BLM Sierra Front-Northern Great Basin RAC to meet in July
CARSON CITY, NEV. – The Bureau of Land Management will hold a meeting of the Sierra Front-Northern Great Basin Resource Advisory Council (RAC) on July 15 and 16. The meeting will be held at the BLM’s Winnemucca District Office at 5100 East Winnemucca Blvd., in Winnemucca, Nevada. Due to health concerns, the meeting will be via Zoom, or in person if conditions allow at the time of meeting. The public is welcomed to attend the meeting, or participate virtually via Zoom video conferencing, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. PST on July 15, and from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on July 16.
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Thacker Pass, which is located in Humboldt County in northern Nevada, is soon to be the home of an open-pit lithium mine. Located within the McDermitt Caldera, this mine stands to be one of the largest deposits of lithium in the United States. It was passed as a final directive of the Trump Administration.
On Dec. 4, 2020, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released their final environmental impact statement that resulted in the approval of the mine, stating that the proposed plan for the mine “.is not anticipated to affect any threatened or endangered species or significant scientific, cultural, or historical resources, as these resources are either not present or the effect will be mitigated.” Located in the Nevada Department of Wildlife’s (NDOW) Game Management Unit 031, the area is home to antelope, California bighorn sheep, mule deer and sage grouse. Opponents of the mine fear the impacts to the fish and wildlife that l
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February 15, 2021
On Thursday, Bartell Ranch LLC and its owner Edward Bartell filed a complaint in the District of Nevada against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and its Winnemucca District Manager over the decision to approve the Thacker Pass Lithium Mine Project. The complaint reported that the “disturbance area” for the large open pit mine would be over 5,000 acres and the project area would cover 17,000 acres of BLM land.
The plaintiff is a Nevada company with private land in the area. According to the complaint, Bartell Ranch has a federal grazing permit and water rights that “are imminently threatened with irreparable harm” through the construction and operation of the mine. The plaintiff also purported that the mine causes a threat to fish, wildlife, and habitats in the area, specifically the habitat of the endangered Lahontan Cutthroat Trout and Greater Sage Grouse.
Humboldt River Field Office issues a Record of Decision for the Thacker Pass Lithium Mine
Orovada, Nev. The Humboldt River Field Office issued a Record of Decision approving the Thacker Pass Lithium Mine proposed by Lithium Nevada Corporation. The project would include 5,700 acres of public lands within the project area located approximately 17 miles northwest of Orovada and 53 miles north-northwest of Winnemucca in Humboldt County.
The project will employ approximately 1,000 employees during construction and 300 employees once fully operational. Lithium is identified as essential to the economic and national security of the United States. It has several uses but one of the most valuable is as a component of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Lithium consumption has increased significantly in recent years because rechargeable lithium batteries are used extensively in the growing market for portable electronic devices and in electric tools, electric vehicles, and grid storage