Lmst

'We cannot exist if we lose the water': In #Honduras, a community resists a #mine polluting the #RíoGuapinol

"#JuanLópez, representative of the Committee for the Defense of Common and Public Goods, told #RadioProgreso that the activists' next step is advocate for the revoking of Inversiones Los Pinares' mining contracts, the environmental license and the exploitation and exploration permit."

by Soli Salgado
October 18, 2022

TOCOA, HONDURAS - "The Río Guapinol that streams through the Bajo Aguán valley in northern Honduras has long been a source of drinking, bathing, cleaning, irrigation and cooking water for the surrounding community in Tocoa.

"In the last few years, the river has also provided an education: how to resist an international mining operation that they say contaminates the river in the name of development; how to confront a seemingly compromised justice system when that #resistance goes awry; and — for the women in particular — how to become leaders of a movement upon the indefinite imprisonment of their husbands and sons.

"Vilma Cruz raised her five children using the river, including a son who wound up spending almost two and a half years in jail for protesting the mining as part of the #Guapinol8, a group whose 2019 arrests and long detentions drew international outrage.

"'We don't feel at peace because our water has been endangered,' she said. 'Now, when I go to the river, I feel my chest swell, like I'm not free.'

A mine emerges, a community responds

"About a decade ago, #InversionesLosPinares, formerly the Honduran #EMCO Mining Company and based in #Tocoa, applied for a concession to build an iron oxide mine in the protected #CarlosEscaleras #NationalPark. Then-President Juan Orlando Hernández authorized the request in 2013, a decision locals said was made without following protocol of consulting residents of the area.

"The #OpenPit #mining project was upstream of the #RíoGuapinol, a channel that stems from the larger #RíoAguan, a river that flows through tropical mountains from the Atlantic on the northern side of the #CentralAmerican country.

"When the Río Guapinol in 2018 started to turn a chocolate brown, locals took that as a cue to act against Inversiones Los Pinares.

"#GuapinolResiste, the local community's movement in response to the mining, said in a 2020 report that even before mining began, the construction of the facilities and roads had polluted both the Guapinol and #SanPedro rivers, affecting 14,000 residents who rely on the water for consumption and domestic purposes.

"'Losing the river would mean buying water, and you can't buy water for everything,' said Leonel George, who serves on the Municipal Committee for the Defense of Common and Public Goods, founded in 2018 in response to the mining project.

"The river, he added, is 'closely linked to life and the existence of everything that surrounds us,' noting that the committee's concern goes beyond the effects that contaminated water would have on human beings to the river's surrounding #forests and #biodiversity."

#JusticeForJuan #GuapinolRiver #WaterDefender #SaveTheForests #DefendTheSacred
#NoMiningWithoutConsent #WaterIsLife #SaveTheRivers #EMCO #InversionesLosPinares
#MunicipalCommitteeForTheDefenseOfCommonAndPublicGoods

[Thread] The next installment from #KleeBenally 's book, #NoSpiritualSurrender.

“The proposition of unplugging from a ‘dirty’ power source and plugging into a ‘green’ one does nothing to address the underlying power relations. It reinforces them.

“‘#GreenEnergy’ sustaining a Green Economy still demands resource #colonialism. From sacred #OakFlat in so-called Arizona where #SanCarlosApache are resisting a massive mine that is estimated to contain enough #copper ore to produce 275 million electric vehicles [#EVs], to sacred #ThackerPass in so-called Nevada where #Shoshone are resisting #LithiumMining, which is necessary for electric vehicle and ‘green’ energy battery production. A single car #LithiumIon battery pack contains 18 pounds of lithium. To electrify every vehicle throughout the world, an estimated 10.4 billion tons of lithium is needed, that is approximately 13 times the existing lithium reserves. The Thacker Pass lithium one is mismated to produce 60,000 tons annually. The proposed project spans approximately 28 square miles that would hold an #OpenPit and a #sulfuricacid processing plant to extract lithium from mined ore.

"The operation is estimated to release 152,713 tons of #CarbonDioxide [#CO2] annually and 400,000 gallons of #water is required for each ton of lithium meaning it will use 1.7 billion gallons annual. The Thacker Pass sulfuric acid processing plant will convert sulfur to leech lithium from raw ore, turned in from sources such as the #AlbertaTarSands, which are 1,500 miles away. The tar sands, located in so-called Canada, are known as the world’s most destructive oil operation.”

