WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Mark Amodei (NV-02) introduced legislation to reverse the Department of the Interior’s recent withdrawal of 22,684 acres of Bureau of Land Management land in the Railroad Valley of Nye County, Nevada, from all forms of mineral development. He also introduced a House Resolution to disapprove of the withdrawal.
Of this legislation, Amodei stated, “Railroad Valley is home to an abundance of critical minerals that can help boost the American economy, strengthen domestic supply chains, and reduce our dependence on foreign adversaries. That’s why it was especially disappointing that the Administration opted to close the door on this mineral development by approving NASA’s unreasonable demand for exclusive control over the playa in Railroad Valley- even though NASA’s mission in the area would not be impacted by these proposed mining projects.
“Further, as the lead agency in the withdrawal application, NASA refused to allow Nye County to participate in the NEPA process as a cooperating agency. The fact that NASA so strongly resisted the local authorities having a formal seat at the table demonstrates the height of bureaucratic arrogance.
“And what about lithium? It is supposedly a goal of the Biden Administration to boost the development of renewable energy technology and reduce carbon in our atmosphere, yet they support blocking a project to develop the lithium necessary for their clean energy objectives before it could even go through the NEPA process. This is a prime example of this Administration saying one thing and then doing the exact opposite.
“This mineral withdrawal goes directly against America’s economic and national security needs, so I urge my Congressional colleagues to support my legislation to roll back this misguided withdrawal.”
Full text of the legislation can be found here.
Full text of the House Resolution can be found here.
BACKGROUND:
The Department of the Interior’s land withdrawal threatens to block the development of the Railroad Valley Super-Brine Complex, one of the world’s largest deposits of critical minerals. It has been determined that this deposit contains over 25 million tons of lithium and 35 million tons of Boron.
The Department of the Interior approved this withdrawal after the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) made the request to withdraw 22,684 acres in Railroad Valley from public use for 20 years to calibrate satellite activity.
Even though the mineral extraction would have to undergo the entire National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process to be done in an environmentally responsible way that would not degrade the playa or disturb the surface, NASA has been insistent that they alone should have use of the land. NASA has refused to address the local concerns about the withdrawal, let alone work towards a solution that serves everyone’s best interest.
Original source can be found here.
