Lithium Royalty wins legal victory in dispute over revenue from Thacker Pass mine in Nevada – by Andrew Willis (Globe and Mail – August 17, 2023)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Lithium Royalty Corp. has won a court battle over a stake in one of the world’s largest lithium projects, the Thacker Pass mine in Nevada, setting the stage for a settlement analysts estimate could be worth more than $300-million.

Toronto-based Lithium Royalty, which has helped finance 32 mining projects, spent the past two years in a dispute with asset manager Orion Resource Partners over a royalty on future revenues from Thacker Pass, which is owned by Vancouver-based Lithium Americas Corp.

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The fighting priest of the Nevada mining camps – by Sean M. Wright (Detroit Catholic – August 14, 2023)

https://www.detroitcatholic.com/

Many Irishmen arrived in California during the California Gold Rush. Among them was the brawny Patrick Manogue (pronounced “Manigan”) — “Paddy” to his friends, one of seven orphaned children.

Born in County Kilkenny in 1831, the young man left college and emigrated to the United States, landing in the gold fields in Moore’s Flat, California. Many disputes occurred among the prospectors in the mining camp, and Manogue was never one to turn his back on a donnybrook. Although only in his early 20s, he stood a muscular six feet, four inches tall. A fair man, Paddy Manogue was often asked to arbitrate these disputes.

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9th Circuit denies bid by environmentalists and tribes to block Nevada lithium mine Scott Sonner (Associated Press – July 17, 2023)

https://apnews.com/

RENO, Nev. (AP) — The latest bid by conservationists and tribal leaders to block construction of a huge lithium mine already in the works along the Nevada-Oregon line was denied by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday.

A three-panel judge of the San Francisco-based appellate court rejected a half-dozen legal arguments the opponents had put forth in their appeal seeking to overturn federal land managers’ approval of one of the projects at the forefront of President Joe Biden’s plans to combat climate change.

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BLM says it erred in approving lithium drilling near Ash Meadows – by Colton Lochhead (Las Vegas Review-Journal – July 20, 2023)

https://www.reviewjournal.com/

The Bureau of Land Management has formally paused a plan to drill for lithium near a desert oasis full of federally protected species, saying the project likely would disrupt the underground waters that feed the refuge.

In a letter rescinding the agency’s previous approval, the BLM said a plan from Canadian mining company Rover Metals to conduct exploratory drilling for lithium just outside of Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge was likely to disturb the region’s groundwaters and cause “significant impacts” to the endangered and threatened species that live inside the refuge.

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A mining company is hunting for lithium — right on the edge of wildlife refuge – by Colton Lochhead (Las Vegas Review-Journal – July 11, 2023)

https://www.gazettextra.com/

LAS VEGAS — The modern-day gold rush in the race to a greener economy is knocking on the door of a long-protected oasis in the middle of the Nevada desert.

Rover Metals, a Canadian minerals exploration company, plans to drill up to 30 deep holes in a remote patch of public land in southern Nye County as it hunts for large deposits of lithium, a key mineral in the production of electric vehicle batteries.

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Site visit: Unearthing the lithium ‘gold rush’ in Nevada – by Henry Lazenby (Northern Miner – July 6, 2023)

https://www.northernminer.com/

While precious metals-focused juniors are working to revive Nevada’s tired Tonopah Silver District, lithium discoveries to the north, west and south of the desert town’s doorstep could again kick the boom-bust local economy into high gear.

Among a handful of prospectors jumping to capitalize on the battery metal’s EV potential are American Lithium (TSXV: LI), Tearlach Lithium (TSXV: TEA; OTC: TELHF), American Battery Technology Company (OTCQX: ABML) and Century Lithium (TSXV: LCE; OTCQX: CYDVF), all emerging as critical players in the region’s nascent lithium mining industry. They want to exploit lithium’s potential while emphasizing sustainability and community engagement, The Northern Miner learnt on a recent tour of the district’s lithium exploration plays.

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NASA opposes lithium mining at tabletop flat Nevada desert site used to calibrate satellites (KTAR News/Associated Press – June 22, 2023)

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RENO, Nev. (AP) — Environmentalists, ranchers and others have fought for years against lithium mining ventures in Nevada. Yet opposition to mining one particular desert tract for the silvery white metal used in electric car batteries is coming from unusual quarters: space.

An ancient Nevada lakebed beckons as a vast source of the coveted metal needed to produce cleaner electric energy and fight global warming. But NASA says the same site — flat as a tabletop and undisturbed like none other in the Western Hemisphere — is indispensable for calibrating the razor-sharp measurements of hundreds of satellites orbiting overhead.