Page 138-139

#IndigenousAnarchy
#Ecosystem #DefendTheSacred
#CorporateColonialism #NoDAPL #CriminalizingDissent #WaterIsLife #ClimateDefenders #NoCopperMiningWithoutConsent #NoLithiumMining #CorporateColonialism #NoMiningWithoutConsent #LithiumMining #CopperMining #Greenwashing

#GrassyNarrows #FirstNation taking #Ontario to court over #MiningAct, lack of consultation on land claims

'These practices have to change,' #ChiefRudyTurtle tells news conference at Queen's Park

Sarah Law · CBC News · Posted: Jul 12, 2024

"A First Nation in northwestern Ontario is taking the province to court over its Mining Act, arguing the free-entry system violates its constitutional rights.

"#Asubpeeschoseewagong #Anishinabek, known as Grassy Narrows First Nation, has issued a notice of application in the Superior Court of Justice.

"The legal action says the province's Mining Act does not require prospectors to consult with First Nations before staking claims on their traditional lands. It argues this breaches the First Nation's treaty rights under Sec. 35 of the Constitution and goes against the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples [#UNDRIP].

"According to the notice of application obtained by CBC News, there are about 10,000 mining claims in Grassy Narrows's interim area of interest for mining, which covers more than 2,850 square kilometres — more than four times the size of Toronto.

"Grassy Narrows has had a long history of land defence efforts:

- In 2007, the First Nation declared a moratorium on #industrial activity in its territory until the Crown obtained its consent.
- In 2015, Grassy Narrows people voted against industrial #logging in its territory during a community referendum.
- In 2018, Grassy Narrows enacted a land declaration, which bans mining, staking and exploration activities without consent.
- In 2022, the First Nation marked 20 years of its blockade to prevent #ClearCut logging and mining from happening in its traditional territories.

"Grassy Narrows is one of many First Nations in the region speaking out against exploration activities:

- In April, the #Ojibways of #Onigaming issued a statement objecting to a proposed permit for the exploration of an aggregate pit located off Highway 71.
- In March, Cat Lake First Nation filed a court injunction to pause a #GoldMining company's construction of a temporary winter road leading to an exploration camp for a proposed #OpenPit mine.
- Last August, Kiashke Zaaging #Anishinaabek (#KZA), also known as #GullBay First Nation, issued a public notice to warn mining prospectors away from its traditional territory."

#InformedConsent #FirstNations #Colonialism #CorporateColonialism #Mining #GreenEnergy #CulturalGenocide #IndigenousSovereignty #LandBack #WaterIsLife #Canada #LandDefenders #sovereignty

CBC: Taseko reaches tentative deal with striking Gibraltar mine workers' union

Unifor Local 3018 has been on strike at #Canada's 2nd largest #openpit #copper #mine in #BC since 1 June, and the owner shuttered the facility while negotiations took place.

#Union members will be voting Monday & Tuesday, and has union leadership's support. Taseko has said if members vote in favour, they hope to be working on Wednesday.

#news #labour #BCpoli #cdnpoli

"...we don't want our #CleanEnergy industry killed & we don't want more #OpenPit mining in our mountains. How do we get ourselves organized? What sorts of things are you seeing on the landscape that our listeners might become a part of & express themselves, get themselves heard?"

https://www.podcastics.com/episode/299438/link/

#Climate #Bill20 #abpoli #yyc #yeg

[Gift article] [#Maine] State Lawmakers consider new mining rules that could open door to #LithiumMining

"Some #environmental groups say the rules that would allow for open pit mineral mining provide ample safeguards, but others demand more preliminary testing, smaller pit size limits, stronger reclamation standards and #DarkSkies protections.

"But Eliza Townsend, the [the Appalachian Mountain Club's] conservation policy director, argued that an open pit mine is never going to be anything more than a glorified 'hole in the ground.' Allowing a pit to grow in size would tarnish the unspoiled natural beauty that draws hikers to Maine, especially when the pit is dug into a mountaintop.

"Environmental critics asked lawmakers to require an open-pit mining applicant to use so-called dark sky lighting to minimize the impact on wildlife, neighbors and hikers camping near the #Newry lithium site, including those that use the #GraftonNotch loop trail.

"Some Republicans wanted the committee to approve the rules Monday, arguing the state Legislature had already voted for a mineral mining exemption last year when it voted to amend the mining law and order the drafting of new rules.

"Democrats, however, appeared stung by criticism from environmental advocates who said the committee was considering rules that would open the door to #OpenPit #mining at the same time the legislative calendar had said it would be working on another bill to strengthen the state’s mining law."

https://www.pressherald.com/2024/03/25/state-lawmakers-consider-new-mining-rules/?uuid=e0edb129-e2d0-4a2f-9bd4-49a88f9f4223&lid=10465

#PlumbagoMountain #NewryMaine #LithiumMine #OpenPitMining #WesternMaine #SaveTheForest #WaterIsLife #AndroscogginRiver #Watershed

Geesh. More stuff going on behind the scenes. It could be a full-time job trying to keep track of shifty bills and corporate wheeling and dealing!

