Nevada

No regulatory ‘shortcuts’ for mining exploration in Nevada

Published

2 years ago

March 11, 2024

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No regulatory ‘shortcuts’ for mining exploration in Nevada

Karl Marlowe
| Reno Gazette Journal

Re: “Lawmakers need statewide lithium plan, says conservation group,” Feb. 20:

As a retired exploration geologist, I’ve noted multiple articles on the recent lithium boom to be misleading. Most recently, the article by the Nevada Current’s Jeniffer Solis presents a very misleading picture of the lithium “boom,” leaving the reader to believe that legislative and regulatory reforms are needed. Although there are certainly places where resource extraction should be prohibited, the vast majority of these are already withdrawn as wilderness areas, wildlife refuges, cultural sites and other off-limits sites.

The article begins by stating that there are more than 80 proposed lithium projects in Nevada, failing to note the status of any project. Currently one new lithium mine is under construction, and one project is in the process of mine permitting. A small number are conducting early-stage drilling under BLM and state permits. Most are simply lithium prospects staked by small companies or individuals. Many never reach the initial drill stage, and very few prove viable beyond initial drilling.

As exploration geologists, we don’t get to choose where a mineral deposit occurs; we follow geological clues to find the very few deposits that can be extracted economically. The Tonopah area is a lithium exploration hot spot due to the favorable geologic environment. The Town of Tonopah was built on silver-gold deposits discovered there in the early 1900s, and this geological environment is also favorable to host other deposits including copper, molybdenum and lithium.

Oversight from multiple agencies

Solis claims that “according to the Association of State Geologists, the United States lacks an effective process for gathering, organizing, compiling or publicly sharing geologic data that would help in the identification of valuable mineral deposits.” While there is much room for improvement, multiple agencies with appropriate expertise are charged with these tasks.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is the principle federal agency with that responsibility; Congress recently appropriated funds for that purpose. The Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology (NVBMG) and Nevada Division of Minerals cooperate with the USGS and several State entities (including UNR, UNLV, and DRI) to conduct detailed geologic evaluations which better define prospective areas and historic mine sites for valuable resources (metals, geothermal).

In addition to the geological surveys, the USGS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Nevada Division of Wildlife are charged with ecosystem management and protection of threatened and endangered species. All of this data is public and available via the UNR library, USGS and NVBMG and other websites. Regulators, mining companies and the general public rely extensively on this data to begin the more rigorous search for resources of interest, in addition to environmental or cultural concerns.

Federal and state permitting begins before the first exploration disturbance can occur. For initial exploration projects with minimal disturbance (less than five acres), this is typically a 15-day review of the project and its potential impacts on biological, cultural and other resources; protective measures are stipulated. If the initial work produces encouraging results, additional permitting requires detailed biological, cultural and other surveys conducted by independent experts. Results of these studies are compiled into environmental assessments or environmental impact statements under the direction of the BLM or U.S. Forest Service and multiple state agencies. Under an exploration plan of operations, disturbance remains limited and timing of activities may also be significantly restricted. These more advanced permits typically require a minimum of 18 months to prepare prior to allowing additional disturbance. Assuming that exploration successfully defines a viable project, mine permitting requires additional studies and review, tacking a minimum of 18-24 months to the timeline for a small, minimal impact operation.

No ‘shortcuts’ exist

Permitting of exploration and mining projects is increasingly difficult throughout the West, due in part to lawsuits filed by activist groups, including Patrick Donnelly’s Center for Biological Diversity. The CBD claims to support domestic mining so long as it is “done in the right places and with the right techniques. We oppose business-as-usual mining, dewatering of open pits, pit lakes, excessive water consumption, extinction of species or severe degradation of habitat, and regulatory shortcuts …”

There are no regulatory “shortcuts.” As noted above, the permitting process begins with identification and avoidance of sensitive areas during exploration and appropriate mitigation prior to mining. Mitigation may include permanent avoidance of certain areas.

A reality check is in order for minerals to drive a “green transition,” as lithium is not the only critical metal needed. Mining of copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese will all need to be dramatically increased as well for production of batteries and other resource intensive items. Ultimately, the solution to determining where responsible mining occurs is through appropriate geological, biological and cultural studies. Appropriate funding and prioritization of the state geological surveys is critical to this objective.

Karl Marlowe is a recently retired mineral exploration geologist and lifelong outdoorsman.

