Tesla, Rivian, Lucid Motors, and Ford are leading the Great Switch to electric vehicles — with the Biden Administration definitely on board, the U.S. begins to envision a post-oil society. However, the “oil” of this new age has already caused great controversy. Lithium, a resource necessary to make EV batteries, is causing an uproar among environmental activists.
Lithium Americas is one company that intends to mine lithium in the U.S. for electric vehicles. The company’s subsidiary, Lithium Nevada Corporation, drafted a proposal earlier this year to begin mining an extinct Nevada volcano. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management approved the proposal. Lithium Americas CEO Jonathan Evans said:
“It’s the largest-known lithium deposit in North America, so given where we’re going globally and as a country, it’s a unique opportunity.”
Mining is anticipated to begin in early 2022, but activists groups and tribal nations have been voicing their frustration over the project since far before its approval. 🚨 Three different lawsuits initiated by Native American tribes were struck down to maintain the mining operation. Meanwhile, environmentalists are camping at the Thacker Pass volcano site in Nevada to protest lithium mining.
Max Wilbert is one of the environmental activists camping in Nevada. He said “A lot of us understand blowing up a mountain for coal mining is wrong; I think blowing up a mountain for lithium mining is just as wrong.”
Other pro-environment figures like Glenn Miller, a former professor of environmental science at the University of Nevada Reno, disagree with the protests. Miller thinks EV benefits outweigh mining costs. He commented:
“Radical environmentalists are going to argue that the only way to solve the climate change problem is to drive a whole lot less and to not burn gasoline or coal. Well, that’s not going to happen — the demands of society are set so we’re going to have to have an active transportation industry.”
We’ve covered rising lithium prices in the Rip before. Previously, we talked about how Asia currently pays nearly twice as much as it was last year for the prized metal. Lithium Americas could make considerable coin, even at lower prices in America (at least, as long as those prices last.) Lithium Americas estimates that the company will be be mining at Thacker Pass for 46 years, pulling billions worth of lithium out of the mine per year. 🔥
Here’s CNN with the full feature.