Nevada

Tribal activists reject the Nevada mine Biden hails as a key to clean energy

Published

2 years ago

June 20, 2023

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Tribal activists reject the Nevada mine Biden hails as a key to clean energy

By MATTHEW DALY

June 20, 2023 GMT

https://apnews.com/article/lithium-mine-nevada-biden-tribes-electric-cars-fb6ae27060b4772f672dd94f160f4761

OROVADA, Nevada (AP) — Just 45 miles (72 kilometers) from the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation where Daranda Hinkey and her family corral horses and cows, a centerpiece of President Joe Biden’s clean energy plan is taking shape: construction of one of the largest lithium mines in the world.

As heavy trucks dig up the earth in this remote, windswept region of Nevada to extract the silvery-white metal used in electric-vehicle batteries, the $2.2 billion project is fueling a backlash. “No Lithium. No mine!″ proclaims a large hand-painted sign in Hinkey’s front yard.

The Biden administration says the project will help mitigate climate change by speeding the shift away from fossil fuels. But Hinkey and other opponents say it is not worth the costs to the local environment and people.

Similar disputes are taking place around the world as governments and companies advancing renewable energy find themselves battling communities opposed to projects that threaten wildlife, groundwater and air quality.

Hinkey, 25, is a member of the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe and a leader of a group known as People of Red Mountain — named after the scarlet peak that overlooks her house. The group says that in addition to environmental impacts, the Thacker Pass mine would desecrate a site where the U.S. Cavalry massacred their ancestors after the Civil War.

“Lithium mines and this whole push for renewable energy — the agenda of the Green New Deal — is what I like to call green colonialism,″ Hinkey said. “It’s going to directly affect my people, my culture, my religion, my tradition.”

Protests near the mining site have flared up for more than two years, and the project has sparked legal challenges, including an appeal that a federal court will hear this month.

Hinkey had hoped Interior Secretary Deb Haaland — the first Native American Cabinet member — might rally to the side of opponents. But that has not happened.

Haaland, whose department oversees Thacker Pass, said that while she supports the right to peaceful protests, her agency is in favor of the mine because “the need for our clean energy economy to move forward is definitely important.”

The project was approved in the waning days of the Trump administration but is central to Biden’s goal for half of all new vehicles sold in the U.S. to be electric by 2030. Lithium batteries are also used to store wind and solar power.

Haaland told The Associated Press that when her agency inherits a project from a previous administration, “It’s our job to make sure we’re doing things according to the science, to the law.”

Hinkey sees her activism as a continuation of her leadership on basketball teams in high school and in college, where she guided her Southern Oregon Raiders to a 20-win season as a senior point guard.

“Corporations are scared of an educated Indian,″ said Hinkey, who hopes to become a teacher. Her athletic experience, education and tribal background make her “someone who can stand up against them,″ she said.

(AP Video/Rick Bowmer and Susan Montoya Bryan)

Hinkey said she is especially disappointed because she voted for Biden and expected his administration to slow down the project that was fast-tracked under President Donald Trump. She and other tribal members “feel very lost, very shoved underneath the carpet,″ Hinkey said.

The project does have the support of some leaders of Hinkey’s tribe, who point to the promise of jobs and development on a reservation where unemployment is far above the national average.

“This could help our tribe,″ said Fort McDermitt Tribal Chairman Arlo Crutcher, who recently went to Washington with company executives to meet with the Interior Department. Still, he is skeptical about how many jobs will go to impoverished tribe members.

Lithium Americas, the Canadian company that is developing the project, signed an agreement with the Fort McDermitt tribe — the closest to the mine among more than two dozen federally recognized tribes and bands in Nevada — to ensure local hiring, job training and other benefits. It also agreed to build a community center that includes a preschool and playground for the reservation, where close to half the population lives in poverty.

The October 2022 agreement “is a testament to our company’s commitment to go beyond our regulatory requirements and to form constructive relationships with the communities closest to our projects,″ Lithium Americas President and CEO Jonathan Evans said in a statement. General Motors has pledged $650 million to help develop Thacker Pass, which holds enough lithium to build 1 million electric vehicles annually.

Opponents, including other tribes and environmental groups, argue that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, an Interior Department agency, violated at least three federal laws in approving the mine.

BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning defended her agency’s actions, saying the Biden administration allowed construction to begin “because the proposal is solid, and the country needs that lithium.”

The National Historic Preservation Act requires tribal consultation in all steps of a project on or near tribal land. But Hinkey and other mine opponents say the mine was hastily approved when tribal governments were largely shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In its 2021 decision approving the project, the agency said it wrote letters in late 2019 to at least three tribes — including Fort McDermitt — inviting comments. Two online meetings were conducted in August 2020, but no objections were raised by the end of an environmental review in December 2020, the agency said.

