Thacker Pass lithium project
Thacker Pass lithium project is a proposed mine in Humboldt County, Nevada, United States. The project developer is Lithium Nevada, a subsidiary of Lithium Americas.
The project is located on the largest known lithium resource in the United States.[1]
Location
The map below shows the approximate location of the project, 100 km northwest of Winnemucca in Humboldt County, Nevada, United States.
Background
The Thacker Pass area has been disturbed by lithium mining exploration activities since 2007,[2] including excavation of bulk material in an open pit and drill core sampling. The Thacker Pass lithium deposit, previously called the Kings Valley lithium deposit,[3][4] has Proven and Probable Reserves of 179 million tonnes of lithium ore grading 0.33% lithium, being 3.14 million tonnes of Lithium Carbonate Equivalent (LCE).[5][6] As of 2017, the Thacker Pass hectorite deposit was the most significant lithium-clay resource discovered in the U.S. Unlike more conventional brine mining, hectorite clay requires sulfuric acid treatment to separate lithium salts from associated minerals.
Indigenous history
Thacker Pass is called Peehee mu'huh in the Paiute language, meaning 'rotten moon'. This name derives from a massacre that occurred at this location between 1865 and 1889 when a band of Paiute families were killed; their remains were strewn about the moon-shaped Pass and discovered by surviving members of the band during a full moon.[7][8] Members of the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe have stated that their tribe, "descends from essentially two families who, hiding in Thacker Pass, managed to avoid being sent to reservations farther away from our ancestral lands" and hence that this tribe owes its existence to the shelter provided by the Pass.[9]
Initial project approval
In August 2019, Lithium Americas lodged a Plan of Operations for its proposed lithium clay mining development project with the Bureau of Land Management, the federal mining regulator.[10] In January 2020, the company announced the publication of a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Thacker Pass lithium project.[11] On January 15, 2021, BLM issued their decision approving the Thacker Pass Lithium Mine.[12] Opponents of the mine claim the environmental review was rushed, because what is normally a multi-year review process was completed in less than a year.During the permitting process for the proposed Thacker Pass lithium mine in 2020, the Bureau of Land Management consultation with the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe, the Summit Lake Paiute tribe, and the Western Winnemucca Indian Colony resulted in no issue concerning historic property within areas of potential disturbance.[13] Other tribes were not consulted during the review process, leading the Burns Paiute Tribe and the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony to intervene in a lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management and Lithium Nevada Corporation in July 2021.[14][15][16]
Legal challenges
In early February, 2021, a local rancher filed a lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management over concerns about the project's water use.[17] On February 26, 2021, four environmental non-profits (Western Watersheds Project, Great Basin Resource Watch, Basin and Range Watch, and Wildlands Defense) also filed a lawsuit challenging the BLM's permitting of the project, claiming threats to sage grouse habitat, old growth sagebrush, golden eagle nests, endemic springsnails, and Endangered Species Act–listed Lahontan cutthroat trout, bighorn sheep, and pygmy rabbits.[18][19] These opponents of the mine have claimed that the review process was rushed and that the public input process was questionable.[20][17]
Regional indigenous tribes have intervened in the lawsuits against the Bureau of Land Management and Lithium Nevada Corporation. Reno-Sparks Indian Colony requested that the Bureau of Land Management consult them about the mine, stating in a letter that, "Just because regional tribes have been isolated and forced onto reservations relatively far away from Thacker Pass does not mean these regional tribes do not possess cultural connections to the Pass." When the BLM rejected this request for consultation, Reno Sparks Indian Colony, Burns Paiute Tribe, and a committee of Fort McDermitt Tribal members intervened in the lawsuits.[15][14][21]
The Fort McDermitt Tribal Council, who had been consulted during the review process, initially had a project engagement agreement with Lithium Americas but the council responded to a petition from tribal members by voting unanimously to withdraw from that agreement and to sue the Bureau of Land Management for violations of the National Historic Preservation Act in allowing the project to proceed.[22][23]
