- Written by James Clayton & Ben D’Errico
- BBC News
The area around Tucker Pass in the Nevada desert is thought to contain the largest lithium deposit in the United States.
Nevada’s high desert near the Oregon border contains vast deposits of lithium, a metal essential for making electric car batteries.
President Joe Biden wants to eradicate the problem. But his quest is dividing a community that is usually on the same side of the political debate.
Environmentalists and indigenous peoples disagree on whether to support this new rush for “white gold” or vehemently oppose it.
“The entire environmental community is divided on this issue,” said Glenn Miller, former director of Great Basin Resource Watch, a local environmental charity that opposes the mine.
In March, the miners moved to a stunningly beautiful area called Tucker Pass, 4,000 feet (1,219 meters) above sea level. There is a sagebrush valley formed by an ancient volcano and surrounded by rugged mountain peaks.
After years of legal battles, Lithium Americas finally won mining rights to the area.
Mr. Biden has made it clear that he wants the United States to become a world leader in electric vehicles, and that he wants the key lithium to be mined in the United States.
Last year, he said the United States would have to import “nearly 100%” of its lithium from countries such as Australia, Chile and China.
But some environmentalists say increasing lithium mining is the wrong approach.
opinions are divided
“The fact is that mining operations are causing significant damage to the environment, and we have to be very careful about how we allow these activities,” said John Great Basin Resources Watch Director. Hader says.
“We can reduce demand for minerals just by changing our habits. What really concerns me is that we are losing opportunities to do other things to address climate change,” he said. says.
The mine caused a rift within Hadar’s group.
Mr. Miller resigned from the board last year after expressing support for the mine.
“I think climate change is very important and lithium is very important for the electrification of the transportation industry,” he says.
Mr. Miller is a former academic at the University of Nevada. Some of his research has been funded by Lithium Americas, but he denies it has anything to do with his position on mining.
”[Some] Environmentalists will say we should drive less, we shouldn’t use anything that requires raising these metals. “No one would do that,” he says.
James Clayton (left) speaks with Tim Crowley
Tim Crowley, vice president of government affairs at Lithium Americas, says he considers himself an environmentalist.
He has been a mining advocate in Nevada for the past 20 years, and has had numerous confrontations with environmental activists who oppose mining projects.
And this sector is not just for environmentalists.
“It should be made into a historic site.”
Sentinel Rock is called Nipple Rock by some locals because of its unusual formation. Every year, a group called the Red Mountain People come here to commemorate their ancestors who are said to have been killed at Tucker Pass.
The Shoshone-Bannock and Paiute tribes believe this area is the site of an 1865 atrocity.
“The U.S. cavalry drove people into this area where the mines were being dug right now, and they were slaughtered by the U.S. cavalry,” said Kyla Farrell-Smith, a member of the Red Mountain People. . .
“This is a tragedy and should be a historic site… Unfortunately, businesses didn’t listen to that,” she said.
Tribal members gather near Sentinel Rock at Tucker Pass.
Opponents argue that while the land is owned by the Bureau of Land Management, the tribe claims it was stolen from local residents and that local members should decide how to use it.
Lithium Americas won in court, arguing there was no evidence that a genocide occurred at the site.
Crowley also pointed out that some local Native Americans already work in the mine and are supportive of the project, something Kaila also accepts.
This is an incredibly remote area, and well-paying jobs are rare.
But for people like Kayla, the history of colonialism is still fresh.
Kyla Farrell Smith at Sentinel Rock
She believes the Tucker Pass mine is a textbook example of “green colonialism.” This colonialism is a concept in which indigenous peoples are once again being ignored, this time in the name of preventing climate change.
“It’s not the people who fly around the world on jet planes. It’s not fair,” she says.
“There must be more.”
The mine itself is still in its early stages. Lithium will not be produced here until at least 2026 and will be sent to General Motors.
The people of Red Mountain are now worried that this mine is just the beginning. There is plenty of lithium here, and several companies want to mine it.
Crowley has been quite open about Lithium Americas’ ambitions for the region.
“There must be more. [lithium] If you want to be self-sufficient, come to America. We have to develop more, we have to develop more,” he says.
If he’s right, this entire region of incredible natural beauty could be contaminated by lithium mines in the name of saving the planet.
