JDubski:  "Good post Cal. And solid logic by Benson on TP and climate change.Similar to the opinion of Prof Miller"

Thanks, JD for mentioning Professor Emeritus Glenn Miller from the University of Nevada, Reno.  Miller's bio is quite impressive and there is no doubt he has the credentials that prove he is a legitimate authority in the area of Environmental Science.  He was a Professor of Natural Science and Environmental Science at UNR for years and was, if not still, the Chairmen of the Board of Directors at The Great Basin Institute.

 Board of Directors - The Great Basin Institute

A rush to mine lithium in Nevada is pitting climate advocates and environmental groups against each other - CNNPolitics

I think it is important to point out that Dr. Miller is not someone who could accurately be portrayed as being in the back pocket of "Big Mining", as evidenced by the following exerpt from an article by Dr. Miller:

"We are just know coming to understand the magnitude of impacts that results from new mining practices which have been developed over the last fifty years. Many states are acting on the knowledge that large scale acid mine drainage can’t be stopped. Maine and New Mexico have created regulation preventing the creation of perpetuity sites, and there are efforts to do so in Montana and Colorado. Great Basin Resource Watch and the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada are working to pass similar common sense legislation in Nevada. Education on the issue is a concern, for even though Nevada is one of the main global mining regions the impacts are seen as distant in Nevadas urban centers. That is why we are working to inform the public of emerging impacts from modern industrial mining. Public engagement on this issue is needed to allow our policy makers to support legislation which contributes to a healthy sustainable mining industry.".

Perpetual Treatment of Mines – Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN) (planevada.org)

In regard to another proposed mining operation in Nevada back in 2019, Dr. Miller had this to say:

Glenn Miller, a retired professor who taught environmental sciences for 40 years at the University of Nevada, Reno and now serves on the watchdog group’s board, said the company has “grossly” underestimated the amount of acid drainage that will send sulfates into the pit lake he says will last for 500 years.

“Their prediction is hopelessly unrealistic,” he said. “It’s just not even in the realm of possibility.”

Hardly a position that could be characterized as Dr. Miller to be a puppet of the mining industry and to be in the back pocket of Big Mining.

Nevada state panel upholds permit for huge open pit mine | AP News

He has, in fact, been highly critical of any mining process that he has opined to be detrimental to the environment.  He has been something of an environmental watchdog for decades in regard to the mining industry, so it must have been quite a change in pace and outlook for him to make a statement in an opinion article he posted back on 3 July 2021 comments favorable to LAC's proposed Thacker Pass lithium mine:

"The U.S. does not produce much lithium, although it will very likely be one of the largest consumers of lithium in the next 10 years. Effectively all mines disturb natural lands, and the Thacker Pass mine is no different, except that the mining, processing and closure issues of this clay lithium mine is much less disturbing than what we have observed for gold, copper and many other base metal mines. In fact, the Thacker Pass lithium mine is the most benign large mine that I have examined in the past 40 years. "

The Thacker Pass Lithium Mine is Important for Limiting Global Warming - Sierra Nevada Ally

 Another Sierra Nevada Ally opinion piece by Dr. Glenn Miller, published on 20 July, 2021, sums up Dr. Miller's positive views on the proposed Thacker Pass lithium mine from a perspective that no retail investor could possibly have when  taking into consideration all of the decades and all of the expertise Dr. Miller possesses about mining in general, lithium mining in particular, as that industry affects the natural environment of the land and specifically how LAC has made specific efforts to ameliorate that impact to a degree not previously accomplished by other mining projects here in the State of Nevada:

The Thacker Pass Mine is Indeed Benign, Compared to Most Gold and Copper Mines in Nevada - Sierra Nevada Ally

He starts that opinion piece with the following preface:

"In a previous piece, I noted that the proposed Thacker Pass mine will be relatively benign in comparison to other large mines in Nevada, primarily gold and copper mines. As a critic of the mining industry for nearly 40 years, I and colleagues have stressed the importance of reclamation of mine sites, particularly since all mines ultimately close, and the legacy of poorly closed mines is all too common in the West."

Again, JD, thanks for making reference again to Dr. Miller.  I said many months ago in a post here on this Discussion Forum that I believe Dr. Miller could be the key to a successful conclusion of LAC's efforts to turn Thacker Pass into a reality.  I still believe that is true.  Dr. Miller's positive comments about LAC's planning to be "relatively benign in comparison to other large mines in Nevada" seems to be almost parallel to Saul's trip on the road to Damascus turning Saul into Paul.  It took something quite out of the ordinary for the second transformation to occur and I believe that regarding the opinion shaping process on Dr. Miller it must have required something of significant proportion to turn an established and authoritarian critique of mining practices in the State of Nevada into something of an LAC advocate.  Saul to Paul type transformation.  A transmogrification that could not have taken place without a commitment by Jon Evans and all of the Executives a LAC to make Thacker Pass a leader in finding  the best ways to have the least detrimental impact on the enviroment in the proposed lithium mine at Thacker Pass. 

 JMO, but for myself I could never underestimate the importance of Dr. Miller.

Okiedo

THE THACKER PASS MINE IS INDEED BENIGN, COMPARED TO MOST GOLD AND COPPER MINES IN NEVADA

THE THACKER PASS MINE IS INDEED BENIGN, COMPARED TO MOST GOLD AND COPPER MINES IN NEVADA