Protect Thacker Pass
We are a grassroots collective resisting the planned Thacker Pass lithium mine in northern Nevada and working to protect the land.
Why is Thacker Pass important?
- Thacker Pass, known as Peehee Mu’huh in Paiute, is sacred to regional Native American tribes. Two massacres took place in Thacker Pass (in 1865 and in pre-history), and the land is still used today for ceremonies, traditional hunting and gathering, and educating young Native people. ➡️ Read more about sacredness and Lithium America’s involvement in human-rights violations in Argentina.
- Thacker Pass is critical wildlife habitat for threatened, endangered, and endemic species including the greater sage-grouse, pronghorn antelope, Lahontan cutthroat trout, golden eagles, Crosby’s buckwheat, and old-growth sagebrush habitat. ➡️ Read more about wildlife and habitat impacts.
- The Thacker Pass mine is based on lies and “greenwashing.” Lithium Americas Corporation is pretending that blowing up a mountain, destroying sacred sites, harming wildlife, releasing 150,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually, and burning more than 11,000 gallons of diesel fuel per day is “green.” ➡️ Read more about greenwashing and the lie that this is a green mine.
- The mine project would suck more than 4 million gallons of water per day from an over-pumped aquifer in the driest state in the country, and pollute water and air with uranium, antimony, and other toxic substances. ➡️ Read more about water and air pollution.
- This project is a threat to democracy. If this mine is built, it will make a mockery of democracy through expedited permitting, flawed scientific analysis, corporate-government backroom collaboration, truncated public commenting, and inadequate tribal consultation. ➡️ Read more about the government’s complicity.
What’s the status of the mine?
After an expedited permitting process under the Trump administration, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approved Lithium Americas Corporation’s plan to build a massive lithium mine and refinery at Thacker Pass on January 15th, 2021.
Construction has been repeatedly delayed due to our protest camp (which was on-site from the day the project was approved until October 2021), lawsuits, and concerted opposition from regional Native American tribes, environmental organizations, and the local farming and ranching community.
The ongoing lawsuits to stop the project are expected to culminate in a decision in winter 2023. Will Falk, co-founder of Protect Thacker Pass, will be arguing in front of the judge as attorney for the Reno Sparks Indian Colony. But these lawsuits are not everything. We are using many strategies to fight this mine, and expect the battle for Thacker Pass to continue for some time.
Learn More and Take Action
- Sign up for action alerts
- Follow us on
- Donate
- Contact Us
- Latest Video Updates
- History of Thacker Pass (and video)
- Essays and Op-Eds
- Past Media Coverage
Recent updates
Protect Our Water Protectors
Dean Barlese, elder and spiritual leader from the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, prays at Thacker Pass (known as “Peehee Mu’huh” in the Paiute language) on April 25th, 2023 during a non-violent action halting construction of an open-pit lithium mine. Photo by the author....
Press Release: Thacker Pass Protectors File First-Ever “Biodiversity Necessity Defense” in Nevada CourtPress Release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thacker Pass Protectors File First-Ever “Biodiversity Necessity Defense” in Nevada Court Also pursuing “Climate Necessity Defense” and making allegations that mining company has violated their rights. Attorney: “They’re not criminals; they’re...
New report outlines how mining harms communities and the planet
Today, Protect Thacker Pass is announcing the release of a new comprehensive report, “How Mining Hurts Communities.” The report focuses on the growth of mining and especially rapidly growing demand for lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and other metals for use in...