{"id":172099,"date":"2025-04-05T15:03:07","date_gmt":"2025-04-05T15:03:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/activist\/mining-the-past-threatening-the-future-2\/"},"modified":"2025-04-05T15:03:07","modified_gmt":"2025-04-05T15:03:07","slug":"mining-the-past-threatening-the-future-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=172099","title":{"rendered":"Mining the Past, Threatening the Future"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

In August 2024, the Hualapai Tribe could finally breathe a sigh of relief.<\/p>\n

After a five-year fight, a US District Court for the District of Arizona granted a temporary restraining order to block a lithium drilling operation that was threatening their land and one of their most sacred sites.<\/p>\n

Big Sandy Inc., the domestic subsidiary of the Australian company Arizona Lithium, formally began exploratory drilling in northern Arizona near Cofer Hot Springs, or Ha\u2019Kamwe\u2019<\/em> \u2014 as the area is called in the Hualapai Native language \u2014 around 2019. It\u2019s an oasis rich in water, in the Big Sandy River basin, where the Mojave and Sonoran deserts meet.<\/p>\n

Ha\u2019Kamwe\u2019, which in Hualapai language means \u201cwarm spring,\u201d is a sacred site for the tribe. For generations, Hualapai elders passed on traditional stories and songs about Ha\u2019Kamwe\u2019, a place they say is so quiet that it\u2019s possible to hear the water sing. Hualapai people have come here for centuries to connect with their land and ancestors and celebrate religious ceremonies.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Water rushes through reeds at Ha\u2019Kamwe\u2019 near Wikieup, AZ.(Ash Ponders for The Margin)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1999, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Western Area Power Authority, an agency within the US Department of Energy, acknowledged the historical importance of Ha\u2019Kamwe\u2019 and classified it as a Traditional Cultural Property eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Nearly two decades later, however, BLM approved Big Sandy Inc.\u2019s exploration project only a few hundred yards from Ha\u2019Kamwe\u2019.<\/p>\n

The Hualapai Tribe took issue with BLM\u2019s approval of Big Sandy Inc.\u2019s exploration efforts, claiming the agency omitted Ha\u2019Kamwe\u2019 in the project\u2019s impact area and did not initially consult the Tribe. In 2024, the Tribe filed a lawsuit against BLM, arguing that the federal government violated the National Historic Preservation Act in failing to provide mitigation measures on the very property it had designated as worthy of such protections.<\/p>\n

The Tribe also argued that BLM violated the National Environmental Policy Act when it failed to take into consideration the consequences mining could have on water resources. An independent hydrologist hired by the Tribe found that the lithium drilling project not only impacted the spring water levels but could also permanently damage Ha\u2019Kamwe\u2019. Following exploratory drilling, the next phase aimed to drill 100 new exploratory core holes, between approximately 1,200 to 4,000 feet from Ha\u2019Kamwe\u2019.<\/p>\n

A preliminary assessment commissioned by the Hualapai Tribe found that this phase could harm Ha\u2019Kamwe\u2019s flow, temperature, and chemistry and \u201cis likely to imminently threaten the aquifer feeding the Ha\u2019Kamwe\u2019 waters, causing irreparable harm and affecting its potential status on the National Register of Historic Places,\u201d court documents read.<\/p>\n

In November 2024, a judge converted the temporary restraining order against Big Sandy Inc. to a preliminary injunction, temporarily halting drilling. Other Tribal Nations saw the District Court\u2019s decision as a sign of hope for their attempts to preserve their ancestral lands.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
BLM land, which overlooks the Ha\u2019Kamwe\u2019 springs and grove, has been subjected to numerous exploratory drillings.(Ash Ponders for The Margin)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cPeople were really happy for us,\u201d said Ka-Voka Jackson, tribal historic preservation officer and director of the Hualapai Department of Cultural Resources with the Hualapai Tribe. \u201cIt was something that was echoed across different Nations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

The good news kept coming to Jackson\u2019s tribe. A couple of months ago, in February 2025, Arizona Lithium withdrew its plan of operations. <\/strong>\u201cWe\u2019re pleased that they withdrew their plan. That means that for now, the sacred sites are protected from drilling and that the community members can continue to use Ha\u2019Kamwe\u2019 in line with their spiritual and cultural practices,\u201d said Laura Berglan, senior attorney at the non-profit organization Earthjustice, representing the Hualapai Tribe.<\/p>\n

Berglan, however, points out that the case \u201cis not finished yet,\u201d as the court still has to rule on how the BLM handled the permitting process. Additionally, Arizona Lithium retains its mining claim on the area, and the company could submit a revised plan of operations or transfer the claim to another company. Whatever the outcome, Berglan says this case will likely influence how federal agencies handle future mining operations. However, she added that the Tribe expects BLM to consult them very early and comply with US law as stated in federal laws.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Popular<\/h2>\n

\u201cswipe left below to view more authors\u201d<\/span>Swipe \u2192<\/span>\n <\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n<\/li>\n
  2. \n<\/li>\n
  3. \n<\/li>\n
  4. \n<\/li>\n<\/ol><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

    Jackson remains cautious and hopeful. To her, the company\u2019s withdrawal of their plan of operations is a temporary win. \u201cWe\u2019re keeping our focus on what matters for us, and we\u2019re ready,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a>
    The lower water table due has dessicated a number of trees in the upper reaches of the Oak Flat, but thousands of the range-restricted and religiously significant Emory Oaks still shade the sacred spaces.(Ash Ponders for The Margin)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    The 19th Century Relic that Still Wounds<\/h3>\n

    The contours of the case have changed since the initial restraining order in August 2024. The new presidential administration came into office promising to dismantle everything from DEI to the EPA. At the end of March, President Trump signed an executive order<\/a> to expedite mining operations on public lands, which environmental groups argue, might lead to a disregard for environmental protections, including shorter timeframes for public comments.<\/p>\n

    Days after this executive order, the BLM published the environmental assessment of the McDermitt lithium exploration project in southeastern Oregon. BLM began working on the assessment three years ago, in 2022, but initially gave the public only five days to comment before proceeding.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThat\u2019s the shortest time period I\u2019ve literally ever seen for public comment on an environmental review,\u201d said Roger Flynn, the founding director of the nonprofit law center, Western Mining Action Project. His organization has represented the public interests on mining issues in the American West since 1993, including the Hualapai Tribe\u2019s case.<\/p>\n

    Late on Monday, March 31, just hours before comments were due, BLM extended the comment period on the McDermitt lithium exploration environmental review in Oregon, giving the public until April 25 to submit comments.<\/p>\n

    \n
    Map of Federally Recognized Tribes and their proximity to mining projects<\/h5>\n