"In reality," said McKinney, standing on the scene among old grown sagebrush. When I go, there's a big hole there and everything is left there. "
"Holy Land"
From 1975 to 1987, Chevron USA searched for uranium at the crater of an extinct volcano. Caldera research has started. Lithium is found.
Ten years ago, with demand for lithium on the rise, Lithium Americas began its own research at this site to find federal and state public ownership. We have begun to take the necessary steps to approve local mines. It also launched local community outreach, providing 1,000 jobs during construction and then 300 full-time jobs at the mine itself, while also providing superior services to Northern Nevada residents.
When asked about its contact with Native American groups during the development of the mining project, Lithium America stated that it would be the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Fort McDermitt Paiute and 2017 to 2020. Shoshone over the years. No specific meetings with other Native American groups are documented, but three events are documented at Winnemucca, which is more than 50 miles from the mine site where the Winnemucca Indian Colony is located.
In a statement, a Lithium America spokesperson said, "The benefits of our project, especially jobs and economic development, will and should be felt in these communities. Our development.”
Part of the approval process was to have the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which owns the property, conduct an environmental impact assessment. In addition to predicting the effects of mines on air, water, and soil, the agency also requires federal law to warn neighboring Native American groups of potential risks to "significant religious, spiritual, or sacred sites." need to ask about
In December 2019, BLM sent letters to leaders of the Fort McDermitt Tribe, Summit Lake Paiute Tribe, and the Winnemucca Indian Colony asking for their concerns about the impact on the sacred sites. The letter was attested, as shown in court papers, and the Secretariat requested a return receipt. BLM released a final impact statement in December 2020.
On January 15, 2021, five days before the Trump administration resigned, BLM approved his Thacker Pass project. In his release, Lithium America's Evans said the decision was "the culmination of more than a decade of hard work by the Thacker Pass team, BLM and other federal, state and local agencies. It is.” One of them, she worked tirelessly to ensure their commitment to environmental stewardship and community involvement.
Within four weeks, rancher Edward Bartell filed a lawsuit in federal court against his BLM, and the legal battle continues to this day.
Bartell argued that the impact statement did not accurately assess the impact of the mine and its acid plants on water-limited areas. According to the impact statement, the entire state of Nevada is suffering from "severe drought" conditions, which will result in mines using approximately 3,000 gallons of water every minute. Bartell said the mine would undermine his water supply and ranch productivity and threaten trout and bird habitat.The government has defended its assessment and methodology, saying it complies with protocol.
Environmental groups joined Bartell's lawsuit and agreed with Bartell's concerns about water use, pollution and habitat destruction, despite the climate benefits of green cars. did.
"The bottom line is that any mine, especially an open-pit mine, destroys the habitat that's out there," says John Hader, executive director of Great Basin Resource Watch, a local environmental group. said Mr. "Environmental impacts occur automatically, which by definition make the environment less green."