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Nevada

Obama says aliens exist, but not at Nevada’s Area 51

Published

5 hours ago

February 15, 2026

Press Room

Obama says aliens exist, but not at Nevada’s Area 51

Spencer Levering
| Las Vegas Review-Journal, TNS

Former President Barack Obama said in a podcast interview Saturday that aliens are real, but they aren’t at Nevada’s Area 51.

During an appearance on YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen’s show, Obama said he hadn’t seen extraterrestrials but that they existed.

“They’re not being kept in Area 51, there’s no underground facility, unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States,” Obama said during a rapid-fire round of questions at the end of the interview.

Cohen didn’t ask a follow-up question on the subject, and Obama didn’t explain his answer further.

“What was the first question you wanted answered when you became president?” Cohen asked next.

“Where are the aliens?” Obama replied with a laugh.

► VIDEO: Former President Barack Obama on Brian Tyler Cohen’s YouTube show.

———

Area 51, the classified operating location near the Nevada National Security Site about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, has long captured popular culture’s attention as a government facility believed to be holding UFOs and aliens.

In reality, the site has been a test bed for the nation’s high-tech aircraft dating back to when it was established in 1955 to test the high-flying U-2 spy plane. But the U.S. government did not acknowledge the facility’s existence until 2013, when the CIA declassified documents confirming Area 51’s use as a testing site for U-2 and SR-71 spy planes.

The secrecy surrounding the site’s purpose has made Area 51 the subject of countless out-of-this-world conspiracies, including claims that the facility holds pieces of alien spacecraft and technology that workers are trying to reverse-engineer.

That gave way to an alien fanatic subculture tied to Southern Nevada, with souvenir shops and businesses like the Area 51 Alien Center in Amargosa Valley and the Little A’Le’Inn in Rachel dotting the desert. In 1996, the state renamed Nevada Route 375 to Extraterrestrial Highway because of its proximity to Area 51.

Businesses in the area did not respond to requests for comment on Sunday afternoon.

Before the Las Vegas Aviators moved to Las Vegas Ballpark in 2019, the Triple-A baseball team played at Cashman Field from 2001 to 2018 as the Las Vegas 51s.

National media attention turned to Area 51 in September 2019 after a viral social media post saw millions demand a glimpse of extraterrestrial life.

A tongue-in-cheek Facebook event made by California man Matty Roberts had more than 2 million people sign up to storm Area 51, all pledging to run into the facility and “see them aliens.”

What began as an online joke became a four-day music festival known as Alienstock that drew thousands to the small Lincoln County communities of Rachel and Hiko, both located near Area 51.

Obama’s comments aren’t likely to sway the myth’s believers. An Ipsos poll conducted during the Storm Area 51 social media movement found a quarter of Americans thought that crashed UFO spacecrafts are held at the site. Slightly more than half of Americans, 52 percent, believed that extraterrestrial life exists.

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Nevada

‘They are real ‘: Obama says aliens exist, but denies US has them in Nevada’s Area 51

Published

17 hours ago

February 15, 2026

Press Room

‘They are real ‘: Obama says aliens exist, but denies US has them in Nevada’s Area 51

Former US President Barack Obama on Saturday said that he believes aliens are real, but maintained that he has no idea where they are.

Former US President
Barack Obama on Saturday said that he believes aliens are real, but maintained that he has no idea where they are. Obama made the shocking remark in a podcast hosted by YouTuber Brian Tyler Cowen.

“They’re real, but I haven’t seen them,” Obama told the YouTuber after he asked him about extraterrestrials. However, the former president did not offer any further details on what exactly he meant when he said that the aliens are “real”. No follow-up question on the topic was asked as well. But the proclamation by the former American president cast doubt on several longstanding theories about where they might be.

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“They’re not being kept in Area 51, there’s no underground facility, unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States,” Obama said. It is pertinent to note that Area 51 refers to a highly secretive Air Force base in Groom Lake, Nevada. It has long been the subject of interest for conspiracy theorists who believe the government is hiding alien aircraft and bodies on the premises.

Barack Obama on aliens: “They’re real”
“But I haven’t seen them. They’re not being kept at Area 51. There’s no underground facility — unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the President of the United States.” pic.twitter.com/c6t0DYxewU
— UAP James (@UAPJames) February 14, 2026

America’s interest in aliens

Interest in potential alien contact with Earth has spiked in recent years after a series of government documents revealed several mysterious aircraft sightings. Leaked radar footage taken by the United States Air Force Reaper drones 13 years ago purportedly shows Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs), the government’s new term for
UFOs, flying over West Asia.

