lithium mining

The image is a close-up of fingers holding a tiny stone with a tiny snail on it.

Conservationists and tribes plan to sue federal agency for not protecting western snail

Kaleb Roedel

Conservationists and tribes in the Mountain West say they intend to sue the federal government if it doesn’t take steps to protect a rare snail that is threatened by a proposed lithium mine.

Four people walk on a sunny day on a fresh asphalt road with their backs to the camera. There is yellow grass and rolling hills on either side. Jones’ flag is white, red, and blue with a green circle in the center with a feather inside of it.

Local Stories

Indigenous community members walk, heal, and remember the land where a massacre took place

Lucia Starbuck

A group of Indigenous community members walked roughly seven miles in memoriam of a massacre that took place where a lithium mine is under construction north of Winnemucca on Saturday. KUNR’s Lucia Starbuck was invited to join and document the journey.

An aerial image of a large mining operation on a desert landscape.

Local Stories

New lithium mining method could save ground water resources in Nevada

Sydney Peerman

The race for lithium is heating up in Nevada. There are more than 80 lithium projects proposed for the state's public lands, but our arid environment comes with limitations.

A woman sitting at a desk while looking toward the camera and smiling. There is a screen behind her displaying the U.S. Capitol.

Local Stories

Sen. Cortez Masto reflects on health care, lithium mining, and the Latino vote

Lucia Starbuck

Purple Politics Nevada with Lucia Starbuck is KUNR’s monthly show about Nevada politics and the 2024 election. This episode features Nevada Democratic U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and her health care accomplishments, thoughts on the clean energy debate, and how she says the party can re-energize the Latino vote.

This is an image of a giant wind turbine being lowered by a crane. A man is standing in a bucket truck that's raised up to the turbine.

Energy and Environment

Clean energy job creation in Mountain West varies widely by state

Kaleb Roedel

A new report shows the U.S. has created more than 170,000 clean energy jobs since Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act in August 2022. In the Mountain West, job creation by state is all over the map.

A man in a grey jacket carrying a ceremonial staff made of wood leads a long line of protesters as they march down a street in downtown Reno.

Energy and Environment

Northern Nevada lithium mine draws Native resistance from across the West

Bert Johnson

Backers of the project say it would provide essential materials to build electric vehicles and address the climate crisis, but a coalition of Native American tribes is fighting against it.

Energy and Environment

Conservation group seeks to protect rare snail near Nevada lithium mine

Kaleb Roedel

Conservationists are trying to protect a rare springsnail in the Mountain West before its habitat is impacted by a proposed lithium mine.

Energy and Environment

Nevada tribe claims ‘desecration’ as digging begins at site of planned lithium mine

Kaleb Roedel

The planned Thacker Pass lithium mine in remote northern Nevada has drawn protests and a lawsuit from local tribes. One of the tribes, the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, has increased its efforts to stop the project.

Joe Lombard is dressed in a suit and standing at a podium. Several others are standing behind him while holding signs that say, “Joe Lombardo for Governor” behind him.

KUNR Today: Lombardo raises $800K last quarter, RSIC increases efforts to stop Thacker Pass mine

Kaleb Roedel

Read or listen to the morning news headlines for Friday, April 22, 2022.

A man in a hard hat stands in front of large mining equipment at a mine site.

Business and Economy

Nevada’s mining workforce lags behind as demand for critical minerals increases

Kaleb Roedel

The U.S. mining industry is struggling to produce something vital to its success: new workers. That’s true in Nevada, where the need for more miners is growing as the demand for critical minerals like lithium increases. KUNR’s Kaleb Roedel spoke with Nevada Mining Association President Tyre Gray to learn about the sector’s labor shortage and what’s being done to bridge the gap.