Arizona tribe fights to stop lithium drilling on culturally significant lands

Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — A Native American tribe is trying to persuade a U.S. judge to extend a temporary ban on exploratory drilling for a lithium project in Arizona. It’s near lands that tribal members have used for religious and cultural ceremonies for centuries. Leaders of the Hualapai Tribe are scheduled to testify Tuesday in federal court before a judge who issued a temporary restraining order last month for work at the site halfway between Phoenix and Las Vegas. The case is among the latest legal fights pitting Native American tribes and environmentalists against President Joe Biden’s administration as green energy projects encroach on lands that are culturally significant.