In 2021, the
Pentagon released three unclassified Navy videos that showed bizarre objects tearing through the sky as US servicemen reacted with awe. One UAP was seen rotating against the wind. Interestingly, this is not the first time Obama has commented on the existence of aliens and UFOs.

“When it comes to aliens, there are some things I just can’t tell you on air,” he teased to “The Late Late Show” host James Corden in a 2021 interview. He went on to confirm that the UAP sightings were legitimate and that the government could not explain the aircraft’s origin or their unusual flight patterns. “But what is true — and I’m actually being serious here — is that there’s footage and records of objects in the skies that we don’t know exactly what they are,” he said at that time.

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Nevada

These Are America’s 5 Largest Casinos To Visit (And They’re Not In Nevada) – Islands

Published

1 day ago

February 14, 2026

Press Room

These Are America’s 5 Largest Casinos To Visit (And They’re Not In Nevada) – Islands

Kit Leong/Shutterstock

Although Las Vegas has been voted America’s most fun city and is known as the gambling capital of the world due to its sheer number of casinos, Nevada doesn’t actually claim a spot among the five largest casinos in the United States by size. Instead, two are in Connecticut, two are in California, and Oklahoma takes the top spot.

Ranging from 270,000 to more than 600,000 square feet, these sprawling properties may not have the cachet of appearing in multiple Bond films like the Casino de Monte-Carlo, or boast the world’s largest rooftop infinity pool like Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands. Nor do they offer safari parks like Sun City Casino Resort in South Africa. Still, you don’t have to leave the U.S. to find expansive casino destinations with plenty to offer. From championship golf courses and Native American cultural institutions to spas with aqua therapy and crystal energy healing, each property on this list offers its own appeal.

Of course, their size alone doesn’t automatically make them must-visit destinations, but it does mean plenty of gaming options, such as slot machines and roulette, as well as a wide variety of restaurants and entertainment to suit many different tastes. To identify America’s largest casinos, we began with data from Casino.org and verified details on each property’s official website. With gaming floors this large, getting your steps in likely won’t be a problem. So, pick your favorite, practice your poker face, and book your trip — and don’t forget your good luck charm!

Oklahoma: WinStar World Casino and Resort

Exterior of WinStar World Casino and Resort in Oklahoma

Alex Potemkin/Getty Images

The WinStar World Casino and Resort has certainly put Thackerville, Oklahoma (population 411) on the map. Covering an impressive 616,960 square feet – 400,000 square feet of it just on the gaming floor – WinStar is the world’s largest casino. With more than 55 poker tables and 10,000 electronic games to choose from, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to move around and find your lucky seat. The property has received 2.6 stars on Yelp, based on more than 1,000 reviews. A November 2025 visitor noted its world theme, explaining that “each section of the casino is designed as a different country or state.”

The resort has more than 20 restaurants and bars, and golfers will want to schedule a tee time at one of two 18-hole courses and perhaps get some tips on improving their game at the Golf Academy. When it’s time to relax, the pools and the spa beckon. Find your perfect spot at the three-tier Cascades pool or settle into a private cabana at the Terrace Pool. The spa offers standard massages, facials, and hair and nail services as well as hydrotherapy and aquathermal bathing.

WinStar is an hour from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Texas and about 2 hours from Oklahoma City. There are 1,700 rooms in the hotel on site, 100 rooms in the nearby inn accessible by shuttle, and 155 RV sites at the Fun Town RV Park at WinStar.

Connecticut: Mohegan Sun

Susan Kehoe/Shutterstock

Despite being the third-smallest U.S. state, Connecticut is surprisingly home to two of the country’s largest casinos. America’s second-largest casino is Mohegan Sun, known for its dining and concert venue. It has more than 350,000 square feet of gaming space, 130,000 square feet of retail, and 375,000 square feet of meeting space. With two casinos, two hotel towers, two spas, two indoor pools, three live performance venues, and 45 restaurants and bars, it’s no wonder that more than 25,000 people walk through its doors every day. It’s also home to the Connecticut Sun, a WNBA franchise.

Because many casinos discourage or ban children, it’s noteworthy that Mohegan Sun not only has facilities and entertainment for them but also offers hourly childcare. Drop children ages two-and-a-half up to 12 years old at Kids Quest to play games, watch a movie, and sing karaoke under staff supervision while parents enjoy the adult casino amenities. There’s also a Cyber Quest arcade for older children.

