Nye County Commission rebukes lithium mining, solar development

Growing industrial development in Nye County is facing pushback after public opposition to projects residents fear may harm the county’s limited water resources.

Last week, the Nye County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to approve letters opposing mining activities near the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge and solar developments within one of the most over-appropriated basins in the state.

Nevada’s vast public lands have become a magnet for energy developers and mining companies looking to cash in on the clean energy transition. 

Nye County is now at the center of those interests after thousands of acres in Nevada’s Amargosa desert was leased for solar development last year, resulting in the highest-yielding onshore renewable energy auction in Bureau of Land Management history.

The county is also gaining interest from lithium mining companies after high-grade lithium was detected near the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, a critical wetland habitat that supports a dozen endangered and threatened species.

In the letter opposing proposed mining activities near the refuge, the county called on the Department of the Interior and Congress to analyze and pursue a mineral withdrawal for public lands in the sensitive area.

Permanently withdrawing the area from mining “will provide long-term protection and certainty of the Refuge’s status. It will also demonstrate our Federal Leadership’s commitment to the environment by hearing and acting on their constituents’ concerns,” wrote chair of the Nye County Board of Commissioners, Bruce Jabbour, in the letter. 

The county argued that allowing exploratory drilling and other mining activities near the ecologically sensitive refuge could “alter crucial groundwater flows with the risk of dewatering, causing irretrievable damage to the aquifer.”

Canada-based mining company Rover Metals submitted a new plan of operations for an exploratory drilling project near Ash Meadows last month, prompting the county to petition the federal government for stronger protections.

Federal land managers initially approved the company’s plan last year for a lithium exploration project less than a mile from the refuge before pulling their approval after strong public opposition and litigation to halt the project until a more detailed plan could be developed and reviewed.

Officials from the nearby towns within Nye County of Beatty and Amargosa Valley also submitted letters supporting the need for lands bordering Ash Meadows to be withdrawn from mining out of concern for impacts to groundwater.

“Some places are simply too important to risk losing and need to be taken off the table when it comes to mining,” said Mason Voehl, executive director at the Amargosa Conservancy, who joined the initial lawsuit against the project. “The communities of Nye County have made it clear that Ash Meadows is absolutely one of them. We will do whatever it takes to see to it that Ash Meadows flourishes for generations to come.”

Solar development and water supply

The Nye County Board of Commissioners also unanimously approved a letter last week asking Clark County to deny or re-site solar development applications located along the Nye County border near Pahrump.

Nye County has no authority regarding solar development in Clark County, however, the Nye officials argued there “is significant concern that cumulative solar development within the basin on land in Clark County will adversely impact the Pahrump region’s water supply.”

Specifically, the county noted their concern over large-scale solar development in a basin known as “the Pahrump Hydrographic Basin 162,” one of the most over-appropriated basins in Nevada with the highest density of domestic wells of any basin in the state.

Pahrump, Nye County’s most populous town, has been plagued by declining groundwater levels with domestic well failures increasing annually, according to county officials. Nye County officials said they believe cumulative solar development in the basin would only worsen the county’s water woes.

“I don’t want to be in a position where Clark County might look at Nye County over the hill and say ‘oh, it can just go out there’,” said Nye County Commissioner Ron Boskovich during the vote. 

In the letter, the Nye County Board of Commissioners acknowledged Nevada’s position as a primary location for clean energy development in order to achieve a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035 and net zero emissions by 2050.

County officials said they support the development of renewable energy facilities in Nye County, however, urged Clark County to consider the interests of Nye County residents.

The county assured that it is currently developing a plan to identify ideal locations for solar development within the county and “recognizes the significant impacts to our natural resources and County communities.”

“Denying applications and offering re-siting of renewable energy facilities will greatly increase our quality of life by preserving ourlimited and precious resources,” wrote Jabbour, the county commission chair, in the letter.

Clark County did not respond to questions about the letter or their role in approving the solar development in question.