As the first new large-scale lithium mine in the United States in more than a decade is preparing for blasting in Nevada, the project, known as Lithium Americas, is in the courts and has drawn protests from members of a Native American tribe, ranchers and environmental groups.
Questions
- List the bullet point objections to the Nevada mine.
- Why does the U.S. need to quickly find new supplies of lithium? Be as specific as possible.
- During the first three months of 2021, how many dollars did U.S. lithium miners like those in Nevada raise from Wall Street?
- Perform a brief cost benefit analysis using the limited information in the article and other estimates from your research regarding the Lithium Americas project for the U.S.
Source:
Penn, I. and E. Lipton. (2021) The Lithium Gold Rush: Inside the Race to Power Electric Vehicles. The New York Times, May 6 (Retrievable online at https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/06/business/lithium-mining-race.html)