The global transition to clean energy is accelerating. Belatedly, attention is starting to move to mineral sourcing, particularly whether the necessary critical minerals will be.
While the Ninth Circuit considers the future of the controversial Thacker Pass lithium mine, the utility-scale battery storage industry stands poised either to benefit from an increased domestic lithium supply, or to pivot toward the development of alternative battery technologies, says Riley Nickel at Husch Blackwell.
Earlier this week, the decision in Bartell Ranch v. McCullough generally supported the Bureau of Land Management’s review under NEPA and related statutes of a lithium mine near Thacker.
A Nevada ranch and conservation groups on Tuesday asked a federal judge to strike down the federal government's approval of an open-air lithium mining project, arguing there is no legal basis to allow waste dumps on public lands.