Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities


** Lithium companies trying to work around 150-year-old mining law
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Tuesday, June 13, 2023
Open pit mine in Nevada / Bureau of Land Management via Flickr ([link removed])

In Nevada, mining companies looking to extract lithium on public lands are trying ([link removed]) to work their way around limitations of a 151-year-old mining law, halting the construction of several projects, including the massive Thacker Pass lithium mine.

In a 2022 court ruling known as the Rosemont decision, a U.S. appellate court decided that while the General Mining Law of 1872 allows companies to mine on federal land where economically valuable minerals are present, they do not have the right to dump waste rock on federal land without valuable mineral deposits. Opponents of the ruling have described ([link removed]) the decision as a departure from long-held mining practices, while others recognize it as a plain reading of a law that is far too outdated ([link removed]) to govern modern mining practices.

“It’s not surprising that a law that dates 150 years is not a law that we should be operating under to address public lands,” said Mark Squillance, a professor of natural resources law at the University of Colorado. “It’s just kind of shocking that nothing has happened yet to deal with this issue. It’s long past time to do so.”

In addition to contesting limitations of the 1872 law, Nevada mining companies are also facing off ([link removed]) against the interests of NASA in a House hearing over land in Nye County. In April, the federal government withdrew over 22,000 acres of public lands from mining and drilling because the land has been used to calibrate climate-studying satellites since the 1990s. 3PL Operating Inc., a Nevada-based lithium-mining company, is scheduled to testify against this decision.


** BLM Restoration Landscapes: Humboldt O'Neil Basin
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In celebration of the Bureau of Land Management’s $161 million investment in Western landscape restoration projects ([link removed]) , Look West is highlighting a different " ([link removed]) Restoration Landscape ([link removed]) " ([link removed]) each day for 21 days. Today’s landscape is the Humboldt O'Neil Basin in Nevada. An investment of $6 million will build on the success of collaborative efforts to protect features of this landscape, including high densities of sage-grouse and movement corridors for big game.
Quick hits


** A lot is still unknown heading into high-stakes negotiations on the future of the Colorado River
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CPR News ([link removed])


** How to open a national park for the summer season
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New York Times ([link removed])


** Colorado River officials weigh how to cut water, include tribes ahead of looming negotiations
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Colorado Sun ([link removed])


** In May, wind and solar generated more power than coal
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks declaration that corner crossing is 'unlawful' scrutinized
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Billings Gazette ([link removed])


** Opinion: Fishlake National Forest is vulnerable to irresponsible development. Here’s how we protect it
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Deseret News ([link removed])


** Bison management group discusses deadly winter for Yellowstone bison
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Daily Montanan ([link removed])


** Some Colorado 14ers will remain closed to the public unless a new coalition can change the law
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Denver Post ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” This (river) is the lifeblood of the American West. I think it’s important to recognize that taking more than it gives will only hurt us in the end.”
—Becky Mitchell of the Colorado Water Conservation Board, Colorado Sun ([link removed])
Picture this


** @USFWS ([link removed])
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All I want is snuggles, but all I got is struggles.

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