Lithium Americas Receives Final Key State Permits for Thacker Pass; Provides Update on Federal Permitting Timeline
February 25 2022 - 12:37PM
Lithium Americas Corp. (TSX: LAC) (NYSE: LAC) ("Lithium
Americas" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the
Nevada Division of Environmental Protection
(“
NDEP”) has issued the final key state-level
permits for the Thacker Pass lithium project in Humboldt County,
Nevada (“
Thacker Pass” or the
“
Project”). The three approved permits include the
Water Pollution Control Permit, Mine Reclamation Permit and Class
II Air Quality Operating Permit.
“With the final key
state environmental permits in hand, Lithium Americas can begin to
advance Thacker Pass towards construction,” said Jonathan Evans,
President and CEO. “Thacker Pass provides an opportunity to enable
a US-based battery supply chain for the growing electric vehicle
market. Our commitment to developing Thacker Pass in the most
environmentally responsible way is demonstrated from over a decade
of conducting the necessary planning, design and engagement.”
Following a 30-day
public comment period and NDEP’s review of extensive input from the
public, the permits for Thacker Pass were approved on February 25,
2022. NDEP conducted extensive reviews of the mine site plan,
verified the air models and calculations for the Class II Air
Quality Operating Permit, assessed required bonding for land
disturbance and reclamation as part of the Mining Reclamation
Permit, and authorized mine operations and ore processing for the
Water Pollution Control Permit, including setting monitoring and
reporting requirements. More information can be found on NDEP’s
Thacker Pass webpage at
https://ndep.nv.gov/land/thacker-pass-project.
Federal
Permitting Timeline
The Record of Decision
(“ROD”) for Thacker Pass was received in January
2021 from the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”),
and in February 2021, claims were filed against the BLM to appeal
the issuance of the ROD. In Q3 2021, injunction requests over the
Company’s plan to begin cultural assessment and pre-construction
work were denied, and subsequently, a motion to reconsider was also
denied in late 2021. Recently, the Federal court partially approved
a request for the inclusion of additional documents from the BLM.
As a result of the additional documentation requests, the ROD
appeal process is expected to be complete in Q3 2022.
ABOUT LITHIUM
AMERICAS
Lithium Americas is focused on advancing lithium
projects in Argentina and the United States to production. In
Argentina, Caucharí-Olaroz is advancing towards first production
and Pastos Grandes represents regional growth. In the United
States, Thacker Pass has received its Record of Decision and is
advancing towards construction. The Company trades on both the
Toronto Stock Exchange and on the New York Stock Exchange, under
the ticker symbol “LAC”.
For further information contact:Investor
RelationsTelephone: 778-656-5820Email:
ir@lithiumamericas.comWebsite: www.lithiumamericas.com
CAUTIONARY
STATEMENT ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
Certain statements in
this release constitute “forward-looking statements” within the
meaning of applicable United States securities legislation and
“forward-looking information” under applicable Canadian securities
legislation (collectively, “forward-looking statements”). Such
forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results,
performance or achievements of the Company, its projects, or
industry results, to be materially different from any future
results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements. Such statements can be identified by
the use of words such as “may”, “would”, “could”, “will”, “intend”,
“expect”, “believe”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “scheduled”,
“forecast”, “predict” and other similar terminology, or state that
certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might”
or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved. These statements reflect
the Company’s current expectations regarding future events,
financial or operating performance and results, and speak only as
of the date of this release. Such statements include without
limitation, expectations regarding the status of development of the
Company’s projects, the expected potential benefits of the Thacker
Pass project for creation of a battery supply chain in the United
States, and the expected timing for a decision by the court
concerning the appeal of the ROD.
Forward-looking
statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, should not
be read as guarantees of future performance or results and will not
necessarily be accurate indicators of whether or not such results
will be achieved. A number of factors could cause actual results to
differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking
statements or information, including, but not limited to, risks
associated with mining project development, achieving anticipated
milestones and budgets as planned, and meeting expected timelines;
risks inherent in litigation that could result in additional
unanticipated delays or rulings that are adverse for the Company or
its projects; maintaining local community support in the regions
where the Company’s projects are located; changing social
perceptions and their impact on project development and litigation;
ongoing global supply chain disruptions and their impact on
developing the Company’s projects; availability of personnel,
supplies and equipment; the impact of inflation on the Company, its
projects and their economic feasibility; any impacts of COVID-19 on
the business of the consolidated entity; unanticipated changes in
market price for the Company’s shares; changes to Lithium Americas’
current and future business plans and the strategic alternatives
available to Lithium Americas; stock market conditions generally;
demand, supply and pricing for lithium; and general economic and
political conditions in Canada, the United States, Argentina and
other jurisdictions where Lithium Americas conducts business.
Additional information about these assumptions and risks and
uncertainties is contained in the Company’s filings with securities
regulators, including the Company’s most recent annual information
form and most recent management’s discussion and analysis for the
Company’s most recently completed financial year and interim
financial period, which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and
EDGAR at www.sec.gov.
Although the
forward-looking statements contained in this release are based upon
what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions,
there can be no assurance that actual results will be consistent
with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking
statements are made as of the date of this release and are
expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.
Subject to applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume
any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements
contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after
the date of this release.
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