Michon Eben, historic preservation officer for the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, said the agency’s actions fell far short of genuine consultation.

“This is the biggest (lithium) mine in the country — and there’s 28 federally recognized tribes and bands in the state of Nevada that all have relationships — and you only send a letter to three tribes? There’s something wrong with that,″ Eben said.

“The consultation kind of skipped us,″ said Gary McKinney, a spokesman for People of Red Mountain and a member of the nearby Duck Valley Shoshone-Paiute Tribe. “Nobody knew about the lithium. They taped a notice on the door and called that” adequate notice,″ he said.

Asked about those claims, Stone-Manning replied: “I regret if people feel that way. I can’t control how people feel.″

In an interview near the mine site, where workers were installing a water pipeline, McKinney said the project will cause irreparable damage. The mine will require large amounts of water, and conservationists say groundwater and soil could become contaminated with heavy metals. The area is also a nesting ground for the dwindling sage grouse.

“The water will be lower. Life will be scared away,” he said. “Our culture, our sacred sites will be gone. We’re facing the annihilation of our identity.″

He and other opponents say the BLM office in Nevada failed to assess the project’s likely impact on the massacre site near Sentinel Rock, which juts above sagebrush and high grass used by roaming cattle herds.

“What happens to those who were massacred and buried here?” Eben said in an interview at Sentinel Rock.

The exact location of the massacre, where federal soldiers killed at least 31 Paiute men, women and children, is unknown, although it is generally recognized to be within a few miles of the mine. Tribes call the site Peehee Mu’huh, or “Rotten Moon” in the Paiute language.

A federal judge in February said construction could begin while also ruling that BLM violated federal law regarding disposal of mine waste. Conservationists have appealed, and the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals scheduled oral arguments for June 26.

Eben said she is putting her faith in Haaland, a member of New Mexico’s Laguna Pueblo.

“From one Native woman to another, what I am going to say is, ‘Please come and walk this land with us. Come and listen to our side of the story, our oral histories. A massacre did occur here. … Our people were killed.’”

And, she added, “you can’t mine your way out of a climate crisis.”

___

Associated Press writers Scott Sonner in Reno, Nevada and Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico contributed to this story.

Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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Nevada

‘Judge Jumper’ files appeal in Nevada Supreme Court

Published

6 hours ago

January 22, 2025

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‘Judge Jumper’ files appeal in Nevada Supreme Court

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The man who was sentenced for attacking a judge is seeking to appeal his case with the Nevada Supreme Court.

Court documents reveal Deobra Redden was serving a prison sentence of up to 65 years.

The man seen in a viral video leaping onto a Las Vegas judge has been found guilty and sentenced.

Redden jumped the bench and attacked Judge Mary Kay Holthus during his sentencing for battery charges in Jan. of 2024.

This will be Reddens first attempt at appealing his case with the Supreme Court.

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Nevada basketball: How to watch the Wolf Pack at Utah State on Wednesday

Published

14 hours ago

January 21, 2025

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Nevada basketball: How to watch the Wolf Pack at Utah State on Wednesday

Nevada took care of business by sweeping the bottom three teams in the Mountain West.

Now the Wolf Pack prepares for a tough stretch, starting with a rematch against Utah State on Wednesday in a Mountain West Conference men’s basketball game.

Nevada improved to 3-4 in conference (11-7 overall) after beating San José State 75-64 on Saturday.

Nevada travels to Logan, Utah to play Utah State at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The Aggies beat the Wolf Pack 69-64 on New Year’s Eve in Reno.

The Aggies (16-2, 6-1 MW) are coming off a 65-62 loss to UNLV on Wednesday, which ended their six-game winning streak.

What time is Nevada-Utah State?

6 p.m. in Logan, Utah.

How to watch Nevada-Utah State

The Wolf Pack-Aggies game will be broadcast on TV on FS1 and on the radio at 95.5 FM.

Scoring leaders

Nick Davidson leads the Wolf Pack in scoring at 15.6 points per game, followed by Kobe Sanders at 14.7 and Tre Coleman at 9.1.

Davidson is also the Pack’s leading rebounder at 7.0 per game.

Ian Martinez leads the Aggies in scoring at 16.7 points per game, followed by Mason Falsev at 15.9.

In the rankings

Nevada is No. 68 in the current NCAA NET Rankings while Utah State is No. 41.

In the KenPom rankings, Utah State is No. 50 and Nevada is No. 65.

About Utah State

The Aggies are one of 11 Division I teams with 16 or more wins, and one of nine with two or fewer losses.

