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Albemarle, the world's largest lithium producer, built facilities without permission on public land at its Silver Peak Mine in Nevada. Now it's asking the Trump administration for approval after the fact.
The company requested the "ask forgiveness, not permission" exemption as part of its fast-track expansion under a Trump administration initiative to boost mining on public lands. The expansion would double the mine's footprint on public land to more than 1,000 acres, adding pump stations, pipelines, and brine ponds.
Albemarle made headlines last week when Public Domain reported that Elon Musk's top DOGE official at the Interior Department, Tyler Hassen, appears to have held Albemarle stock while the administration fast-tracked the Silver Peak expansion. Members of Congress have demanded all of Hassen's financial disclosures and calendars as part of their investigation. After receiving the letter, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum replaced Hassen as the top budget official at the department, but Hassen appears to still be working at Interior today.
The Bureau of Land Management has opened a public comment period on the Silver Peak mine expansion, and will hold a virtual public meeting on September 23rd. Registration is required to join, and BLM will not accept public comments during the meeting.
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Your work is not the major contributing cause of your claimed disease.”
