This is a recording from an Earthjustice sponsored panel at the Wild and Scenic Film Festival in Nevada City, CA.
The transition to clean energy is underway, but the race for minerals used in electrification is threatening Indigenous communities. Of the minerals that are considered key for the energy transition, 97% of nickel, 89% of copper, 79% of lithium, and 68% of cobalt are within 35 miles of Native American reservations. Earthjustice's panel discussion at the 2023 Wild and Scenic Film Festival featured Laura Berglan, Senior Attorney at Earthjustice, Blaine Miller-McFeeley, Senior Legislative Representative at Earthjustice, and Dr. Martina Dawley, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Hualapai Tribe. The panel discussed the impacts of dirty lithium mining to a hot spring sacred to the Hualapai Tribe and how Earthjustice is defending the spring while also pushing for mining reform and a circular economy to ensure a sustainable transition to a clean energy future.
