Abstract
The United States is at the precipice of a rapid expansion of domestic lithium mining, which will be needed to meet the administration's stated goal of renewable energy independence. Fleets of electric vehicles will run on energy stored in lithium-ion batteries rather than petroleum. Lithium mining, however, normally requires vast quantities of local water resources, which places this element of the green energy transition at the heart of what is known as the water energy nexus. This Article examines recent water litigation around the Thacker Pass lithium mine in Nevada and argues that traditional lithium projects create substantial risks for companies and local stakeholders alike. Alternative models of cooperative water governance should be established, such as those being pioneered at the Salton Sea in California, which make use of geothermal energy, novel extraction technologies, and water allocation techniques from the frame[1]work of holistic watershed management. Mining corporations can and should embrace cooperative water governance as a way to avoid litigation and more quickly and equitably bring lithium-ion batteries to consumers. This Article concludes with possible extensions of the idea of comprehensive water governance to additional areas of the water-energy nexus.
First Page
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Custom Citation
Isaac Bloch, A Green Energy Watershed: Water Litigation, Electric Batteries, and Agency Oversight of Lithium Mining, 27 U. Denv. Water L. Rev. 1 (2024).