Conservationists and an advocacy group for Native Americans are suing the U.S. to try to block a Nevada lithium mine they say will drive an endangered desert wi
FILE - In this photo provided by the Center for Biological Diversity, Tiehm's buckwheat grows in the high desert in the Silver Peak Range of western Nevada about halfway between Reno and Las Vegas, June 1, 2019, where a lithium mine is planned.
It is the latest in a series of legal fights over projects President Joe Biden's administration is pushing under his clean energy agenda intended to cut reliance on fossil fuels, in part by increasing the production of lithium to make electric vehicle batteries and solar panels.The new lawsuit says the Interior Department's approval of the mine marks a dramatic about-face by U.
Rita Henderson, spokeswoman for Interior's Bureau of Land Management in Reno, said Friday the agency had no immediate comment. The lawsuit says the mine will harm sites sacred to the Western Shoshone people. That includes Cave Spring, a natural spring less than a mile away described as "a site of intergenerational transmission of cultural and spiritual knowledge."
When proposing protection of the 910 acres of critical habitat, the service said "this unit is essential to the conservation and recovery of Tiehm's buckwheat." The agency formalized the designation when it listed the plant in December 2022, dismissing the alternative of less-stringent threatened status.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Italian Americans, Native Americans in Chicago open dialogue over Columbus Day controversiesBefore Monday's Columbus Day Parade, Italian Americans and Native Americans in Chicago are trying to come together to open a dialogue over the controversy that has surrounded the holiday for years.
Read more »
Feds award Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium nearly $75M to address climate change impacting Native communitiesFeds award Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium nearly $75M to address climate change impacting Native communities
Read more »
Feds award Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium nearly $75M to address climate change impacting Native communitiesIn what is being called a “historic investment,” the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium was awarded a nearly $75 million federal grant to help almost 100 Alaska Native communities impacted by climate change.
Read more »
North Texas Native Americans want their voices heard ahead of 2024 presidential electionBefore anyone can understand the relationship urban Natives have with politics, they must understand the history of the Indian Relocation Act.
Read more »
Medicaid will cover traditional healing practices for Native Americans in 4 statesThe new coverage includes practices such as music therapy, sweat lodges, and drumming, which are integral to Native healing traditions and have proved helpful for addiction among other health issues.
Read more »
Medicaid will cover traditional healing practices for Native Americans in 4 statesThe new coverage includes practices such as music therapy, sweat lodges, and drumming, which are integral to Native healing traditions and have proved helpful for addiction among other health issues.
Read more »