"Landmark Case Sparks Call to Revoke Approval for NV Lithium Mine"
Lawyers representing environmentalists, tribes, and ranchers have urged a U.S. appeals court to vacate the approval of a Nevada lithium mine at Thacker Pass, arguing that it violates federal mining law. A U.S. district judge previously concluded that the Bureau of Land Management violated federal law when approving the mine's plan to bury public land under waste rock without determining the company's mining rights. The court's decision may hinge on a precedent-setting case that found mining companies cannot use federal land without valuable minerals for related purposes. The mine's opponents also argue that the environmental review was rushed and that meaningful consultation with tribes was not conducted.