Nevada

By Blanca Begert and Lylla Younes - Grist, January 24, 2023

The effort to shift the U.S. economy off fossil fuels and avoid the most disastrous impacts of climate change hinges on the third element of the periodic table. Lithium, the soft, silvery-white metal used in electric car batteries, was endowed by nature with miraculous properties. At around half a gram per cubic centimeter, it’s the lightest metal on Earth and is extremely energy-dense, making it ideal for manufacturing batteries with a long life. 

The problem is, lithium comes with its own set of troubles: Mining the metal is often devastating for the environment and the people who live nearby, since it’s water intensive and risks permanently damaging the land. The industry also has an outsized impact on Native Americans, with three-quarters of all known U.S. deposits located near tribal land. 

Demand for lithium is expected to skyrocket in the coming decades (up to 4,000 percent according to one estimate), which will require many new mines to meet it (more than 70 by 2025). These estimates assume the number of cars on the road will remain constant, so lithium demand will rise as gas guzzlers get replaced by electric vehicles. But what if the United States could design a policy that eliminates carbon emissions from the transportation sector without as much mining? 

A new report from the Climate and Community Project, a progressive climate policy think tank, offers a fix. In a paper out on Tuesday, the researchers estimated that the U.S. could decrease lithium demand up to 90 percent by 2050 by expanding public transportation infrastructure, shrinking the size of electric vehicle batteries and maximizing lithium recycling. They claim that this report is the first to consider multiple pathways for getting the country’s cars and buses running on electricity and suppressing U.S. lithium demand at the same time. 

By Thea Riofrancos, Alissa Kendall, Kristi K. Dayemo, Matthew Haugen, Kira McDonald, Batul Hassan, and Margaret Slattery in partnership with the University of California, Davis - Climate and Community Project, January 2023

Transportation is the number one source of carbon emissions in the United States– making the sector crucial to decarbonize quickly to limit the climate crisis. States like New York and California banned the sale of gas cars by 2035 and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act made major federal investments in electrifying transportation. As a result, US consumers are embracing electric vehicles (EVs), with over half of the nation’s car sales predicted to be electric by 2030. This is a critical juncture. Decisions made now will affect the speed of decarbonization and the mobility of millions. Zero emissions transportation will also see the transformation of global supply chains, with implications for climate, environmental, and Indigenous justice beyond US borders.

A crucial aspect of electrified transportation is new demand for metals, and specifically the most non-replaceable metal for EV batteries– lithium. If today's demand for EVs is projected to 2050, the lithium requirements of the US EV market alone in 2050 would require triple the amount of lithium currently produced for the entire global market. This boom in demand would be met by the expansion of mining. 

Large-scale mining entails social and environmental harm, in many cases irreversibly damaging landscapes without the consent of affected communities. As societies undertake the urgent and transformative task of building new, zero-emissions energy systems, some level of mining is necessary. But the volume of extraction is not a given. Neither is where mining takes place, who bears the social and environmental burdens, or how mining is governed. 

This report finds that the United States can achieve zero emissions transportation while limiting the amount of lithium mining necessary by reducing the car dependence of the transportation system, decreasing the size of electric vehicle batteries, and maximizing lithium recycling. Reordering the US transportation system through policy and spending shifts to prioritize public and active transit while reducing car dependency can also ensure transit equity, protect ecosystems, respect Indigenous rights, and meet the demands of global justice. 

Read the rest of the summary here.

Read the report (Link).

By Kathy Helms - Multicultural Alliance for a Safe Environment, July 10, 2021

CHURCHROCK – Larry King, president of Churchrock Chapter and a former uranium worker, doesn’t stand a snowball’s chance in the melting Arctic of receiving federal benefits afforded sick Navajos who worked in the uranium industry before 1971. King isn’t the only one.

Linda Evers of Milan, co-founder of the Post-’71 Uranium Workers Committee, and the group’s members also can forget about help with their medical bills unless Congress changes qualifications for the 1990 program.

This weekend, the first day dawned in the countdown to July 10, 2022, when, according to statute, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Trust Fund “terminates,” along with the authority of the U.S. Attorney General to administer the law, according to the Department of Justice.

When the sun sets on this program, former uranium workers and downwinders will be unable to apply for benefits.

The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, “RECA,” provides compassionate payments to workers for certain cancers and diseases resulting from exposure to radiation during the build-up to the Cold War. It also compensates individuals who became ill following exposure to radioactive fallout from nuclear testing in Nevada.

By Benjamin Hitchcock Auciello, et. al. - Earthworks, March 31, 2021

It is critical that the clean energy economy not repeat the mistakes of the dirty fossil fuel economy that it is seeking to replace. The pivot from internal combustion engines towards electric vehicles provides an unprecedented opportunity to develop a shared commitment to responsible mineral sourcing. We can accelerate the renewable energy transition and drive improvements in the social and environmental performance of the mining industry by reducing overall demand for new minerals, increasing mineral recycling and reuse, and ensuring that mining only takes place if it meets high environmental, human rights and social standards.

