From our partners at Great Basin Resource Watch. Outreach and Program Coordinator Chelsey Hand, and Executive Director John Hadder.
As many of you know, the Thacker Pass project is an expansive lithium mine proposed by Lithium Nevada Corp. in Humboldt County just south of the Montana Mountain Range (see photo below). It would desecrate sacred traditional lands of the Paiute and Shoshone people, affect living conditions and livelihoods of the nearby agricultural communities in Orovada and Kings River Valley, and present a host of water, air, and wildlife issues.
View of the Montana Mountains near Thacker Pass. Credit: Kelly Fuller
In January 2021, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued a Record of Decision approving the Thacker Pass Mine. This process was fast-tracked--meaning the decision for its approval, along with the analysis that is required under the National Environmental Policy Act, were completed on a much shorter timeframe than is typical for the permitting of a mine in the United States. Lithium Nevada has failed to receive or request community consent for the project from neighboring residents and Tribal communities. This fast paced analysis and decision for approval were made despite deep concerns from local communities, as well as an array of wildlife and other issues. For these reasons and more, Great Basin Resource Watch filed a lawsuit alongside Western Watersheds Project, Basin and Range Watch, and Wildlands Defense on February 26th, 2021, over the Bureau of Land Management's permitting of the mine.
Ranching near the community of Orovada, NV. Credit: Ian Bigley
Then, on May 27th 2021, the environmental litigants filed a preliminary injunction alongside to attempt to suspend all ground breaking activities at the Thacker Pass site until the full case could be ruled on in court. They were not granted the Preliminary Injunction. As Western Watersheds Project attorney states about this recent decision, "We are disappointed in the court's ruling allowing the company to dig up and remove cultural and historical artifacts, but mine construction is not slated to begin until next year, and the court stated that it would rule on the merits of the case by then. Due to the various legal errors in the Bureau of Land Management's review and approval of the mine, we look forward to briefing on the merits of the case in the coming months."
Around the same time as the preliminary injunction hearing, the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony and Atsa koodakuh wyh Nuwu (a group of Paiute and Shoshone people from the Fort McDermitt and Duck Valley reservations) filed to intervene in the lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management. Their motion to intervene has been granted, and they have filed their own injunction to stop ground breaking activities at the site. Their hearing has not happened yet. For more information on the latest legal update, read here.
Local rancher Edward Bartell's expansive 900 acre field of Great Basin Wild Rye. Credit: Houston Kempton
On June 24th 2021, several members of Great Basin Resource Watch visited northern Nevada and the proposed Thacker Pass mine site. Members conversed with local ranchers, community members, and protesters in order to gain a better perspective and understanding of the impacts the mine will have on the lives of nearby residents. One rancher detailed the severe effects that the installation of the Thacker Pass mine would have on streams running through his property, and consequently his ability to provide water and food for livestock.
Furthermore, Great Basin Resource Watch has heard from locals that although the mine may be beneficial for the economy at a county level, many residents in the directly affected agricultural community feel as if they will not personally receive any benefits. In fact, many feel strongly that the mine will ultimately be a detriment to them economically as it degrades the ecosystem and local natural resources...and that the approval of the
mine will harm their livelihoods and drastically alter their current way of life. The photo below displays local rancher Edward Bartell and GBRW Director John Hadder discussing various topics on the site of an invaluable and untouched 900 acre Great Basin Rye field. The field is utilized seasonally to feed Edward's cattle, and is most likely one of the largest expanses of wild rye in the region. It is threatened by the mine's dropping of the water table.
Edward Bartell (left) & John Hadder (right) discussing the potential impacts that mining will have on local waterways and the regional agricultural community. Credit: Houston Kempton
Great Basin Resource Watch will continue to assist and advocate for the protection of natural resources, as well as disproportionately affected communities. We will also proceed to bring you updates on the situation surrounding Thacker
Pass, other developments regarding Nevada's mining industry, and threats to natural resources within the Great Basin. If any additional information is desired regarding Thacker Pass, feel free to contact our Outreach and Program Coordinator Chelsey Hand or Executive Director John Hadder.
For more you information you can also read our full article detailing Thacker pass at the Great Basin Resource Watch website.