Biden admin moves to shield Nevada public lands from mining with support of tribes, local leaders

In one of President Biden’s last moves in office, his administration has moved to protect 269,000 acres of public land in Nevada from a proposed lithium mine that opponents said would have jeopardized nearby wildlife and water for local towns and tribes. 

The Biden administration on Tuesday announced new protections for nearly 270,000 acres of public land in Nevada from mining and related activities, underscoring a win for local advocates, tribal leaders, and conservationists who argued the move would have caused permanent damage to wildlife and surrounding communities. 

The US Bureau of Land Management formally announced on Tuesday plans to withdraw 269,000 acres of public lands in Nye County from mining activity to protect wildlife and hydrological resources in the Amargosa River watershed (which ranges from the Nye County town of Beatty to Death Valley National Park’s Badwater Basin) and around the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, roughly 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. 

The withdrawal will initiate a two-year pause on new mining claims until local governments, tribes, and other interested parties can fully determine the impact on local water supply, economic development, and environmental protections, and is a necessary step for a full 20-year withdrawal of mining activities. 

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“The lifeblood of our people, our culture, and our land flows through the waters of the Amargosa Valley. Our elders and families living on reservation lands in Death Valley rely to this day on the water of the Amargosa River that is under threat in this region,” Mandi Dampbell, a historic preservation officer of the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe, said in a statement. “This is a fight for our identity, our sovereignty, and our survival. The Timbisha Shoshone Tribe will not stand by while the water that sustains our sacred traditions and future generations is stolen or poisoned. Today’s action is a crucial step forward, but we will not rest until these lands are fully protected.” 

The withdrawal also had widespread support from local residents, officials from the Beatty and Amargosa Valley town boards, as well as the Nye County Commission, and conservationists, who last year met with federal officials to voice opposition for a proposal to open a new lithium mine nearby. 

The decision was also celebrated by Nevada Democratic US Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and other federal lawmakers, who have been urging the Biden administration for years to intervene. Though the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump could rollback Tuesday’s withdrawal, Cortez Masto said in a statement she hopes the administration will follow through with the withdrawal for the sake of residents. 

“The incredible biodiversity of the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is being threatened by proposals for invasive, unproductive exploratory mining, which is why I called on the Department of the Interior to protect it,” Cortez Masto said in a statement. “I’m glad the Biden-Harris Administration is stepping in to ensure we preserve the unique ecological system and the critical water resources the region provides. I urge the incoming Trump Administration to follow suit and complete the land withdrawal.”

Ash Meadows is home to more than two dozen endemic species, including the endangered Devils Hole Pupfish. In 2023, Canada-based Rover Critical Minerals was blocked by federal officials from surveying for lithium near the preserve, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, even though the company laid a claim to minerals in and around nearby Amargosa Valley last year. 

“In Nye County, we have come together through a collaborative process with local communities, Tribal Nations, and conservation groups to protect and preserve Ash Meadows and its surrounding areas,” commissioner Bruce Jabbour said in a statement. “While we recognize exploratory rights under Nevada law, we must also prioritize the rights of the people of Amargosa, Beatty, Crystal, Timbisha Shoshone, Shoshone, and Tecopa — because water knows no boundaries.”

He continued: “This water resource is vital to every living thing in this region and aspect of our economy; without it, we face the devastating prospect of more ghost towns. Protecting our water is not optional; it is essential to our survival.”