Lithium Americas Corp. announced on Thursday that it began construction of the largest lithium mine in the United States in Humboldt County, Nevada, after a court denied the latest attempt by tribes and environmental groups in their yearslong effort to block the project.
The announcement comes after the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals denied a request on Wednesday to temporarily stop the project.
The lithium mine has the potential to be North America’s largest source of lithium for electric vehicle batteries, reducing the United States’ dependence on Chinese supplies for the metal.
The Bureau of Land Management approved the $2.2 billion Thacket Pass lithium project in January 2021. The mining operation would cover 5,000 acres with an open pit as deep as a football field….