The federal decision approved the construction of the largest lithium mine in North America

schwit1 shared a report from NPR: A U.S. appeals court has rejected a last-ditch attempt to block the construction of North America’s largest lithium mine on federal land in Nevada, citing damage to tribes. In its decision on Monday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decided the US government Lithium did not violate federal environmental laws when it approved Nevada’s Tucker Pass mine. In the waning days of the Trump administration. Lithium is a key component of electric vehicle batteries, and the Biden administration has not reversed the decision despite pressure from West Coast Paiute tribes and environmentalists. He continued to stand up for the mineLocated on remote federal land near the Nevada-Oregon border.

Several local tribes and environmental groups have tried to block or delay the Tucker Pass mine for more than two years. Among their arguments was that federal land managers acted quickly without proper consultation with Indian Country. Rick Eichstadt, an attorney for the Burns Paiute Tribe, said: “They accelerated this project during the Covid period and they mainly chose three tribes. month. But in a decision by a Ninth Circuit judge, it was found that after the mining was approved by federal land managers, some tribes considered the land sacred. Full construction of the mine is expected to begin in earnest this summer.