Back Track on Mining Regulation:Legislative ENR Committee Poised to Weaken Environmental Protections

Sunlight Media Collective March 24, 2024

"On Monday, March 25, the Maine legislature’s Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) will discuss a new “Zombie Bill” version of #LD1471, a bill that was tabled last year. This bill takes a dangerous U-turn on #EnvironmentalProtections protections for metallic #mining in #Maine. This new version of LD1471 replaces language about strengthening environmental and human health mining protections with language that instead weakens Maine’s mining law and creates a loophole that specifically exempts #OpenPit #LithiumMining from environmental protections in the law.

"Writing a “Zombie Bill” is sneaky, undemocratic politics. The Maine Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) missed the deadline for this legislative session to have the legislature review these new rules regarding open-pit lithium mining. Instead of going through a transparent, democratic process of review in the next legislative session, the #JanetMills administration, pushed by the mining industry and in cooperation with the ENR committee, is bringing this zombie bill forward in an attempt to rush it through without a public hearing.

"We deserve the right to a public hearing and to submit testimony on this legislation, but this undemocratic process takes away our right to do so. There is no online portal available to submit testimony, so please submit comment by email or in person."

Source:
https://www.sunlightmediacollective.org/back-track-on-mining-regulationlegislative-enr-committee-poised-to-weaken-environmental-protections/

#NoMetallicMiningInMaine #NoLithiumMining #NoOpenPitMining #ProtectTheForest #LithiumRecycling

A look at the bills to amend #Maine mineral mining laws in this year’s Legislature

By Kate Cough
February 12, 2023

"All the way back in the fall of 2021, I called a geologist to ask what he thought about plans by the Canadian junior mining company, Wolfden, to dig for zinc and copper up near Patten, just east of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.

We talked about the proposal for awhile, and just before we hung up, I asked the question I ask at the end of every interview, one that almost always elicits an unexpected answer and is often the very best way to find new stories: What didn’t we talk about that you want me to know? In this case it definitely didn’t disappoint: after pausing for a moment, the geologist said well, there’s something interesting going on over in #WesternMaine…

"And thus began my (armchair) adventure into the world of lithium deposits, from the salt flats of South America to the hard-rock mines of western Australia, and, of course, into what is thought to be the world’s richest hard-rock deposit, in the sleepy town of Newry, near the New Hampshire border. A year-and-a-half later the story continues, now with a new player: lawmakers, who have introduced (at last count) ten bills aimed at altering Maine’s mining regulations.

"The bills (I was only able to review the full text of one, as most are still in the Revisor’s office) run the gamut. One, #LR1624, sponsored by Rep. Maggie O’Neil of #Saco, proposes a moratorium on lithium mining, while others (LR 1304, An Act to Promote Sustainable Lithium Mining in Maine, sponsored by Rep. Mike Soboleski of Phillips) are more full-throated in their support of the activity. (It’s worth noting that moratoriums are temporary holds on an activity designed to give regulators time to put in place rules, not permanent bans, as is often thought.)

"Here’s the full list:

- LR 1624, Rep. Maggie O’Neil of Saco: An Act to Ensure a Strategic Approach to Maine’s Energy System by Imposing a Moratorium on #LithiumMining

- #LR420, Rep. Scott Landry of Farmington: An Act to Support Extraction of Common Rock-forming and Rare Earth Minerals

- #LR1121, Rep. Lydia Crafts of Newcastle: An Act to Establish a Commission to Study Mining Materials

- #LR1732, Rep. Nina Milliken of Blue Hill: An Act to Eliminate #Mining Without a Permit

- #LR1304, Rep. Mike Soboleski of Phillips: An Act to Promote Sustainable Lithium Mining in Maine

- #LR2272, Sen. Richard Bennett of Oxford: An Act Regarding #MetallicMineralMining

- #LR2138, Sen. Craig Hickman of Kennebec: An Act to Protect the People from #OpenPit Quarry Mining

- #LR930, Sen. Lisa Keim of Oxford: An Act Concerning Lithium Deposits

"The reason we’re seeing all of these bills, of course, is that Maine’s 2017 mining law prohibits mining for 'metallic minerals' in open pits larger than three acres. The deposit in Newry is already partially exposed, and numerous experts have said that open pit mining (as opposed to an underground shaft) is the only logical way to remove the rocks, which, they also point out, do not pose the same #environmental risks as other types of metal deposits. But all mining poses some risks, and not everyone is on board with the idea of digging #GiantHoles in the earth, even if the end product is an essential part of the transition away from fossil fuels.

