Federal judge rules against tribes trying to stop a Nevada lithium mine needed for EVs

A federal judge in Nevada has ruled against a legal effort by Native American tribes to stop construction of a proposed lithium mine, which if completed would be the largest such in the world. 

Three tribes have sued the Bureau of Land Management claiming the Thacker Pass mine, arguing it's near a site of the 1865 massacre in which as many a 50 Native Americans were believed to have been killed by federal soldiers.

According to the Associated Press, U.S. District Judge Miranda Du granted the bureau's motion last week to dismiss that claim, saying in her ruling that the tribes failed to prove the site is where the massacre took place.

Du said the tribes could amend their complaint to argue the agency failed to properly consult them as required by the National Historic Preservation Act.

But having failed in previous such complaints, Du said, “The court is skeptical” an amended one could succeed.

Lithium is a mineral required for batteries and securing supplies is key to the Biden administration’s electric vehicle mandates.