Fight Against Lithium Mining on Sacred Land Rages in Nevada

Daranda Hinkey stood in front of one of the world's greatest lithium mines on a windy afternoon in northern Nevada, where her family has lived for centuries - the location where, as she puts it, "there's so much lithium that makes people puke at the mouth."

Thacker Pass

The area known as Peehee Mu'huh - or Thacker Pass - could be a lucrative resource for companies hoping to cash in on the electric vehicle revolution (lithium can be used to power rechargeable batteries), Hinkey and her peers believe large-scale mining operations could irreversibly damage one of her community's most sacred sites.

"It's like building a lithium mine on the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery." "It's simply not right," she explained.

Near least 31 Paiute tribal members were killed in a massacre at Thacker Pass in 1865. Ox Sam, Hinkey's great-great-great grandpa, was one of just three people who survived.

Local Tribes Fighting for the Area

Thacker Pass is essential in the everyday life of local Indigenous tribes since it is where they gather traditional foods, medicines, and supplies for holy rituals and their historical importance. Today, Hinkey and hundreds of other local tribal members and ancestors are camping near the proposed lithium mine to defend the site as a form of protest against mining in the region. Some members of her alliance have even abandoned their jobs to spend more time on the ground. Although the number of campers changes daily, Hinkey stated they want to stay until the mine is shut down. While she and her colleagues are looking into legal alternatives, the group is wondering what will happen next - if their protest will impact Nevada, a state that is positioned to be critical in the move away from fossil fuels. They aren't giving up, though. "I believe people still regard us as "savages" in some manner." We continue to utilize and care for the land. They perceive it as a sign of weakness, while we see it as a sign of strength."

Increasing Lithium Demand

According to the Department of Energy, the worldwide lithium-ion battery industry is predicted to rise by a factor of five to ten in the next decade, owing to the increasing demand for electric cars and their application in personal devices and renewable energy storage. Despite having one of the world's greatest lithium deposits, the United States is not a prominent participant in lithium production. As part of an effort to gain a bigger portion of the lithium-battery supply chain, the Biden administration has urged investment in "safe, fair, and sustainable domestic mining operations."

Lithium Mine

Lithium Nevada, the firm proposing the lithium mine, believes that fully operational, the project at Thacker Pass will generate around 60,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate per year, more than ten-folding US lithium carbonate production.

Legal Battle

Mining opposers are well aware that the judicial system may finally work against them. They're exploring direct action techniques like those demonstrated at Standing Rock during the Dakota Access pipeline protest.

"It's incredibly easy to imagine that if we simply say the right things, fight the right things, have the greatest attorneys, we'll win these things, and this would go away," Will Falk, a lawyer representing the People of Red Mountain and one of the original campers at Thacker Pass, said.

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