"State regulators have acknowledged the risks involved in mining this deposit are different but say their hands are tied: because 'metallic mineral' does not have a commonly-agreed upon meaning in the scientific community, and because legislators did not specifically exclude lithium from the 2017 rules, the Newry deposit should be considered a metallic mineral. (Meanwhile, the Freemans, the gem-hunters who own the land and identified the deposit, are challenging the DEP’s decision in court.)

"Of the lawmakers I spoke to, all expressed a desire to support federal efforts to boost domestic production of critical minerals while ensuring the spirit and integrity of Maine’s 2017 mining law remains intact. (In case you were wondering whether the feds are serious, look no further than a $700 million government loan to a #NevadaLithiumMine announced earlier this week.)"

https://themainemonitor.org/maine-lawmakers-look-to-amend-lithium-mining-laws/

#WaterIsLife #MaineLegislature #MainePolitics #ProtectTheForest #Environment #CorporateColonialism #NoMining #NoOpenPitMining #RecycleLithium

Mention of @centerforbiodiv ! Follow them here on Mastodon!

Lawmakers need statewide #lithium plan, says #conservation group

By: Jennifer Sollis, Nevada Current
February 20, 2024

"There are more than 80 lithium projects proposed on #Nevada’s public lands as the nation races to power the #GreenEnergy transition. Now conservation groups are looking to state lawmakers to establish a rule-making process that would help reduce the establishment of mines in areas of greatest conflict.

"Despite a growing interest in lithium mining, Nevada has not developed a state-level plan for where lithium production should – and should not – be permitted to avoid impacts on local communities and resources.

"The United States produces less than 1% of global lithium production, all from a single facility, Albemarle Corp.’s Silver Peak mine in Esmeralda County, according to the United States Geological Survey. But that may soon change, making a statewide plan necessary, say conservation groups.

"#Mining on public lands requires federal approval. However, state approval is also required for various permits needed to advance mining operations. States — including Nevada — generally regulate waste management, #groundwater use and impacts, reclamation, surface water use, and air quality operating permits.

"Conservation groups argue that those permit requirements give Nevada an opportunity to help shape the future of lithium development in the state.

"Earlier this month, the #CenterForBiologicalDiversity submitted a letter to the Joint Interim Standing Committee on Natural Resources, asking the committee to put forward a bill establishing a rule-making process that would help reduce the establishment of mines in areas of greatest conflict.

"The letter also includes a request that the bill include funding for a study by the #DesertResearchInstitute and state agencies to evaluate lithium resources in the state and determine which can be extracted with the least impact on communities and the environment.

"Lack of data around natural resources isn’t just an issue in Nevada, but nationwide.

"According to the Association of American State Geologists, the United States lacks an effective process for gathering, organizing, compiling, or publicly sharing geologic data that would help in the identification of valuable mineral deposits.

"Data collection on natural resources — like the one suggested by the Center for Biological Diversity — could improve the identification and development of critical minerals, while also identifying and avoiding sensitive resources that may be adversely affected by exploration or mining, according to a recent report on how to improve mining on public lands by the Department of the Interior.

"State Sen. Julie Pazina, the chairperson of the legislature’s Joint Interim Standing Committee on Natural Resources, said the committee has yet to make any determinations for what bill draft requests they’ll make for the next Legislative session in 2025.

"'Over the next year, we will discuss and vet policy with the goal of protecting Nevada’s air, water and land for generations to come,' Pazina said.

"In Nevada, the clean energy transition has been marred by conflict with numerous projects in high conflict areas attracting litigation and public outcry.

"Earlier this year, federal land managers pulled their approval for a controversial lithium exploration project less than a mile from a treasured #wetland habitat after getting hit with a lawsuit and fierce opposition.

"Other mining projects in the state have faced backlash and delays, due to their proximity to #cultural and #ecologically sensitive areas. In one case, a small wildflower has been a source of conflict between conservationists and an #Australian mining company, seeking to build an #OpenPit lithium mine on the plant’s only known habitat.

"Last year, Washoe County commissioners withdrew a permit for a #geothermal exploration project near #Gerlach, after locals voiced fears the project could negatively impact the town’s #water supply, the structural integrity of their homes, and nearby natural hot springs.

"Permitting roadblocks, like the ones in Nevada, have been a major source of frustration for the #Biden administration.

"The potential for conflict in the state due to lithium mining is only growing. About half of the projects currently proposed in Nevada are in Esmeralda and Nye County, surrounding the town of Tonopah, a sizable population center.

