One of the largest known lithium deposits in the world has sat undisturbed under the Nevada desert for centuries. Now, a mining giant wants to extract the resource to power electric cars using a potentially harmful method.
Before bringing in its equipment, however, the company will have to go through a blockade of environmental protesters that have been camped out at the site since December [2020]. […]
Right now, Thacker Pass, a section of public land stretching hundreds of acres in northern Nevada, is several environmental permits – and lawsuits – away from becoming a massive open-pit mining project run by Canada-based Lithium Americas. The metal excavated from the planned 18,000-acre site will be used to manufacture rechargeable lithium-ion batteries for electric cars.
But a more sustainable future doesn’t come without its costs: The proposed mining process at Thacker Pass uses sulfuric acid, which could seep into the water supply. The operation also requires tapping into groundwater, which could decrease its availability. Both would impact the ecosystems of several at-risk species, like golden eagles, pronghorn antelope, and Nevada’s state fish, the Lahontan cutthroat trout.
In an effort to protect the land, dozens of protestors from across the country have posted up at the site in freezing nighttime temperatures with heated tents and portable mini-toilets. […]
If allowed to proceed, the Thacker Pass Lithium Project would use a “brining” method that can take 500,000 gallons of water to extract one metric ton of lithium. The water is pumped underground to make lithium clay and other minerals surface, which are then put through a leaching process that separates the raw lithium. Another instance of brine-mining in Nevada harmed fish populations 150 miles downstream from the operation. […]
In some instances, farmers in South America’s “Lithium Triangle,” which consists of Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina have seen their water run completely dry and have had to tap other communities’ supplies because of brine-mining. […]
At the moment, Lithium Americas, which recently raised $400 million for the project, still needs several permits, including air quality and water pollution, from various state and federal regulatory agencies.
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Headline, image, caption, and text published by: Samir Ferdowsi. “Inside the ‘Lithium Wars’ That Could Poison the Nevada Desert’s Water Supply.” Vice News. 5 March 2021.
