(The Center Square) – A court-ordered analysis released by the U.S. Department of Interior means a proposed Nevada lithium mine can move forward.
A DOI solicitor’s opinion released this week lays out “approaches that applicants may take to site waste rock and tailings facilities on federal lands under the General Mining Act of 1872,” the agency said.
“Today’s Opinion will support the timely review of mining proposals on federal lands and is one step of many the Department of the Interior is taking to update guidance for mining companies to reflect the realities of the 21st century,” said Deputy Secretary Tommy Beaudreau.
The DOI also announced the court-ordered analysis for the proposed Thacker Pass lithium mine in Humboldt County near Nevada’s border with Oregon.
Earlier this year, a federal court upheld approval of the lithium mine while ordering the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to do an analysis of mineralization on claims used for waste rock and tailings, Reuters reported.
“BLM has updated the record to reflect evidence of mineralization on nearly all of the claims underlying the waste and tailings sites,” the DOI said in its statement.
Waste rock is considered the primary and most prevalent waste in mining operations. Tailings, meanwhile, are a byproduct of mining.