"'We support domestic lithium extraction as well, if it is done in the right places and with the right techniques. We oppose business-as-usual mining, dewatering of open pits, pit lakes, excessive water consumption, #extinction of species or severe #degradation of #habitat, and regulatory shortcuts to permit bad mines faster,' wrote Patrick Donnelly, the Great Basin Director for the Center for Biological Diversity, in the letter."

https://thisisreno.com/2024/02/lawmakers-need-statewide-lithium-plan-says-conservation-group/

#WaterIsLife #LithiumMining #EnvironmentalRacism #EnvironmentalDestruction #Extinction #CulturalGenocide #IndigenousLands

A proposed #lithium mine presents a #climate versus #environment conflict

By David Boraks
November 12, 2022

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - “As world leaders meet for another climate summit in Egypt, the U.S. is pushing to mine more lithium for electric vehicle batteries at home. #EVs will help cut pollution from transportation, the nation's largest source of #GreenhouseGas emissions that cause global warming. But there's a tradeoff, as residents have learned near #CharlotteNC, where a big #OpenPit mine is proposed.

“A company called #PiedmontLithium wants to build a mine and processing operation on 1,500 acres in northern Gaston County, about 30 miles west of Charlotte.

“Emily Winter, a community relations coordinator and geologist for Piedmont, leads the way to a large rock outcrop near what someday might be the mine's South Pit.

“'So within this rock, it contains spodumene, the mineral. And that mineral spodumene contains lithium that we can convert to lithium hydroxide that then goes into batteries,' Winter explains.

“Lithium deposits run through the county in a mile-wide north-south band, known as the Carolina #Tin-#Spodumene Belt. For decades in the 20th century, mines here supplied most of the world's lithium, until cheaper sources were found in #SouthAmerica and #Australia. Now the element is in high demand for electric vehicle #batteries, and #investors see an opportunity.

“'There is very little production of lithium raw materials, or any battery raw materials, in the US. The potential's there, but it'll take time to bring it online,' says Piedmont Lithium CEO Keith Phillips.

“When Piedmont Lithium dedicated its new headquarters in the nearby town of Belmont this summer, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis was there. The North Carolina Republican said the U.S. needs its own sources of lithium and lithium processing to counter #China.

“'The Chinese have a stated strategy of being the world's economic and military superpower by 2050. And they don't intend to do that through a great war. They intend to do it by putting their tentacles around the globe, economically,' Tillis said. 'They intend to make sure that the western world is dependent upon them for lithium, for tantalum, for #RareEarthMinerals, so that they can literally beat us by never firing a shot.'

“Tillis said that's why he supports Piedmont Lithium's efforts to open a new mine - as long as it's done in an #EnvironmentallyResponsible way. But that's the catch.

“Piedmont's plans call for four open-pit mines 500 feet deep. That means demolishing houses, digging up #farm #fields and #woods, and disrupting #streams. Some neighbors have sold their land to the company. But others whose property borders the site aren't happy.

“Locke Bell owns 120 acres backing up to the planned South Pit. 'Relative to the proposed mine, I have 4,160 feet of common boundary,' he says.

“Bell is a former district attorney and has been following Piedmont's plans since 2017, when the company approached him about mining on his land. He declined the offer after seeing a detailed map of the proposed mine.

“'Suddenly, I saw these massive mines - open pits... We have enough of that around here that's #toxic already,'' he says.

“He's talking about old lithium mines nearby that closed in the 1980s and 1990s and are now contaminated with arsenic, which occurs naturally in the area's soil and rocks.

“A few miles away on the other side of the mine site, Warren Snowdon has similar concerns. His family's old farm is just across a stream, about 600 yards, from the planned #EastPit. He's helping to lead an opposition group called #StopPiedmontLithium.

“'Our issue is on every front: It's water. It's air. It's light pollution. It's noise. It's traffic. Get us a solar farm. Get us a wind farm,' says Snowdon, who is quick to say he's not opposed to the country's transition to #renewable energy.

“State and local officials still must approve the mine

“Piedmont Lithium still needs key approvals, including state air and mining permits. Both are delayed while the company responds to requests for more information from North Carolina agencies. Piedmont also faces local political opposition.

“Chad Brown chairs the Gaston County Commission, which will have to approve a rezoning for the mine.

“'With the information I have right now, I probably would not call for a vote on this,' Brown says. 'I would have to have tons of more information just for the environmental side, and as far as #AirQuality, #WaterQuality, different things like that.'

“Last year, the commission adopted a 60-day moratorium so it could update its zoning rules to allow a mine. The ordinance has some teeth - it limits blasting and truck traffic, Brown says. But he's not sure Piedmont will be able to get the electricity and water it needs for mining and processing.

