https://www.miningweekly.com
Environment|Mining|Motors|PROJECT|Waste|Environmental|Waste
Environment|Mining|Motors|PROJECT|Waste|Environmental|Waste
environment|mining|motors|project|waste-company|environmental|waste

US judge orders fresh review for Thacker Pass lithium project

7th February 2023

By: Reuters

  

Font size: - +

A US judge on Monday ordered regulators to reconsider part of the permit approving Lithium Americas' Thacker Pass lithium mine project in Nevada, though the mixed ruling rejected claims that the project would cause unnecessary harm to the environment or wildlife.

The proposed mine would be North America's largest source of lithium for electric vehicle batteries and a key pillar in President Joe Biden's efforts to wean his country off Chinese supplies of the metal.

General Motors signed a $650-million deal last week to help develop the project, an agreement that hinges in part on a positive outcome in the long-running court case.

In a 49-page ruling, Chief Judge Miranda Du of the federal court in Reno, Nevada, ordered the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to determine whether Lithium Americas has the right to dump waste rock at the site.

Du, however, did not vacate a 2021 decision by former President Donald Trump to approve the mine. The ruling can be appealed.

Much of the US mining industry is ruled by an 1872 law that gives companies wide berth to extract metals on federal lands. However, a court ruled last year that miners do not necessarily have the right to store waste rock or erect buildings on federal land not containing valuable minerals.

Du ordered the BLM to determine whether roughly 1 300 acres at the Thacker Pass site where Lithium Americas hopes to store waste rock contains lithium. Du did not issue a time limit for the new review. Federal officials had told the court last month that they did not believe fresh studies were warranted.

Du also rejected claims from the Reno Sparks Indian Colony and other Native American tribes that they were not properly consulted about the project and its potential effects on cultural and historical sites.

The favorable ruling by the federal court leaves in place the final regulatory approval needed in moving Thacker Pass into construction, Jonathan Evans, CEO of Lithium Americas, said in a statement.

The company said it intends to work closely with the BLM to complete the required follow-up.

Representatives for General Motors, the Reno Sparks Indian Colony and several environmental groups did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

Edited by Reuters

Comments

Showroom

Environmental Assurance (Pty) Ltd.
Environmental Assurance (Pty) Ltd.

ENVASS is a customer and solutions-driven environmental consultancy with established divisions, serviced by highly qualified and experienced...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Hanna Instruments Image
Hanna Instruments (Pty) Ltd

We supply customers with practical affordable solutions for their testing needs. Our products include benchtop, portable, in-line process control...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Hyphen, Eva mine, ferrochrome price make headlines
Hyphen, Eva mine, ferrochrome price make headlines
27th March 2024
Resources Watch
Resources Watch
27th March 2024

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.068 0.1s - 93pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now