Nuns invested in automaker blast ties to Nevada lithium mine: ‘Injury after injury’

Ties to a Nevada lithium mine are causing investors in one of the nation’s top auto manufacturers to push for shareholder action on what they see as violations of Native American rights.

That includes Sister Susan Francois, a Catholic nun and assistant congregation leader at the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace in New Jersey, who is calling for General Motors to issue a report on its operational conflicts with Indigenous sovereignty.

“It’s injury upon injury,” Francois said in a Thursday interview about the Thacker Pass mine near the Nevada-Oregon border. “It limits their ability to collect their traditional medicine, to have access to the hunting grounds, to have ceremonies. That is just something that breaks my heart.”

Detroit-based General Motors, which is behind brands such as Chevrolet, Buick and GMC, is the joint partner of Lithium Americas, the Canadian company building the mine.

In 2024, it committed $625 million to obtain a 38 percent stake in the mine. For the first 20 years of the mine’s life, the automaker will obtain 100 percent of the lithium produced in the first phase to manufacture electric vehicle batteries.

Requesting an analysis

Francois’ church, with at least $25,000 invested in General Motors shares, proposed the shareholders adopt a resolution that the company will discuss at a Tuesday meeting.

In it, they ask the company to publish a report evaluating the effectiveness of its policies in recognizing the U.N.’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which contends Native Americans should be given the opportunity to provide or revoke consent for extractive projects that impact their homelands.

The declaration is not binding in the United States, though President Barack Obama signed on in 2010 and federal agencies contend its often limited outreach is sufficient according to the country’s interpretation.

The resolution cites separate Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch reports that reached similar conclusions that Native Americans were not properly consulted before the Bureau of Land Management issued federal permits allowing construction of Thacker Pass to begin.

In response, the company’s board recommended the resolution’s denial, affirming that international human rights standards for Native American consent are already incorporated into its human rights framework. A company spokesman referred the Las Vegas Review-Journal back to that reply when asked for comment.

Francois pointed to a previous effort to compel Citibank to issue a similar report. While successful, Francois said she was disappointed that they did not consult Native Americans sufficiently in the creation of it.

“They have statements that they respect Indigenous peoples’ rights through their supply chains, but this Thacker Pass scenario shows that, obviously, it’s broken,” Francois said.

‘Simply being a voice’

Building a lithium mine in the so-called McDermitt Caldera region has stirred controversy among Northern Paiute and Western Shoshone tribal members, who remain divided on what is worth sacrificing to bring economic development.

Several tribes unsuccessfully sued the Bureau of Land Management over its approval of the mine, contending that the mine would be built on the site of a 19th century U.S. Cavalry massacre. A federal judge did not side with the tribes, but did acknowledge their “broader equitable and historical arguments.”

Lithium Americas spokesman Tim Crowley said evidence shows the massacre occurred miles away from the project site, and that the court found the company complied with all consultation standards set by law.

Chanda Callao, who co-founded the People of Red Mountain group that still protests the mine’s construction, said in a brief interview that her organization isn’t expressing its support for the resolution yet. Rather, Callao and other tribal members are taking the opportunity to, again, spotlight what they feel is injustice.

Reports from human rights organizations have been validating to the group’s mission, she said.

“We are just simply being a voice in telling GM that they’re violating human rights,” Callao said.

Francois said at the very least, she is proud that the church is prompting conversations. She said Catholics have a moral obligation to advocate against the harms of yesterday, particularly following Pope Francis’ public statements that American colonialism perpetuated grave sins against Native people.

Going forward, it is also about protecting investments, which could be jeopardized by permitting delays should General Motors not straighten out its policies, Francois said.

“I’m a woman of faith, so I pray that hearts are moved and that we realize that not only is this the moral thing to do, it’s also good business,” Francois said.

Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.