“Asked if he thinks the mining project will happen, he says, 'I think right now, you're still at 50-50, just for the simple fact of it's a long way out.'

“Still, Piedmont Lithium's CEO Keith Phillips is optimistic.

“'So the permitting process is more involved, and it will take longer. And our plan, our hope, is that we'll be in production in Carolina in 2026, and will be fully permitted and approved and funded sometime in 2024,' he says.

“While it pursues that goal, the company has a backup plan: It's building a processing plant in #Tennessee with help from a $141.7 million federal grant. And it's counting on mines in #Quebec and #Ghana to supply lithium ore.

“Piedmont's North Carolina neighbors are rooting for that backup plan instead of the open-pit lithium mine in their community."

https://www.npr.org/2022/11/12/1131365516/a-proposed-lithium-mine-presents-a-climate-versus-environment-conflict

#ExtractiveMining #WaterIsLife

Boo hiss! Judge Du did give the tribes another month to amend their complaint.

Judge again rules against #tribes’ effort to stop #lithium mine

By: Jeniffer Solis - November 21, 2023

"A Nevada federal judge ruled against three #NativeAmerican tribes seeking to halt construction of the country’s largest #openpit lithium mine, but will allow them to amend their complaint against the U.S. government.

"In the meantime, construction at #LithiumNevada’s mine near the #Nevada - #Oregon border will continue. Major construction on the lithium mine is scheduled to start in 2024, while production is expected to begin in late 2026, say Lithium Nevada officials.

"In the order, filed earlier this month, U.S. District Judge #MirandaDu dismissed the tribe’s claim that the mine’s approval violates federal preservation law and land policy.

"#Du ruled the three Native American tribes’ failed to prove that the #BureauOfLandManagement did not adequately consult with them, as required by the National Historic Preservation Act, which gives tribes the right to consultation when a project affects areas of #religious or #cultural significance.

"However, the judge gave the tribes a month to amend their complaint, which claims construction of the lithium mine in #ThackerPass near the sacred site of a 1865 massacre violates #FederalLaw.

"The three litigating tribes — #SummitLake #Paiute Tribe, #RenoSparks Indian Colony, and #BurnsPaiute Tribe — refer to Thacker Pass as “Peehee mu’huh” which translates to 'rotten moon' in honor of their ancestors who were massacred by the U.S. Cavalry in 1865 in an area of the pass shaped like a moon.

"In a ruling in 2021, Judge Du said evidence presented by the tribes that a massacre took place in Thacker Pass 'further highlights the shameful history of the treatment of #NativeAmericans by federal and state governments' but 'does not definitely establish that a massacre occurred' within the proposed project site.

"All three tribes claimed the BLM withheld crucial information from relevant agencies and #misrepresented the extent of the agency’s tribal consultation before approving the lithium mine project.

"The government dismissed those claims by arguing they have satisfied federal law by consulting with relevant tribes prior to approving the mine, and by continuing that consultation with tribes after the mine’s approval.

"Du agreed with the government’s argument and dismissed the tribe’s legal challenge, but left room for the tribes to amend their complaint related to the #NationalHistoricPreservationAct and further explain their claim that the BLM was legally required to complete the consultation process before approving the project. Du also gave the tribes space to amend their claim on how the government might have violated the Federal Land Policy and Management Act.

"Part of the tribe’s lawsuit seeking to block construction of the mine is still pending at the 9th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals, where oral arguments will be heard in February [2024].

"Will Falk, representing the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony and Summit Lake Paiute Tribe, said consultation should have been completed before construction began to avoid or mitigate harm to the sacred site.

"Tribal attorney’s on the case are still considering whether to amend the complaint by the Dec. 9 deadline or focus on their pending appeal, said Falk.

"'We are very disappointed that the court is allowing Lithium Nevada to destroy the site of an 1865 massacre of Paiute peoples and a whole Traditional Cultural District before the Bureau of Land Management finished consulting with tribes,' Falk said. 'While #ClimateChange is a very real, existential threat, if government agencies are allowed to rush through permitting processes to fast-track destructing mining projects like the one at Thacker Pass, more of the #NaturalWorld and more Native American culture will be destroyed.'

"The new ruling is the latest in a series of legal setbacks for opponents of the lithium mine. Over the summer, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to vacate federal land managers’ approval of a lithium mine, ruling that the U.S. government took a sufficiently 'hard look' at the project’s impacts before approving it.

"Before that, Du also ruled largely in favor of Lithium Nevada and the Bureau of Land Management in a consolidated case involving claims brought by environmental groups, a local rancher, and two Native American tribes.

