"A Nevada federal judge on Friday rejected a legal effort by the Winnemucca Indian Colony to join a lawsuit attempting to stop a lithium mining project at Thacker Pass, a religiously and culturally significant area considered sacred to the tribe.

Also last week, Department of Interior attorneys urged the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to reject tribal concerns and allow the mine developer to excavate as planned.

U.S. District Judge Miranda Du turned down the Nevada tribe’s bid to participate in the lawsuit, finding that it was too late, and allowing the tribe to join “at this late stage would prejudice the other parties” and delay the case, wrote Du.

The court said that it hoped to resolve the merits of the case before the 2022 construction season begins and further ground disturbance occurs.

Environmental groups and two tribes already involved in the lawsuit— the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony and the Burns Paiute Tribe—urged the court to grant the Winnemucca Indian Colony’s request to join, arguing the motion would not prejudice them.

However the mine developer, Lithium Nevada, opposed the tribes’ request to join arguing that delays in the project timeline would cost the company millions of dollars, a point the judge agreed with."

Federal judge rejects NV tribe's attempt to join lithium mine suit - Nevada Current