Arizona Tribe Opposes Lithium Drilling on Culturally Significant Lands

In Arizona, members of the Hualapai Tribe are seeking a federal court’s support to maintain a temporary halt on exploratory drilling for a lithium project located near their ancestral lands. These lands have long been significant for the tribe’s religious and cultural ceremonies.

Leaders from the Hualapai Tribe, along with others, are set to give their testimonies on Tuesday in U.S. District Court. This hearing follows a temporary restraining order that was established last month, aimed at halting activities at the drilling site situated roughly midway between Phoenix and Las Vegas. Outside the courthouse, demonstrators are expected to rally in solidarity before the proceedings begin.

This case is part of a broader conflict arising between Native American tribes, environmental advocates, and the Biden administration, particularly as green energy initiatives begin to encroach upon culturally important lands.

The tribe is pushing for a preliminary injunction to continue the suspension of exploration activities while a trial evaluates allegations against the federal Bureau of Land Management. The claims center around the agency’s purported failure to properly assess the potential impacts to sacred springs known as Ha’Kamwe, which translates to ‘warm spring.’

According to the tribe, the springs have served as vital healing and prayer sites for generations, emphasizing their cultural importance in court documents.

In response, attorneys representing Arizona Lithium Ltd. have countered that the tribe’s claims lack substance, arguing that both the federal government and the mining company have provided evidence demonstrating that lithium exploration serves a broader public interest, particularly in relation to tackling climate change.

The company has filed plans to establish 131 drilling sites across approximately a square mile of land (2.6 square kilometers). This exploratory work aims to evaluate whether sufficient lithium ore exists to initiate mining operations, a critical mineral fundamental for manufacturing electric vehicle batteries, among other technologies.

Last year, the largest U.S. lithium mine, currently under construction in Nevada, faced legal challenges. Native tribes and conservationists campaigned against the Thacker Pass project, citing the destruction of sacred lands where U.S. troops killed more than twenty Native Americans in 1865.

Meanwhile, the federal officials are preparing to issue a draft environmental review for another lithium mining endeavor by Ioneer Ltd., an Australian company, located between Reno and Las Vegas. Although no tribes have initiated legal actions against this project, the Center for Biological Diversity has signaled its intent to challenge it legally due to concerns for an endangered desert wildflower.

In their ongoing case, the Hualapai Tribe has expressed concerns that the noise, dust, and vibrations generated from truck traffic, alongside visual disturbances from the planned project, could significantly alter the culturally important landscape. They argue this transformation could make the area unsuitable for traditional cultural and ceremonial purposes.

“Ha’Kamwe’ and the Big Sandy area hold unique value as essential features of the tribe’s culture. There are no alternatives to these sites,” the tribe’s legal representatives stated in recent court filings.

In collaboration with lawyers from Earthjustice and the Western Mining Action Project, the tribe contends that the approval for exploratory drilling contravenes the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.

On the other hand, government attorneys argue that the tribe needs to present sufficient evidence to demonstrate that they likely face imminent and irreparable harm due to the drilling activities.

They have claimed that granting an injunction would result in delays for necessary exploration to determine the viability of lithium deposits within the project area, a setback that they argue would not serve the public interest.

Supporters of the Arizona Lithium project include the Navajo Transitional Energy Company, which announced in 2022 its plans to collaborate with the Australian firm, aiming to expand its role in the burgeoning clean energy economy.

In its own statements, the Hualapai Tribe asserts that the federal land managers’ claims about delays hindering domestic lithium exploration are unfounded. They state that the potential benefits related to renewable energy from this project remain speculative until actual mining operations are proposed.

Furthermore, the tribe argues that their required consultation with federal officials was compromised, as the discussions did not regard the sacred springs as potentially affected areas.