This report is designed to inform downstream battery metal users of key environmental, social, and governance issues associated with the extraction and processing of the three battery metals of principal concern for the development of electric vehicles and low-carbon energy infrastructure—lithium, cobalt and nickel—and to offer guidance on responsible minerals sourcing practices. This report reflects and summarizes some of the key concerns of communities impacted by current and proposed mineral extraction in hotspots around the world: Argentina, Chile and the United States for lithium, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Russia for nickel, and the Democratic Republic of Congo for cobalt.

Read the text (PDF).

By Wild Earth Guardians - YouTube, February 24, 2021

By Jeremy Brecher - Labor Network for Sustainability, November 2020

With the likelihood of a federal government sharply divided between Republicans and Democrats, states are likely to play an expanded role in shaping the American future. The aspirations for a Green New Deal may have support from the presidency and the House, but they are likely to be fiercely contested in the Senate and perhaps the Supreme Court. Bold action to address climate and inequality could emerge at the state level. Are there lessons we can learn from the original New Deal about the role of states in a highly conflicted era of reform?

The original New Deal of the 1930s was a national program led by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. But states played a critical role in developing the New Deal. The same could be true of tomorrow’s Green New Deal.

There is organizing for a Green New Deal in every one of the fifty states. But our federal system is often ambiguous about what can and can’t be done at a state level and how action at a state level can affect national policy and vice versa. The purpose of this discussion paper is to explore what we can learn about the role of states in the original New Deal that may shed light on the strategies, opportunities, and pitfalls for the Green New Deal of today and tomorrow.

Read the text (PDF).

Compiled by x344543 - IWW Environmental Unionism Caucus, August 10, 2016

A supplement to Eco Unionist News:

Lead Stories:

• Oil and natural gas production jobs in May were 26% lower than in October 2014 - By Robert McManmon, OilVoice, August 5, 2016
• Oil majors’ debt balloons as energy slump persists - By Bloomberg, FuelFix, August 5, 2016; [related]: How will industry respond after oil’s fall below $40? - By staff, FuelFix, August 3, 2016 | Oil prices flat after two-day rally - By Bloomberg, FuelFix, August 5, 2016 | ‘The days of $100 oil are gone.’ So what’s next? - By staff, FuelFix, August 2, 2016 | Oil rises after its dip below $40 a barrel - By Bloomberg, FuelFix, August 2, 2016 | Oil settles below $40 for the first time since April - By staff, FuelFix, August 2, 2016 | Growing oil glut shows investors there’s nowhere to go but down - By Bloomberg, FuelFix, August 1, 2016 | Oil prices continue to slide - By Bloomberg, FuelFix, August 1, 2016 | Oil settles above $40 a barrel after falling below threshold in intraday trading - By Bloomberg, FuelFix, August 1, 2016
• State of The Transition, July 2016: Might the fossil fuel industries implode faster than the clean energy industries can grow to replace them? - By Jeremy Leggett, Jeremy Leggett Blog, August 3, 2016
• Today’s Downturn Sets Markets Up For A Dramatic Oil Price Spike - By Nick Cunningham, OilPrice.Com, August 2, 2016
• Hydrocarbons and the Illusion of Sustainability - By Kent A. Klitgaard, Monthly Review, July-August 2016

Other Carbon Bubble News:

• Bankrupt coal company execs want huge bonuses — but can they clean up after themselves? - By staff, Western Priorities, August 5, 2016; [related]: Bankrupt coal miner Peabody proposes $11.9 million in executive bonuses - By Tracy Rucinski, Reuters, August 4, 2016
• Synergy Resources announces second quarter 2016 net loss of $153.8 million - By staff, OilVoice, August 5, 2016
• Chesapeake misses estimates as gas field writedowns mount - By Bloomberg, FuelFix, August 4, 2016
• Dynegy posts loss while preparing for Texas growth - By Jordan Blum, FuelFix, August 4, 2016
• More bad news for copper price - By Frik Els, Mining.Com, August 4, 2016
• W&T Offshore warns of potential bankruptcy after $121 million loss - By Jordan Blum, FuelFix, August 4, 2016
• Crude-by-rail volumes to the East Coast are declining - By Arup Mallik, OilVoice, August 3, 2016; [related]: Crude-oil train movements down 45% this year - By Andrew Maykuth, Philadelphia Inquirer, August 3, 2016
• Hunger strike pushes South Korea to defer coal plant plan - By Bob Burton, EndCoal, August 3, 2016
• Noble Energy sells record amount of oil — but not at a profit - By David Hunn, FuelFix, August 3, 2016
• Occidental swings to loss in 2nd quarter from year earlier - By David Hunn, FuelFix, August 3, 2016
• Solar Beats Out Coal In UK For 2nd Whole Month Ever - By Joshua S Hill, Clean Technica, August 3, 2016
• Coal Glut, Environmental Pushback Derail West Coast Port Plans - By Timothy Puko and Erica E. Phillips, Wall Street Journal, August 1, 2016
• LNG Investments At Serious Risk If China Succeeds On Shale - By Charles Kennedy, Network for Oil & Gas Accountability and Protection, August 1, 2016
• Wyoming’s ‘clean coal’ plans stir false hopes - By Sandy Buchanan, Last Best News, July 29, 2016
• Two Towns Battle Colorado for Freedom to Ban Fracking - By Kate Stringer, YES! Magazine, July 28, 2016
• US to speed oil, gas permits amid sharp drop in applications - By Matthew Brown, Associated Press, July 28, 2016
• Stuttgart pulls out of fossil fuels - By Melanie Mattauch, Fossil Free, July 20, 2016