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Thacker Pass lithium project in Nevada faces court in June – by Colin McClelland (Northern Miner – May 9, 2023)

https://www.northernminer.com/

The top lawyer for Lithium Americas’ (TSX: LAC; NYSE: LAC) Thacker Pass project, which is developing the largest lithium deposit in the United States in northwest Nevada, says it could be free of legal challenges by late summer or early fall.

The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is to hear arguments against the project on Jun. 26 and a ruling could be handed down within a few months, according to Laura Granier, a lawyer with Holland & Hart, which represents Lithium Americas.

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Steel & Coal: 10 Historic Mining Towns To Visit In Nevada – by Melody Beck (The Travel – May 2, 2023)

https://www.thetravel.com/

Nevada is a land of contrasts – from the glittering lights of the Las Vegas Strip to the serene beauty of Lake Tahoe. But beyond the flashy casinos, there lies a rich mining history waiting to be explored. The history of mining in Nevada is extensive, with the presence of many historic mining towns still standing today, which give visitors a glimpse into Nevada’s past.

From the famous Comstock Lode to lesser-known but equally fascinating sites, Nevada’s mining towns are worth exploring. The following are ten of Nevada’s most historic mining towns, each of which has a distinctive past and allure. Whether tourists are interested in learning about the state’s mining past or simply looking for a fun day trip, these old Nevada mining towns are sure to impress.

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Tribes want US protection for areas next to the Grand Canyon – by Anita Snow (Associated Press – April 11, 2023)

https://apnews.com/

PHOENIX (AP) — Tribal leaders in Arizona said Tuesday they hope to build on the momentum of President Joe Biden’s recent designation of a national monument in neighboring Nevada to persuade the administration to create similar protections for areas adjacent to the Grand Canyon, which they consider sacred.

“This designation is of the highest priority to the Hopi people,” said Timothy Nuvangyaoma, chairman of the tribe in northern Arizona. “We have to protect the beauty and grandeur of this place many tribes call home.”

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What happened to the atomic test dummies? – by Glen Meek (Nevada Independent – March 17, 2023)

https://thenevadaindependent.com/

St. Patrick’s Day always rocks in Las Vegas, but not like it did 70 years ago when a 16-kiloton atom bomb detonated atop a tower at the Nevada Proving Grounds, 65 miles north of the city.

The March 17, 1953 above-ground nuclear test destroyed or damaged various test objects placed at differing distances from ground zero, including houses, cars and mannequins meant to simulate real people who might get caught in a nuclear blast. The explosion sent a shock wave through southern Nevada and left behind an atom-age mystery: What happened to the life-like mannequins used in the test?

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Nevada lithium mine breaks ground despite Indigenous opposition – by Hilary Beaumont (Al Jazeera – March 15, 2023)

https://www.aljazeera.com/

Los Angeles, California, the US – Construction is under way at the Thacker Pass lithium mine in northern Nevada after a federal court denied opponents’ requests for an injunction. Lithium Americas, a mining company headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, said in a news release this month that workers were drilling at the site and building infrastructure, including water pipelines.

General Motors, which wants United States lithium for electric vehicle batteries, announced earlier this year that it would invest $650m in Lithium Americas if the mine cleared legal and regulatory hurdles.

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New emergency bid to appeal, block huge Nevada lithium mine – by Scott Sonner (Associated Press/ABC News – February 21, 2023)

https://abcnews.go.com/

RENO, Nev. – Conservationists are seeking an emergency court order to block construction of a Nevada lithium mine after a U.S. judge directed a federal agency to revisit part of its approval of the plans but allowed construction to go forward in the meantime.

Four environmental groups want U.S. District Judge Miranda Du in Reno to temporarily halt any work at a subsidiary of Lithium Americas’ mine near the Oregon border until they can appeal her ruling earlier this month to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

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Nevada’s vast lithium deposits offer economic opportunity, difficult decisions – by Daniel Rothberg (The Nevada Independent – February 19, 2023)

https://thenevadaindependent.com/

Nevada, as with other arid parts of the globe such as Chile and Argentina, is awash with lithium. The soft, silvery white mineral is in high demand as a key component of batteries used to power electric vehicles in the transition away from fossil fuel-based economies.

For years, state officials have positioned Nevada as the central node in the domestic lithium supply chain, a place to extract, recycle and market the metal. But the new increasing demand — how it plays out and where mining is permitted — could have major consequences for local communities, the environment, public land and the management of a critical resource: water.

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Thacker Pass lithium mine clears most legal challenges, minus a judge ordered waste rock review – by Jeniffer Solis (Nevada Current – February 7, 2023)

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A federal judge on Monday ordered regulators to reexamine a state permit allowing Lithium Americas Corp.’s Thacker Pass mine to produce and store mining waste on more than a thousand acres of public land.

Chief Judge Miranda M. Du, however, rejected opponents’ claims that the project would cause “unnecessary and undue degradation” to the environment or wildlife, meaning construction of the mine can continue.

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