In July, 2021 a federal judge ruled that Lithium America may excavate archaeological trenches at the site as the environmental groups could not prove what specific damage would be caused by the digging.[24] The digging will be less than 1/4 acre and will be used to determine whether the area is historically important to regional indigenous tribes.[25] The judge also refused to grant three tribes' request for a preliminary injunction to stop the trenching as while she found the spiritual distress persuasive, they did not show sufficiently specific irreparable harm. The digging will require an Archeological Resources Protection Act permit from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management permit.[26]
The judge intends to rule on the overall case in early 2022.[24]
Opposition
Protestors began occupying the site on the day the Record of Decision was issued (January 15, 2021).[27][28] Members of several regional indigenous tribes have protested the mine, citing threats to land, water, wildlife, hunting and gathering areas, and sacred sites.[22][29]
Protesters occupying the site of the proposed mine have concerns about the lack of free, prior, and informed indigenous consent for the project, environmental degradation, human rights violations, and greenwashing of the project.[30][31]
On April 10, 2021, Over 60 people from different reservations in the region came to Thacker Pass to demonstrate their opposition to the mine by praying, dancing, and sharing food with local people and protesters occupying the site. Indigenous people attending that event said there were sacred sites in the area including burials and also a massacre site from which the location derives its name in the Paiute language. They also demonstrated concerns about public health, water quality, air quality, and lack of indigenous consent for the project.[29]
In May, 2021, a group of Ft McDermitt Paiute-Shoshone tribal members calling themselves People of Red Mountain petitioned the United States Department of the Interior and others to halt construction of the lithium mine at Thacker Pass. Their petition states that Thacker Pass is a massacre site, contains ancestral burials, is sacred to their people, and is "essential to the survival of our traditions."[9] The judge ruled that group was not a federally recognized tribe so it has no legal standing.
On June 12, 2021 hundreds of people attended a rally in Reno, NV to protest the Thacker Pass lithium mine.[32]
Responses
Lithium America's CEO Alexi Zawadzki has criticized the protests and reassured concerns about environmental impact. He argued that exploitation of the Thacker Pass lithium deposit would support President Biden’s economic security goals, provide jobs, and help the U.S. reach greenhouse gas emission targets.[33]
Glenn C. Miller, Professor Emeritus of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada Reno wrote "The proposed Thacker Pass mine will be relatively benign in comparison to other large mines in Nevada, primarily gold and copper mines." Miller also stated that no mining below the groundwater level will occur for the first 20 years, though later mining may go below that level. Miller states that there should be an on-going discussion about how the project would change the character of the valley. Miller closes with "The Thacker Pass mine is an important mitigation measure to slowing the U.S. contribution to climate change."[34]
The New York Times reported that, "the fight over the Nevada mine is emblematic of a fundamental tension surfacing around the world: Electric cars and renewable energy may not be as green as they appear".
Mine Details
- Sponsor: Lithium Nevada[35]
- Parent company: Lithium Americas[35]
- Location: Humboldt County, Nevada, United States
- Coordinates: 41.708333, -118.061944[35]
- Status: Proposed
- Capacity, phase 1: 30,000 tonnes per annum[35]
- Capacity, phase 2: 60,000 tonnes per annum[35]
- Total Resource: 532 Million tonnes with 5.9 Mt of LCE at 2,917 ppm Li[35]
- Reserves: 179 Million tonnes (proven and probable) with 3.1 Mt of LCE at 3,283 ppm Li[35]
- Ore type: Battery-grade lithium carbonate (Li₂CO₃)[35]
- Mine type: Surface, open pit (continuous mining)[35]
- Mine depth: 120 meters[35]
- Mine size: 18,000 acres[35]
- Start year: 2022[35]
- Financing:
References
Wikipedia also has an article on Thacker Pass lithium project. This article may use content from the Wikipedia article under the terms of the GFDL.
- ↑ US judge allows Lithium Americas to start Thacker Pass excavation, Mining Technology, July 26, 2021
- ↑ "Final Environmental Impact Statement Thacker Pass Lithium Mine Project Appendix B" (PDF). Bureau of Land Management. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ↑ "Kings Valley". United States Geological Survey.
- ↑ "Global lithium resources" (PDF). uchile.cl. 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2013.[dead link]
- ↑ (1 May 2018) Independent Technical Report for the Thacker Pass Project, Humboldt County, Nevada, USA . Burnaby, BC: Advisian. Report.
- ↑ (1 August 2018) Technical Report on the Pre-feasibility Study for the Thacker Pass Project, Humboldt County, Nevada, USA . Burnaby, BC: Advisian. Report.
- ↑ Price, Austin (Summer 2021). "The Rush for White Gold". Earth Island Journal.