Utility Death Spiral News:

• South Australia signalling the death of base-load generation - By Giles Parkinson, REnewEconomy, August 8, 2016; [related]: The solution to Australia’s gas crisis is not more gas - By Alan Pears, The Conversation, August 3, 2016
• Warren Buffett Wins: Elon Musk's Ballot Referendum Blocked by Nevada Supreme Court - By Climate Nexus, EcoWatch, August 5, 2016; [related]: Nevada Supreme Court Blocks Rooftop Solar Referendum - By Julia Pyper, Greentech Media, August 8, 2016 | Nevada Court Rejects Solar Power Ballot Initiative As ‘Inaccurate’ And ‘Misleading’ - By Samantha Page, Think Progress, August 5, 2016 | Nevada Supreme Court rejects net metering ballot proposal - By Krysti Shallenberger, Utility Dive, August 5, 2016 | Nevada Supreme Court rejects rooftop solar referendum - By Danielle Ola, PV-Tech, August 5, 2016 | Future of Nevada solar ballot petition unclear after state Supreme Court hearing - By Robert Walton, Utility Dive, August 1, 2016
• What happens when 1GW of coal capacity suddenly disappears - By Giles Parkinson, REnew Economy, August 4, 2016
• Big coal generators still fear renewables, despite gas boost - By Sophie Vorrath, REnew Economy, August 2, 2016
• Energy companies are dead already, they just haven’t realised it - By Leon Bateman, REnew Economy, August 2, 2016
• 5 Charts That Illustrate The Remarkable LED Lighting Revolution - By Joe Romm, Think Progress, August 2, 2016
• Have we massively underestimated the battery storage market? - By Nigel Morris, REnew Economy, August 2, 2016
• 'It's just wrong': Thousands in limbo as Louisiana's solar tax credits dwindle - By Jennifer Larino, Times-Picayune, August 2, 2016

For more green news, please visit our news feeds section on ecology.iww.org; Twitter #IWWEUC; Hashtags: #greenunionism #greensyndicalism #IWW. Please send suggested news items to include in this series to euc [at] iww.org.

By staff - Center for Western Priorities, July 7, 2016

The 2016 armed standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon provided the American public with a ringside seat to a disturbing trend on U.S. public lands: extremist and militia groups using America’s national forests, parks, monuments, and wildlife refuges to advance their anti-government beliefs.

But these far right-wing organizations are not operating in a vacuum. To the contrary, the armed insurrection in Oregon and Nevada before—led by Ammon Bundy and the Bundy family—share the same foundations as land transfer schemes promoted by some elected leaders in states throughout the West. Both rely upon a philosophy based in vehement anti-government ideologies, both have connections to organizations that espouse armed resistance, both employ pseudo-legal theories to justify their actions, and both use scholarly support from conspiracy theorists and discredited academics.

Our nation’s parks and network of public lands are one of our finest democratic achievements. Americans see management of public lands as one of the things our government does best. But over the last four years, politicians and special interest groups in 11 Western states and in Congress have tried to seize many of these places and turn them over to state and private control.

The elected officials supporting state seizure of U.S. public lands couch their arguments carefully, but our research shows their close associations to extreme individuals, groups, and ideology characterized by antigovernment paranoia and a pseudo-legal approach to the Constitution.

Since the beginning of 2015, 54 land seizure bills have been introduced into Western states, including Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. At least 22 state legislators with direct connections to anti-government ideologies or extremist groups were the primary sponsors on 29 of those bills.

Sitting at the hub of the movement and functioning as the bridge between extremism and the mainstream political debate are Utah Rep. Ken Ivory, Montana Sen. Jennifer Fielder, and their non-profit, the American Lands Council. A close analysis of Rep. Ivory and Sen. Fielder’s activities, and those of other active land seizure proponents at the state level, shows how these efforts are a functional part of an aggressive anti-government movement that will grow more potent if reasonable Americans don’t take action.

Read the report (PDF).