Mexican Senate approves nationalization of lithium mining

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s Senate has passed a bill to nationalize lithium mining and extraction. The bill was submitted by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who is expected to sign it into law. The law approved Tuesday says a state-run company will have exclusive rights to mine lithium, a mineral used in electric car batteries and other devices. The bill passed in the lower house of Congress Monday. Only one lithium mine in Mexico, operated by a Chinese firm, is anywhere near close to starting production. It was not clear if that mine in northern Mexico would be taken over by the government.