A federal appeals court refused Wednesday to block construction of the largest lithium mine in the U.S. while it considers claims by Nevada conservationists and tribes that the government illegally approved it in a rush to produce raw materials for electric vehicle batteries.
Construction was under way Wednesday, company spokesperson Tim Crowley confirmed in an email to The Associated Press. Reserves at the Thacker Pass mine, expected to begin production by the end of 2026 about 200 miles northeast of Reno, would support lithium for more than 1.5 million electric vehicles per year for 40 years, the company said.
“By the time our general appeal to the Ninth Circuit is heard, irreversible damage to the environmentally and culturally sensitive area known as Thacker Pass will have occurred unnecessarily,” John Hadder, director of the Great Basin Resource Watch, said after Wednesday’s ruling. Du ruled in Reno on Feb. 6 the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management complied with federal law — with one exception — when it approved plans for the mine in January 2021. On Friday, she refused the request for an injunction pending appeal.