5 ms·

I don't like your description of sclerotic, implying the government is dysfunctional if it doesn't allow heavy industry open strip mining near "a few miles nort

I don't like your description of sclerotic, implying the government is dysfunctional if it doesn't allow heavy industry open strip mining near "a few miles northeast of the ski slopes of Sunday River and not far from Step Falls, where swimmers can wade in shallow pools formed by hundreds of feet of cascading granite ledge." 50 years from now when the area is a wasteland with polluted rivers I'm sure the residents who remember going swimming in natural ponds will be grateful for the nimbleness of their government

hn_throwaway_99 5y ago
Had the same reaction, essentially since the article goes on in length about how the Brooksville mine turned into an environmental disaster that cost taxpayers tens of millions to clean up. It's not like there's no history here.
a2tech 5y ago
Especially since as many people pointed out, Nevada has huge deposits of lithium in areas that are uninhabitable and bare desert
- panick21_ 5y ago
  While true. Those are clay deposits. Nobody has yet managed to make commercial clay deposits an actual thing. So Nevada has these theoretical deposits that are large but nobody has managed to mine any. The same goes fro Clay deposits everywhere. Here we are talking about Spodumene rocket deposit. These are typically somewhat higher grade but they have a proven track record and company with knowledge on how to commercially make lithium hydroxide or carbonade from it. Spodumene was basically the original source for lithium, that we used to make nuclear weapon and later glass. This was for a long time almost driven out of the market by brine projects (mostly in South America) but the demand for high grade lithium hydroxide has lead to a Spodumene boom in West Australia.
micromacrofoot 5y ago
Yeah this might be a good example of how local governments can prioritize long-term realities over short-term gains.

hn_throwaway_99 5y ago

Had the same reaction, essentially since the article goes on in length about how the Brooksville mine turned into an environmental disaster that cost taxpayers tens of millions to clean up. It's not like there's no history here.

a2tech 5y ago

Especially since as many people pointed out, Nevada has huge deposits of lithium in areas that are uninhabitable and bare desert

panick21_ 5y ago
While true. Those are clay deposits. Nobody has yet managed to make commercial clay deposits an actual thing. So Nevada has these theoretical deposits that are large but nobody has managed to mine any. The same goes fro Clay deposits everywhere. Here we are talking about Spodumene rocket deposit. These are typically somewhat higher grade but they have a proven track record and company with knowledge on how to commercially make lithium hydroxide or carbonade from it. Spodumene was basically the original source for lithium, that we used to make nuclear weapon and later glass. This was for a long time almost driven out of the market by brine projects (mostly in South America) but the demand for high grade lithium hydroxide has lead to a Spodumene boom in West Australia.

micromacrofoot 5y ago

Yeah this might be a good example of how local governments can prioritize long-term realities over short-term gains.