"'We’ve dedicated more than a decade to community engagement and hard work in order to get this project right, and the courts have again validated the efforts by Lithium Americas and the administrative agencies,' said Tim Crowley, the vice president of government and community relations for Lithium Nevada, in a statement."

https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2023/11/21/judge-again-rules-against-tribes-effort-to-stop-lithium-mine/

#NativeAmericanHistory #CulturalGenocide #RespectTheTreaties #LithiumAmericas #OpenPitMining

#Paiute #Shoshone Court Date is Friday for Defending Massacre Site from #LithiumAmericas

May 31, 2023

Ox Sam Camp, #ThackerPass, Nevada: "I would like to ask all of you out there to kindly share this for my fellow sister warrior descendant, she stands here for her lineage through her great great grandfather Ox Sam whose family was massacred here at Thacker Pass also known as Peehee Muhu which is translated as Rotten Moon.
Due to recent events of her being served a TPO that is restricting her from accessing her Rights to her unmarked ancestral burial grounds and sacred site at Sentinel Rock by #LithiumAmerica Corporation. She now has to go back and forth to #Winnemucca 150 miles round trip where the court is being held and conducted which adds up a lot of miles and she is still looking for a Nevada attorney preferably pro indigenous rights for her legal issues filed by Lithium America a Canadian Based Corporation. So we're kindly asking you all to share these links to try and get her all the help we can do for her and to help her along as we continue to shed light and love on the current happenings at PeeHee Muhu Ox Sam Camp. (Newe Momokonee Nokutun)
Thank you for Very Much.

"The legal hearing for Dorece, Chuck, Paul, and Max is now scheduled for Friday (June 2nd) at 1:30 pm in Winnemucca. We're asking the court for an extension but it may not be granted. So that's our timeline for now. I'm not sure if supporters will be allowed in the courtroom, but if anyone wants to come out and support us feel free (although I wouldn't want to take people away from camp). For now, that's our deadline for legal representation. The situation is evolving. Thank you."

#SaveThackerPass #CulturalGenocide #IndigenousNews #EnvironmentalRacism #OxSamCamp #Frontline #Biodiversity #Solidarity #Help #Nevada #Environment #Climate #DirectAction #ProtectPeeheeMuhuh #LithiumNevada #LithiumMining #OpenPitMining #OpenPit #Mining

More at:
https://www.facebook.com/Drone.nation2017

Via Censored News:
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2023/05/paiute-shoshone-court-date-is-friday.html

LD 1508: An Act to Ensure a Strategic Approach to #Maine's Energy Transition by Imposing a Moratorium on #Lithium #Mining

Public Hearing and Work Session:
Apr 13, 2023, 1:01pm, Cross Building, Room 216, State House, Augusta, Maine

https://legislature.maine.gov/bills/display_ps.asp?paper=HP0963&snum=131&PID=0

#LithiumMining #OpenPit #MiningMoratorium

#LithiumAmericas and Biden Violating Sacred Ground at #Pauite Massacre Site on #ThackerPass

by Brenda Norrell, Censored News, March 17, 2023

Hazardous chemicals, around-the-clock trucks, hundreds of them carrying toxic materials, and a rail train will destroy this pristine and sacred region

#NativeAmericans #CulturalGenocide #EnvironmentalRacism #IndigenousNews #Mining #OpenPit

What Is #OpenPit #Mining

Definition, Examples, and Environmental Impact

By Rebecca Coffey, Updated July 26, 2022

"Environmentally, open-pit mining is devastating. It consumes enormous amounts of water, heavily pollutes water and air, disfigures landscapes, and permanently destroys habitat. Even after pits are exhausted and sites are rehabilitated, the pit area retains elevated risks of #erosion and #flooding.

"Heavy clouds of dust form during mining operations. Blasting alone is an enormous piece of the problem. In 2018 an international team of scientists publishing in E3S Web of Conferences reported that about 10 billion cubic meters of rock are exploded annually. The resulting clouds transport about 2.0-2.5 million tons of dust.

"The dust from drilling and blasting at some mines is highly radioactive. This is the case, for example, at uranium mines. The problem is not limited to well-known radioactive ores, however, as all ores are #radioactive to some degree.

"Even when it’s not radioactive, dust containing heavy metals can be very dangerous. When it is breathed it can create a variety of respiratory problems including black lung disease.

"The explosives used in blasting release fumes rich in #smog- and #AcidRain-producing gases like highly toxic nitrogen dioxide. As far back as 1973 Soviet scientists reported that the smog can form in the pits themselves.In 2019 Chinese scientists reported that a mine-produced hydrochloric acid mist was caustic enough to corrode concrete.