The Aggies received 38 votes in this week’s AP Top 25 Poll. Utah State also received 26 votes in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll, the fifth team outside the rankings.

The Aggies are 9-1 at home this year, and have won 37 of their past 41 games in the Spectrum going back to the 2022-23 season.

The series

This will be the 69th all-time meeting between Utah State and Nevada, a series which began in 1935.

The Aggies lead the series 42-26, including a 24-7 record over the Wolf Pack in Logan. The Aggies have won seven of the past 10 meetings.

Mountain West Conference

Men’s Basketball Standings

Through Jan. 20 (conference, overall)

New Mexico 8-1, 16-4
Utah State 6-1, 16-2
Colorado State 5-2, 11-7
UNLV 5-2, 11-7
Boise State 5-3, 13-6
San Diego State 4-3, 11-5
Nevada 3-4, 11-7
Wyoming 2-5, 9-9
San José State 2-6, 9-11
Fresno State 1-7, 5-14
Air Force 0-7, 3-15

MW schedule

Tuesday: Wyoming at UNLV.
Wednesday: Boise State at Colorado State, Nevada at Utah State, San Diego St at Air Force.
Saturday: San Diego State at Nevada, New Mexico at UNLV, Wyoming at San José State, Colorado State at Fresno State, Utah St at Air Force.

Nevada’s remaining schedule

Jan. 22, Nevada at Utah State, 6 p.m. (TV: FS1, Radio: 95.5 FM)
Jan. 25, San Diego State at Nevada, 7 p.m. (TV: CBS SN, Radio: 95.5 FM)
Jan. 29, Nevada at Boise State, 7 p.m. (TV: CBS SN, Radio: 95.5 FM)
Feb. 1, UNLV at Nevada, 7 p.m. (TV: CBS SN, Radio: 95.5 FM)
Feb. 4, Nevada at Air Force, 6 p.m. (TV: KNSN, Radio: 95.5 FM)
Feb. 10, Fresno State at Nevada, 8 p.m. (TV: FS1, Radio: 95.5 FM)
Feb. 14, Nevada at San José State, 7 p.m.
Feb. 18, Nevada at Colorado State, 6 p.m.
Feb. 22, Boise State at Nevada, 3 p.m.
Feb. 25, Wyoming at Nevada, 7 p.m.
Feb. 28, Nevada at UNLV, 8 p.m.
March 4, New Mexico at Nevada, 6 p.m.
March 8, Nevada at San Diego State, 7:30 p.m.

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Nevada

3 ways Nevada could improve the lives of families with profoundly autistic children

Published

22 hours ago

January 21, 2025

Press Room

3 ways Nevada could improve the lives of families with profoundly autistic children

Nevada does not currently allow paid family caregivers for children who are profoundly autistic, but it does for dementia.

Darian Garcia gave up a good warehouse job last month to stay home with his 8-year-old son.

Rico is profoundly autistic, which leaves him with the mental age of a toddler. He’ll need 24/7 intensive support for the rest of his life.

“My husband had to quit his job to stay here with Rico,” Letty Garcia said. “Now we’re down to one income.”

They’re nearing bankruptcy and may lose their Spanish Springs home. If Nevada had paid-caregiver laws like other states such as Colorado and California, the family might not be sinking financially over their son’s disabilities.

“Because he’s legally responsible for Rico, he can’t get paid to be his caregiver in Nevada,” Garcia said of her husband.

But if Rico got placement in a residential facility outside the home, the state of Nevada would have to pay for it — at a much higher cost. It makes no sense to Garcia why the state would have a policy that costs more money.

“If we lived in California and Dad stayed home, we did the math and it would be like $4,000 to $5,000 a month that he would get paid, and that would be cheaper to the state than sending him to an institution,” she said.

Allowing paid family caregivers would require action by the Nevada Legislature, which begins its every-two-years session in February.

If state lawmakers made this relatively simple change, Garcia said, it would improve her family’s life and thousands of others in Nevada who have a profoundly autistic child.

How paid family caregivers could help profoundly autistic children

Having family members be paid caregivers may sound strange, but it’s not uncommon. About 10 states have such programs, and it keeps those with disabilities in their own homes with the people who love them rather than in a facility where they’re one of many patients.

A new Nevada law went into effect this year that allows family members to be paid caregivers for Medicaid recipients with dementia.

Garcia thinks the law should be updated to include families with profoundly autistic children because not only would it help stave off the financial ruin her family faces, but it would be a win for the state, too.

“We’re in the midst of filing bankruptcy and (my husband) can’t get paid to be Rico’s caregiver,” she said. “But if Rico were to go to a placement somewhere, they would pay somebody there to take care of him.”

