Lithium mines aimed at boosting production of electric vehicle batteries and geothermal power plants that tap underground water to produce renewable energy are at various stages of planning and development in the nation’s top gold mining state.
Environmental groups, Native American tribes and ranchers are among those who’ve filed lawsuits over the past two years seeking to block individual projects.
They say that while they support reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to help combat climate change, the commercial developments on public land in
Now, the group that stages perhaps the most famous counterculture event in the world is among those facing off against the
The
“Ormat’s exploration project will lay the foundation for turning a unique, virtually pristine ecosystem of environmental, historical and cultural significance into an industrial zone, and permanently alter the landscape,” the lawsuit says.
The
The drilling is planned within the
Clothing is optional, but participation is required at the psychedelic celebration of art, music and sometimes anarchy itself as aging hippies,
Or, as the lawsuit says, where attendees “over the course of eight days, camp and participate in a unique experimental community.”
“The ethos and culture of the event are rooted in the Ten Principles of Burning Man,” including “radical inclusion,” gifting, self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility and “Leaving No Trace,” the lawsuit explains.
The lawsuit said
“However, this first stage merely confirms where the resources are located to inform future industrial scale geothermal energy development," the suit said. “Once the exploration project begins, it will be impossible to stop the effects of the entire geothermal production project.”
The exploration project calls for 19 test wells and pads, associated facilities and 2.8 miles (4.5 kilometers) of improved and new access roads.
The proposed wells would be adjacent to a number of unique hot springs that are relied upon by the local community for tourism. The springs also are ecologically significant because they're “interconnected with each other, the ecosystem and the pristine landscape of the region,” the suit said.
“After participating in the public process and seeing no movement on our concerns, we filed this lawsuit to help ensure the impacts from the proposed project are minimized, and that
Thomsen said in an email that
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