The exploitation of lithium used in electric vehicle batteries exploded as the world electric car industry developed. However, the mining and renewable energy industries are not as green as imagined.
Squeezing on top of a decommissioned volcano in northern Nevada, workers are preparing to blast and dig holes to mine the first large-scale lithium mine in the United States in more than a decade. According to the New York Times, Lithium is an essential ingredient in the manufacture of electric car batteries and renewable energy. This lithium mine was built on federal rental land and promises to address current US dependence on international lithium supplies. However, this Lithium Americas project was strongly opposed by members of the Native American tribe, the owner of the farm and the environmental groups. The project plans to use billions of gallons of groundwater in the area. In addition, the lithium mine has the potential to pollute for up to 300 years and leave severe consequences and huge waste of waste. The conflict surrounding the Nevada mine represents a new tense problem: Electric cars and renewables may not be as green as they seem. “Blowing a mountain is not environmentally friendly, no matter how much economic expectations people put on it,” said Max Wilbert, who lives at the proposed mine. Demand soared In addition to Nevada, private businesses are proposing other lithium mining sites in California, Oregon, Tennessee, Arkansas and North Carolina. According to the Bloomberg In the first three months of 2021 alone, lithium miners in the US raised nearly $ 3.5 billion from Wall Street, seven times the amount raised in the previous 36 months. This shows that a lithium boom is exploding as the electric car industry is becoming a new trend. Lithium is used in electric car batteries because it is light, stores a lot of energy and can be recharged many times. Analysts estimate demand for lithium will increase tenfold as Tesla, Volkswagen, General Motors and other automakers launch a series of new electric cars. Blasting a mountain is not environmentally friendly, no matter how much economic expectations people place on it. Max Wilbert, a resident of the Lithium Americans mining area. Therefore, the US needs to quickly find sources of lithium when electric car manufacturers accelerate production. Although the United States has the largest lithium reserves in the world, the country has only one large-scale lithium mine, the Silver Peak mine in Nevada. Mining started in the 1960s and produces only 5,000 tons / year – less than 2% of the world’s annual supply. Most of the raw lithium used in the United States comes from Latin America or Australia, which is then processed and manufactured into batteries in China and other Asian countries. The Lithium Americas mine under construction in Nevada is estimated to have a lithium value worth $ 3.9 billion. The operator is expected to start mining operations next year. The largest shareholder of the mine is Chinese company Ganfeng Lithium. However, traditional mining is one of the most “dirty” businesses today. For electric car manufacturers and renewable energy companies, this situation has not improved much. “While its intentions are good, the need for clean energy can do harm,” said Aimee Boulanger, executive director at mining services for BMW and Ford Motor. bigger”. “Dirty” industry On a hillside, Edward Bartell and the ranchers often go out early in the morning to make sure that 500 cows roam the 50,000-acre (202 km2) desert with enough food. Faced with a lithium mining project in the area, his family has never faced such a great threat. Not far from Bartell’s farm, the largest lithium Americans project in the United States is on the horizon. Mining ore will have helipads, chemical treatment plants and waste yards with the depth of the mine up to 112 m. 
Traditional mines are potentially dangerous to the environment, animals and people living in the area. Photo: NYT. Producing raw materials such as lithium, cobalt and nickel often harm the soil, water resources, wildlife and people in the area. Like the competition for gold and oil in the past, governments are taking advantage of minerals to gain future economic and technological dominance. However, in the economic and technological race between great powers, environmental issues are often forgotten. What Barbell was most worried about was that the mine would consume all the water of the cattle. The mining company said the mine would consume 3,224 gallons of water per minute (equivalent to 12,204 liters / min). Thus, the groundwater level in the land where Mr. Bartell is breeding could decrease by about 3.5m. In addition, if the mine targets to produce 66,000 tons of lithium carbonate per year, this mine could cause groundwater to be contaminated with antimony metals and arsenic. Lithium is extracted by mixing clay dug from a mountain slope with 5,800 tons of sulfuric acid per day. The documents show that the entire process produces 354 million cubic meters of waste extracted from sulfuric acid treatment and can contain radioactive uranium. A December assessment by the Ministry of the Interior found that over its 41-year lifespan, the lithium mine would damage nearly 20 square kilometers of antelope and wildfowl habitat. In addition, the mine will destroy the nesting area of a breed of golden eagle and other wildlife. “It was disappointing that the lithium mine was introduced as an environmentally friendly project, when in fact it was just a giant industrial park,” said Mr. Bartell. He filed a lawsuit demanding to stop mining activities. “The war is not fair” So far, the Joe Biden administration has not moved to promote more eco-friendly strategies such as extracting lithium from sea salt water instead of opencast mining. 
People of ethnic minorities protest outside the land management office to protest against the Lithium Americans mining project. Photo: NYT. Mining companies, meanwhile, want to speed up domestic lithium production and push the government to include a $ 10 billion funding program in the infrastructure bill. “If China severs relations with us, the US will face many difficulties,” said Ben Steinberg, an official in the Obama administration, threatened. This war is inherently unfair. After all, the mining units are just capitalists. Maxine Redstar, the leader of Fort McDermitt Paiute and the Shoshone tribe. At the Fort McDermitt Indian Reserve, controversy over the project was even more acute and led to more conflicts. The Lithium Americas mine proposes to hire tribal members as workers with an average salary of $ 62,675 / year. This salary is double the per capita income in the region, but indigenous Indians will pay a huge price for the environment and nature. “After you pollute the water here, what will we drink in the next 300 years? You’re lying!” Said Deland Hinkey, a member of the indignant tribe. Mr. Tim Crowley, vice president of Lithium Americas, pledged that the company will operate responsibly with the local environment, planning to use steam from burning molten sulfur to generate electricity, for example. However, people here still do not trust and fear that mining activities will cause serious environmental consequences. “This war is inherently unfair. After all, the mining units are just big capitalist corporations,” said Maxine Redstar, leader of Fort McDermitt Paiute and the Shoshone tribe.
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