rkeeb, your post here sounds somewhat familiar to the post by "Roy" over on TOB.  I wouldn't be surprised if the author of both is the same person.  

For anyone who missed the post by "Roy" on TOB I have copied it below and reposted it here on the Agoracom LAC Hub.  Once in a while there are some really interesting and informative posts on TOB and good information is of value regardless of where it is posted.  My thanks to "Roy" for his tenacity in listening to the whole recording and to making a synoposis for his readers.

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I went to the website for Nevada’s Department of Environmental Protection (NDEP) recommended by Fransisco (thinks for that) and watched the presentation from 22 April 2021 associated with the slide show I’ve linked to below.

The NDEP issues three of the state permits required by LAC prior to starting construction at Thacker Pass. These are a Mining Reclamation Permit, a Water Pollution Control Permit, and a Class II Air Quality Operating Permit.
The Reclamation Permit appears to be primarily focussed on achieving financial guarantees from the applicant (LAC) that they will be the ones to cover the cost of reclaiming the land after the mining activity. This doesn’t appear to be a big stumbling block

The Water Pollution permit process is well underway, with LAC submitting responses to the state’s technical questions on 1 March 2021. The state has asked follow up questions and is awaiting LAC’s responses. A draft permit is expected in late spring at which time a period of public comments starts. There will also probably be a public hearing due to the high profile nature of the mine. The Notice of Decision Regarding Permit Issuance is expected this summer, probably late summer.

The Air Pollution Control permit process is also well underway, with LAC having responded to state technical questions on 2 April 2021. After the technical review, an Intent to Issue or Deny statement will be released on or around 14 May 2021. A period of public comment will begin, and again probably a public hearing, and by mid June the state will be in a process of reviewing and commenting on or reacting to written public comments will begin. This is open ended because the nature of the public comments can’t be foreseen, and there is the possibility that further questions may be asked of LAC. There is no anticipated ate of issuance for the permit, but it would probably be late summer.

The state officials during the presentation stressed that they are obligated to issue the permits if the applicant meets existing state law. It is not a popularity contest. This is positive because it reminds us that the NMBY groups and outside environmentalists can only have so much say.

https://ndep.nv.gov/uploads/documents/202104_Thacker_Pass_Community_Meeting_1_NDEP_Presentation.pdf