Mohegan Sun’s architecture is also a standout feature. “All the touches of decor honoring Native history are incredible,” a guest wrote in a Google review, referencing murals and animatronic wolves that howl on the hour. Visitors should look out for design enhancements, such as a 55-foot indoor waterfall and a large indoor planetarium dome with varying celestial projections. Mohegan Sun receives 4.5 stars on Google from more than 44,000 reviews. It’s located in Uncasville, one hour from Bradley International Airport in Hartford, and about 2 hours from Boston.

Connecticut: Foxwoods

Actium/Shutterstock

Foxwoods Resort Casino is about 15 minutes from Mohegan Sun, making it possible — though a bit ambitious — to visit both in a single day. With 340,000 square feet of gaming space, Foxwoods offers about 3,400 slot machines, 54 poker tables, and 249 table games across five casino areas. It also includes four hotels, two spas, two golf courses, six nightclubs, as well as an escape room, a bowling alley, axe-throwing, and pottery workshops – so no one can claim boredom.

Located in the Native American history-rich town of Mashantucket, Foxwoods is also home to the 308,000-square-foot Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, which explores the history of the Mashantucket Tribal Nation. The resort earns 4.3 stars on Google, based on more than 24,000 reviews. One guest in December 2025 wrote: “There is so much to see and do around every corner … Amazing restaurants for every taste and budget.”

Well placed in New England, Foxwoods is one hour from Bradley International Airport in Hartford, 1.5 hours from Boston, and only 20 minutes from the laid-back town of Mystic, one of the best small towns in the U.S. for a fall escape.

California: Yaamava’ Resort & Casino

Yaamava’ Resort & Casino, located in Highland, California, ranks fourth among the largest casinos in America with 7,500 slot machines and 150 table games covering 290,000 square feet of gaming space. It sits on the reservation of the Yuhaaviatam clan San Manuel Nation and is roughly an hour from Palm Springs International Airport and 2 hours from LAX.

In addition to having AAA Five-Diamond status, Yaamava’ has also been voted the best casino outside of Las Vegas. Guests can catch major headliners, take a dip in the third-floor Helix Pool, or unwind at Serrano Spa, which offers services like sound-therapy massages and gold-infused facials. Dining options include Pines Steakhouse, a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence recipient, and a USA Today Readers’ Choice winner for casino dining.

Despite its scale, the on-site hotel has only 432 rooms. The casino holds a 2.9-star rating on Tripadvisor from 603 reviews, with crowding frequently cited as a drawback. “Be prepared to wait for machines during peak hours,” a former guest noted in a January 2026 review. Another had a hard time getting in and out: “We were stuck in standstill traffic trying to enter the parking structure and stuck over one hour in parking structure trying to leave,” they wrote.

California: Thunder Valley Casino

Facade of Thunder Valley Casino at night

@pasitive__traction / Instagram

Thunder Valley Casino Resort rounds out the top five largest casinos in America, with 270,000 square feet of gaming space. Located in Lincoln, Northern California, the resort has earned a AAA Four-Diamond designation annually since 2011. The property features 3,500 slot and video machines, 90 table games, a 4,500-seat entertainment venue, a seasonal outdoor pool with cabanas, and a 24-hour fitness center.

Take your pick of 20 restaurants and bars on-site, including the cleverly named High Steaks Steakhouse and Dos Coyotes Border Café for Mexican fare. If you don’t want to spend the time or money at a sit-down restaurant, grab a bite at fast-dining options on the property like Fatburger and Panda Express. The spa offers standard treatments like massages and facials alongside amenities such as a eucalyptus steam room, sauna, meditation room, and halotherapy. Operated by the United Auburn Indian Community, the resort includes a 408-room hotel.

Thunder Valley Casino Resort has a 4.5-star rating from 1,752 Tripadvisor reviews. “The new rooms are beautiful and … Love the latest expansions,” a guest wrote in January 2026. The property is about 30 minutes from Sacramento International Airport, 2 hours from Reno, Nevada, and a little over 2 hours from San Francisco.

Methodology

Khosro/Shutterstock

To come up with the list of the largest casinos in America, we referenced casino square footage from the industry-leading independent gaming review and advice platform, Casino.org. We then verified the square footage for each of the five properties and incorporated information from their websites and external sources, such as Tripadvisor, Google Reviews, and Just Luxe.

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