" One of the most significant problems in open pit mining is also endemic to underground mining. The mineral pyrite is often found in coal mines. It contains sulfur. When pyrite is exposed and sulfur reacts with air and water, it forms an acid. Acidic water as well as any rock-bound heavy metals that the acid has dissolved leach out of the mines and into nearby rivers, lakes, and streams, killing aquatic life and making the water unusable.

"A 2021 study in the peer-reviewed journal Ecological Applications showed the elimination of 40% of the marine animal species in 93 bodies of water downstream from an area of Appalachia that has multiple open-pit mines. Especially problematic in relation to coal mining, acid mine drainage can continue for hundreds of years, even long after the mine has closed."

#OpenPit #Environment #Pollution #WaterIsLife #LithiumNevada #LithiumAmericas #Lithium #ThackerPass #WaterIsLife #PeeheeMuhuh #ProtectThackerPass

An open-pit mine planned upstream of #Boise

Canadian mining company to make another run at exploration for the potential and controversial CuMo Project open-pit mine

by John Robison, March 8, 2023

"In the highlands between Charlotte Gulch and Grimes Creek, Canadian-based mining company CuMoCo is hoping to gain approval from the Forest Service to construct up to 13.3 miles of new roads and drill 259 holes up to 3,000 feet deep for a mining exploration project. This project, called the CuMo Mine Exploration Project, is hoping to find sufficient copper (Cu) and molybdenum (Mo) to justify one of the largest open-pit mines in the world – all within the precious #BoiseRiver watershed.

"In 2011, Canadian mining company Mosquito Gold proposed an extensive drilling plan in the mountainous area in the headwaters of #GrimesCreek. Local and downstream communities were alarmed as mining is the number one #polluter in the United States and even mining exploration can have adverse impacts. The Boise River is a precious resource – it provides more than 25% of Boise’s #drinking water supply and helps irrigate over 300,000 acres of cropland."

#Idaho #OpenPit #Mining #Environment #WaterIsLife #ThackerPass

In a toxin-exposed #Montana #mining town, the #EPA favors #polluters

Scientists say the agency is siding with the companies, even after it acknowledged that open-pit mining in Butte is unsafe and requires major cleanup.

by Wilson Criscione, March 6, 2023

"It’s the result of decades of open-pit mining that continues to this day in Butte. McDermott was stunned at how close the mining pits were to homes and businesses. In town, she noticed parked cars with a film of dust that looked as if ash had fallen from a fire. Her son, who worked for the local newspaper, later told her of children in Butte who had developed mysterious ailments.

"'It just struck me that there’s something very unhealthy going on here,' said McDermott, a professor at the City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy.

"#Butte, a once-booming city, is home to a massive #Superfund site overseen by the Environmental Protection Agency. Past mining has polluted the soil and water in and around Butte, and when Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) abandoned the mine in 1982, it left a pit that’s since filled with water so #toxic that it kills flocks of birds that land on it."

#OpenPit #Environment #Pollution #WaterIsLife

#OpenPit #mining is the WORST! It's been banned in #Maine and other places...

The electric car is here to save the environment — unless the environment in question is atop or around precious minerals like lithium needed in car batteries.

Lithium mine near Oregon border threatens sacred cultural sites

A federal appeals court greenlit a Canadian mining company’s massive open-pit lithium mine near the Oregon border in Nevada on March 1, dealing the latest blow to Native American tribes and environmentalists seeking to prevent mine construction.

by Melanie Henshaw | 7 Mar 2023

- The latest lawsuit alleges the Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, and mining company Lithium Americas violated multiple laws in the planning process and that the project would destroy the site of an 1865 U.S. Army massacre of Paiute people.

- Water and land defenders, protesters who support Indigenous causes to prevent harm to water and land through extraction and development, are also protesting the mine.

- Arlan Melendez, chairman of the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, said the #Trump administration fast-tracked the project, bypassing consultation with tribes but for a single letter sent to the three tribal nations closest to Peehee Mu’huh.

- As part of President Joe #Biden’s efforts to increase domestic production of the precious metals needed in electric vehicles, foreign and domestic mining companies are setting up shop across Turtle Island, applying for permits and beginning the mining process.

#ProtectThackerPass #ProtectPeeheeMuhuh #greenwashing #EVs #lithium #sacredsites #biodiversity #EnvironmentalRacism #CulturalGenocide

@poelterbuxe PSSST! Nicht auch noch auf Ideen bringen...!

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/20112014/hazards-open-pits-storing-wastewater-fracking-focus-new-study/

#fracking #producedwater #openpit #wastewater #groundwater

#OpenPit

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