Federal wildlife officials list the small snail, found only in high desert springs near a giant lithium mine being built along the Nevada-Oregon border, as an endangered or endangered species. They agreed to conduct a full year-long investigation to determine whether they should.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says in a study published Thursday in the Federal Register that groundwater pumping required to operate the Tucker Pass mine could push the Kings River Pirgue to the brink. He said there was sufficient scientific evidence to justify the reconsideration sought by activists. of extinction.
However, officials said of the new discovery that “we do not expect this species to be at immediate risk.”
NASA opposes lithium mining in the Nevada desert, essential for satellite calibration
The Western Watershed Project has filed a formal petition for listing in September 2022, saying the tiny snails, no bigger than the tip of a ballpoint pen, have been forced into new territory due to livestock grazing, round-hunting and anticipated mining. They argued that the mines were at risk even before such mining was even considered. Impact of climate change.
Expanding domestic production of lithium is a key part of President Joe Biden’s blueprint for a greener future with less dependence on fossil fuels. Global demand for key elements in the production of electric vehicle batteries is predicted to increase six times by 2030 compared to 2020.
Last October, the Idaho-based group sent a formal notice to the Interior Department stating that it intended to sue if it did not expedite its review under the Endangered Species Act.
Kings River Pilg, a spring nail found in 13 isolated springs around Tucker Pass, 320 miles northeast of Reno, Nevada, is seen on a rock on April 7, 2022. (Lynn Buckner, via AP)
“Without ESA protection, this unique spring nail will become another victim of the lithium boom,” Paul Ruprecht, Nevada’s Western Water Seeds project director, said in a statement Thursday.
The wildlife agency said the new findings provide substantial scientific evidence, including the potential impact of open-pit mine operations deeper than the length of a football field on springs home to the snails, about 200 miles to the northeast. or based on any proprietary or commercial information. Reno.
The study also confirmed that snails are currently only known to exist in 13 isolated springs within a 15-mile radius of Tucker Pass and the Montana Mountains in Humboldt County.
“The petition states that all 13 known springs occupied by the Kings River Pilg showed signs of habitat disturbance during a 2018 survey, and the flow of the four occupied springs has already been altered. “This is reliable information,” the authorities said. The report said other threats include “livestock grazing, roads, drought, climate change, and the Tucker Pass lithium mine.”
Lithium Americas, the company developing the mine, said it is conducting significant research and plans extensive monitoring to prevent potential harm.
“Based on more than a decade of data collection, federal regulatory impact assessments, and judicial reviews, there is no indication that Spring Nail will be affected by the Tucker Pass project,” said Tim Crowley, the company’s vice president of government and external affairs. ” he said. .
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“We support this additional investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and reaffirm that we are building a project that will not impact the snails and is environmentally responsible,” he said in an email to The Associated Press. I am confident that it will be done.”
Environmentalists and Native American tribes spent two years in federal court unsuccessfully challenging the plan, arguing that it would also destroy priority habitat for endangered grouse, a major migratory corridor for pronghorn antelope, and nesting habitat for golden eagles. It ended in success.
The Paiute and Shoshone tribes also claim the mine is being built on sacred land at Tucker Pass, where more than 20 of their ancestors were massacred by U.S. forces in 1865. But the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last July that the Bureau of Land Management violated land management regulations. There was no law when the project was approved in 2021.