- ↑ Smart, Myron (March 24, 2021). "First Voices Indigenous Radio with Myron Smart and Will Falk". First Voices Indigenous Radio. pp. 16:20 to 18:40. Retrieved 6 Jun 2021.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 People of Red Mountain (May 20, 2021). "People of Red Mountain Statement of Opposition to Lithium Nevada Corp's Proposed Thacker Pass Open Pit Lithium Mine". Sierra Nevada Ally.
- ↑ Cook, Michelle (October 10, 2019). "$1.3 billion lithium mining project takes shape in rural Northern Nevada". The Humboldt Sun. Winnemucca, NV. Archived from the original on December 14, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ↑ Cook, Michelle (January 31, 2020). "$1.3 billion Lithium Nevada project on track for 2020 milestones". Nevada News Group. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ↑ Template:Citation
- ↑ "Kathleen Rehberg's Letter to Reno-Sparks Indian Colony" (PDF). Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER). Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Solis, Jeniffer (August 28, 2021). "Tribes seek pause on development of lithium mine". The Nevada Current. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Scheyder, Ernest (July 28, 2021). Adler, Leslie (ed.). "UPDATE 1-Native Americans win ruling to join lawsuit against Lithium Americas project". Reuters. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
- ↑ Chadwell, Jeri (September 1, 2021). "Judge to rule on another possible injunction for Thacker Pass lithium mine". This is Reno.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Price, Austin (March 4, 2021). "Let's Not Blow Up a Mountain and Call It Green". Earth Island Journal. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Great Basin Resource Watch (February 26, 2021). "Conservation and Public Accountability Groups File Legal Challenge to the Thacker Pass Lithium Mine" (PDF). Retrieved April 17, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Sonner, Scott (March 5, 2021). "Federal lawsuit challenges construction of lithium mine approved during Trump's final days". Reno Gazette-Journal. Associated Press. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
- ↑ Kapoor, Maya (February 18, 2021). "Nevada lithium mine kicks off a new era of Western extraction". High Country News. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- ↑ Bahouth, Brian (August 28, 2021). "Thacker Pass Lithium Mine Udate". The Sierra Nevada Ally.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Bahouth, Brian (April 8, 2021). "Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone tribal members protest Thacker Pass lithium mine". Retrieved April 17, 2021.
- ↑ (April 5, 2021). "Fort McDermitt Paiute-Shoshone Tribe Cancels Agreement with Lithium Mine, Promising Lawsuit". Press release.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Scheyder, Ernest (July 25, 2021). Lewis, Matthew; Adler, Leslie (eds.). "US judge rules Lithium Americas may excavate Nevada mine site". Reuters. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
- ↑ Sonner, Scott (July 26, 2021). "Judge denies environmentalists' request to block digging at Thacker Pass lithium mine". Reno Gazette-Journal. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
- ↑ Scheyder, Ernest (2021-09-03). "Native Americans lose bid to halt digging at Nevada lithium mine site". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Wilbert, Max. "Activists Occupy Site of Proposed Lithium Mine in Nevada". protectthackerpass.org. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
- ↑ "Blockade sought at lithium site". Elko Daily Free Press. January 25, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 Bahouth, Brian (April 13, 2021). "Native Americans converge at proposed Thacker Pass lithium mine site: Four audio interviews". Siera Nevada Ally. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
- ↑ "Thacker Pass Lithium mine approval draws around-the-clock protest". Sierra Nevada Ally. January 19, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Protect Thacker Pass. "Thacker Pass Mine Fact Sheet" (PDF). protectthackerpass.org. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Bean, Jason (June 12, 2021). "Photos: Hundreds gather in Reno to protest the proposed Thacker Pass lithium mine". Reno Gazette Journal.
- ↑ Zawadzki, Alexi (April 28, 2021). "Lithium Nevada Corp's CEO explains the benefits of the Thacker Pass Lithium Project". Sierra Nevada Ally. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
- ↑ Miller, Glenn (July 20, 2021). "The Thacker Pass Mine is Indeed Benign, Compared to Most Gold and Copper Mines in Nevada". Sierra Nevada Ally. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ↑ 35.00 35.01 35.02 35.03 35.04 35.05 35.06 35.07 35.08 35.09 35.10 35.11 Lithium Americas, Thacker Pass, Company Website, accessed September 26, 2021