Colorado is among the states that pays family members to care for profoundly autistic children, in part because, like Nevada, it doesn’t have the facilities and staff to care for all kids who need help.

“I think all families should be demanding that they’re compensated,” said Michelle Linn, a Colorado mom who gets paid $7,300 a month to care for her profoundly autistic son.

“It sounds like a lot, but it’s less than minimum wage.”

Because her son needs 24-hour care seven days a week, her stipend works out to about $10 an hour.

“There aren’t other individuals or businesses willing to do it for that rate, but it’s amazing for the families,” Linn said. “You can make your mortgage payment for your child and then, like, plan for when you die to provide care when you’re gone.”

She said if she got in an accident and couldn’t care for her son anymore, the state of Colorado would view her paid-caregiver role as a bargain.

“There aren’t really even any institutions in Colorado (that could care for her son) so they’d have to send him out of state, which would cost a heck of a lot more,” she said.

To qualify, Linn took free night classes for about a month to become a certified nursing assistant. Then she was hired by a third-party company that oversees about 25 such caregivers. It inspects her home, monitors medication administration by phone app and conducts other oversight to make sure she’s caring properly for her son every day.

“It really helps a lot of families that otherwise would be destitute because you can’t work,” Linn said.

Other ways Nevada could help profoundly autistic children

The Garcias would love it if they could get “respite” care. It provides a break for live-in caregivers by having a professional come into the home and take over for a while.

Rico qualifies for Medicaid, a joint federal and state program that covers medical costs for low-income adults and people with disabilities. Medicaid doesn’t cover respite care, but states can offer waivers that include coverage for respite.

Nevada, though, has restrictions tied to the poverty line, Garcia said, and although filing for bankruptcy, her family makes too much to qualify.

“What Nevada is doing is unique in the way they’ve designed their respite,” said Judith Ursitti, founder of the Profound Autism Alliance and mother of a profoundly autistic son. “The income restriction shouldn’t be there because it leaves out everyone who really needs it. It really should be based on the qualifying disability of the person — and that could be fixed by the state legislature.”

She added that Garcia’s son is never going to make money.

“He is forever individually impoverished because of his disability,” Ursitti said. “That should be recognized. It’s definitely an easy fix that the federal agency over Medicaid would approve right away because most states fund respite care not based on income but on how intense the support needs are.”

Ursitti’s son Jack gets 15 hours of respite care a week. Combined with a public school that takes care of him during weekdays, this allows Ursitti to not only do grocery shopping but to have a job.

“That makes me a taxpaying citizen,” she said.

Could Nevada schools provide better services for children?

Rico is not enrolled in Washoe County School District after a couple of bad experiences, Garcia said, one self-injury left his head gashed open and another where a teacher’s aide was injured.

Ursitti had similar challenges with the schools in Texas where she lived.

“When my son Jack was diagnosed, we struggled to even get our school district to acknowledge he had autism or to provide any kind of support,” she said. “They wouldn’t do anything.”

By federal law, free and appropriate public education must be provided for all children, even those with profound behavioral issues, regardless of whether the school can afford it or how it might affect the overall school system.

“It’s the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,” Ursitti said, referring to federal law and emphasizing the word “individuals.”

“Funding is an issue and schools struggle. That’s a reality I don’t want to minimize, but this population (of profoundly autistic children) is just being pushed aside.”

When Ursitti got no support from the school system or the state of Texas, she had to make a decision that she said lots of parents face.

“Do I spend a lot of money on attorneys fighting the schools or do I use that money to provide services for my child right now,” she said.

Many parents can’t afford to go up against school districts with their own legal teams, and they can’t wait for years for their cases to work through the court system, she said. So they often keep their child home and deal with the situation in silence, alone.

“The system is completely stacked” against parents, Ursitti said.

She went with a third option. Her husband received a job opportunity in Massachusetts, which has among the nation’s best resources for kids like Jack and Rico.

Within three months of arriving in Massachusetts, the local school had placed Jack in a program for profoundly autistic students with one-on-one support that included behavioral support, speech therapy, physical therapy, everything he needed.

“What it took was moving across the country, away from all of our family, away from our Southern heritage, to a different world,” she said. “To make that move was daunting financially.”

One reason Massachusetts has better services — and something Ursitti suggests Nevada consider — is a special education law that’s stronger than federal law.

“The school districts are aware of that,” she said, “and the services here are better because of it.”

Mark Robison is the state politics reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal, with occasional forays into other topics. Email comments to mrobison@rgj.com or comment on Mark’s Greater Reno Facebook page.

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