decision will be a defining moment, setting the tone for whether lithium mining takes off in the U.S. or stays overseas, making the country more vulnerable to supply chain disruptions…

This case puts the Biden administration in a bind. The country needs lithium to make its transportation system cleaner and reduce carbon emissions to combat climate change. But the president has also pledged to right historical wrongs in Indian country.