Nevada Desert Calibration Site Opposed To Lithium Mining
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NASA Opposes Lithium Mining at Tabletop Flat Nevada Desert Satellite Calibration Site: A new challenge to lithium mining in Nevada has arisen from a place where no opposition has ever arisen before space.
Environmentalists, ranchers, and others have opposed lithium mining ventures for years in Nevada. Nevertheless, opposition to mining one NASA Opposes Lithium Mining at Tabletop Flat Nevada Desert Satellite Calibration Site particular desert tract for the silvery-white metal produced by electric car batteries comes from an unexpected source: space.
An ancient Nevada lakebed is believed to be the key to producing cleaner electric energy and combating global warming by providing an abundant supply of the required metal. NASA, however, states that the same site, which is flat as a tabletop and undisturbed, is indispensable for calibrating the razor-sharp measurements taken by hundreds of satellites orbiting above.
In response to a request from the space agency, the U.S. Department of the Interior has agreed to withdraw 36 square miles (92 square kilometers) of eastern Nevada terrain from NASA Opposes Lithium Mining at Tabletop Flat Nevada Desert Satellite Calibration Site its inventory of federal lands that may be suitable for mineral exploration and mining.
In Nevada’s Railroad Valley, NASA says the extended, flat area above a lithium deposit has been used for nearly three decades for accurate measurements to keep satellites and their applications functioning.
During the past three years, the Bureau has faced numerous mining challenges from environmentalists, tribal leaders, ranchers, and other NASA Opposes Lithium Mining at Tabletop Flat Nevada Desert Satellite Calibration Site groups seeking to overturn approval of a large lithium mine in northwest Nevada near the Oregon border.
In December, the Bureau began reviewing plans for a lithium mine near the California border, about 230 miles (370 kilometers) southeast of Reno, where an endangered desert wildflower grows.
NASA says satellites “provide vital and NASA Opposes Lithium Mining at Tabletop Flat Nevada Desert Satellite Calibration Site often time-critical information touching every aspect of life on Earth” in Railroad Valley.
Climate change measurements are increasingly certified
Critics argue the Nevada desert contradiction. The essential element in electric vehicle batteries, lithium, is buried beneath the ground. NASA says it must remain undisturbed to verify satellites monitoring Earth’s warming atmosphere.
“As our nation becomes ever more impacted by an evolving and changing environment, it is critical to have reliable and accurate data and imagery of our planet,” said Mark Moneza of Planet Labs, a San Francisco-based satellite imaging company that has used NASA Opposes Lithium Mining at Tabletop Flat Nevada Desert Satellite Calibration Site to calibrate more than 250 satellites since 2016.
A Nevada representative presented legislation last month to reverse the Bureau’s mining ban. Last Thursday, Republican Rep. Mark Amodei told a House subcommittee that the move shows President Joe Biden’s “hypocrisy.”
Amodei said the Biden Administration wants to develop renewable energy technology and minimize atmospheric carbon. They oppose lithium development for sustainable energy.
In 2021, NASA sought the land withdrawal from 3 Proton Lithium Inc., a Carson City, Nevada, mining firm. However, the corporation claimed to have NASA Opposes Lithium Mining at Tabletop Flat Nevada Desert Satellite Calibration Site done a substantial study in preparation for future ambitions to harvest the brine-based lithium reserve, one of the ten most remarkable in the world.
Chairman Kevin Moore said the tract’s withdrawal likely would prevent his energy business from pumping “super brine” from approximately one-third of its claims, including the deepest, wealthiest reserves worth 60% of the site’s value. He testified with Amodei last week before the House Resources Subcommittee on Mining and Mineral Resources.
Moore stated, “This project is vital to transitioning to a green economy, creating good-paying American jobs, combating climate change, ending America’s over-reliance on foreign adversaries, and securing a domestic supply chain for critical and rare earth minerals.
Lithium Arrow LLC founder James Ingraffia also opposes BLM’s approach. He warned the Bureau publicly that blocking Railroad Valley lithium mining undermined climate change efforts.
“Essentially, your actions boil down to, ‘There’s a problem we want to keep worrying about but NOT allow to be solved,'” he said. “It’s inconsistent.”
3 Proton Lithium claims its brine pumping won’t affect the soil. NASA Opposes Lithium Mining at Tabletop Flat Nevada Desert Satellite Calibration Site disagrees.
Since the area remains undisturbed, NASA has been able to record long-term images of the undisturbed topography to aid in the exact NASA Opposes Lithium Mining at Tabletop Flat Nevada Desert Satellite Calibration Site measurement of distances using radio signals’ travel time and to ensure the “absolute radiometric calibration” of satellite sensors.
According to Jeremy Eggers, a spokesman for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, activities that might disturb the surface NASA Opposes Lithium Mining at Tabletop Flat Nevada Desert Satellite Calibration Site integrity of Railroad Valley could make the site unusable.
A decision was ultimately made to protect Railroad Valley, which in turn protects the critical scientific data that is relied upon by various economic sectors.
Basin and Range National Monument is home to Tabletop Flat, a flat spot in the middle of the Nevada desert’s famously hilly and canyon-filled Basin and Range region. Since many endangered and vulnerable species call this region home, it must be protected.
The remarkable natural feature of Tabletop Flat is a five-mile wide, practically completely flat section in Death Valley. Calibration of Earth-observing NASA Opposes Lithium Mining at Tabletop Flat Nevada Desert Satellite Calibration Site satellites, which require a space free of obstructions to map and measure the Earth’s surface, will find this location particularly useful.
The plans by Lithium Americas to extract lithium ore from the site were approved by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 2020, with operations set to commence in 2023. The environmental and scientific communities, including NASA, have voiced their strong objection to this decision. NASA Opposes Lithium Mining at Tabletop Flat Nevada Desert Satellite Calibration Site.
Problems Raised by NASA
NASA is concerned that mining activities at Tabletop Flat could compromise the precision of satellites to gather crucial scientific data. Large, potentially disruptive machinery is often needed for mining and might impact the local environment.
Large buildings can also cause problems for satellite calibration since they prevent satellites from accurately mapping Earth’s surface.
NASA researchers are also worried about how the mining would affect local fauna. The Basin and Range National Monument is home to several endangered species that could be harmed or driven away by the mining processes accompanying dust and noise pollution.
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The NASA Plan
NASA has offered an alternative solution to the projected mining of lithium ore from Tabletop Flat to maintain its satellites’ precision without preventing the mining itself. To avoid disrupting satellite calibration, NASA proposes moving the mining operations to another desert area with similar geologic characteristics to Tabletop Flat.
In addition, NASA suggests that the mining operation follows stringent environmental laws to safeguard the local ecosystem. To ensure the amounts of dust and noise pollution caused by the mining process don’t go above safe limits, monitoring equipment for air pollution must be set up.
Opposing Opinions Regarding NASA’s Plan
According to Lithium Americas, moving NASA Opposes Lithium Mining at Tabletop Flat Nevada Desert Satellite Calibration Site the mines would necessitate a significant investment in new facilities and machinery. The project’s cost would NASA Opposes Lithium Mining at Tabletop Flat Nevada Desert Satellite Calibration Site skyrocket. As a result, we are making it infeasible for the business to pursue.
CEO David MacFarlane said the project would be further delayed if it had to comply with NASA’s stringent environmental rules. He thinks the mining operations are safe, and there is little chance of them interfering with the satellite calibration process.
