"In the summer of 2019, Lithium Nevada Corporation (LNC) submitted a detailed plan for the Thacker Pass lithium mine project in northern Humboldt County, Nevada to the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP).

On February 5 of this year, the BLM published a Notice of Intent to Prepare a Draft Environmental Statement (DEIS) for the mine. Once the notice of intent was published, the agency has 12 months or fewer to process the EIS under a Trump Administration executive order that mandates a one year timeline.

On July 29, the Draft Environmental Impact Statement was published, which started a 45-day public comment period that ends on September 11.

Adding impetus to the approval of the mine is another Trump Administration executive order that gives the project strategic significance. Executive Order 13817 is dated December 20, 2017 and gives the Department of the Interior, in consort with the Department of Defense and other related agencies, the directive to create a list of critical minerals. Lithium is on the list.

To meet the NEPA decision deadline, a Record of Decision must be issued by February 5 of next year. Lithium Nevada said it is prepared to begin a 2 year construction phase soon after."

Further down at the end of the article is the following statement:  "After the 45-day comment period closes on September 11, to comply with the new one-year deadline for NEPA decisions, a Record of Decision is due out no later than February 5 of 2021."

There are a lot of Trump Administration Executive Orders.  So, the question is: What will happen with those Executive Orders in the Biden Administration early on?  That is the kicker, or at least I would think it would be.  If the original due date hold up as a mandate then things haven't changed, but on 20 January 2021 there is more than a good chance that things will change and that "madate" may or may not still be in force, depending on the current U.S. President after 20 January 2021.  I'm not playing either side in that statement, just stating a fact.

"a Record of Decision must be issued by February 5 of next year" and that would be by 5 February of 2021, if there is no rescinding of the original Executive Order.  I don't feel comfortable in concluding at this point that the original Executive Order will still be in place.  Things change.  Just sayin'

The article below is where I took the above quotes.  It discusses that issue of the EIS and the ROD and, in addition, discusses the objections of people like Edward Bartell to what he and others view as possible water contamination they claim would be caused as a result of the acid leaching to be utilized at the Thacker Pass Processing Plant.  It really is a good article, although it is a little dated, published all the way back on 28 August 2020.    Okiedo

Thacker Pass Lithium Mine - Draft Environmental Impact Statement reaction | The Sierra Nevada Ally

Just to pay Devil's Advocate for a moment, a more optimistic view of the current situation would emphasize the words "or fewer" in the above statement:  "the agency has 12 months or fewer to process the EIS".

Okiedo