Lithium drilling project temporarily blocked on sacred tribal lands in Arizona

Associated Press

A federal judge has temporarily blocked exploratory drilling for a lithium project in Arizona that Native American leaders say will harm land they’ve used for religious and cultural ceremonies for centuries. Environmental groups Earthjustice and Western Mining Action Project are suing federal land managers on behalf of the Hualapai Tribe. They accuse the U.S. Bureau of Land Management of illegally approving the drilling planned by an Australian mining company about 70 miles southeast of the Arizona-Nevada border. The judge granted a temporary restraining order this week and set a hearing for Sept. 17 in Phoenix.