Road to Thacker Pass continues to be blocked

Land defenders have blocked the road leading to the construction site at Thacker Pass in Nevada

A small group of land defenders have continuously blocked the public road leading to the construction site at Thacker Pass in northern Nevada starting on Thursday, saying they do not want their land to be destroyed.

They are protesting the construction of an open-pit lithium mine being built by the company Lithium Americas. Some say the development at Thacker Pass is critical to creating batteries for electric cars. Native groups in Nevada say the area, called Peehee Mu’huh, is sacred to them.

The demonstration is the latest in a series of fights against the mine by tribal citizens and environmental groups, including a years-long legal battle in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

On Thursday morning, a small group of elders, Native people and supporters put up a teepee and started a prayer circle. The developments were broadcasted on social media by the group Protect Thacker Pass, who live-streamed videos of the group interacting with company officials and police officers.

The same group already blocked construction for the day at Thacker Pass on April 25.

In one video, an employee from Lithium Americas spoke through what appeared to be a moderator for the land defenders, asking for the company’s vehicles and semi-trucks to get through. The moderator responded, after consulting with elders, saying no one related to the mine would be allowed to pass.

The moderator said the land defenders would let anyone “non-mine related” pass through. They also pointed out there are other ways to access the construction site, aside from the road they are blocking.

On Friday, the group posted an update to social media saying they stopped three mine-related trucks by 6:15 a.m. local time.

In another video posted to social media on Thursday afternoon, two police officers approached the group, saying it is a criminal act to block the road. After a brief interaction, the officers left the area, warning if the protest continues, they will be forced to issue citations.

According to Lithium Americas, the area at Thacker Pass is the largest known lithium deposit in the United States. If completed, the mine’s life would be 40 years old.

The area is located within an extinct supervolcano called McDermitt Caldera, which was formed around 16.3 million years ago. After the volcano’s initial eruption, a large lake formed in the basin, which was lithium-rich in the water and clay. The company claims it will develop the area “responsibly,” saying the site will be backfilled with topsoil as it is dug out.

“When completed, the site will be reclaimed, and able to be used, in the same manner it is today,” a video on Lithium Americas website says.

Content from the group Protect Thacker Pass showed a baby bird’s nest right next to the construction site. Land defenders said the habitat would likely be destroyed. Another video shows a Native elder describing a medicinal use for the moss on the rocks.

The land defenders repeatedly pointed out Thursday they are engaging in prayer.

This demonstration in Nevada follows similar actions taken in previous years. In 2016, land defenders stood at Standing Rock against the Dakota Access Pipeline. In 2019, other land defenders protested the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope at Mauna Kea on the big island of Hawai’i.

In 2021, Thacker Pass received a Record of Decision from the U.S. Department of the Interior. However, in several court documents, tribal leaders have said the permit was “fast-tracked” under the Trump administration.

A federal judge is scheduled to hear an appeal from environmental groups in June.

Thacker Pass is the site of a Sept. 12, 1865 massacre that killed at least 31 Northern Paiute men, women, and children by the 1st Nevada Cavalry.