First Advisor

Alida Cantor

Term of Graduation

2024

Date of Publication

7-10-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.) in Geography

Department

Geography

Language

English

Subjects

Energy transitions, Lithium mining, McDermitt Caldera

Physical Description

1 online resource (viii, 111 pages)

Abstract

As the world attempts to pivot away from fossil fuels and other greenhouse gas-emitting activities that fuel climate change, the proposed technological solutions all require raw materials, resources, and land; each of which have their own logistical and political dimensions. Lithium, a federally recognized critical mineral that is considered a crucial element in modern battery production, plays a vital role in decarbonizing efforts. Under the banners of national security, resource independence, and carbon mitigation goals, the United States has incentivized domestic lithium extraction, expediting exploration throughout the American West. The McDermitt Caldera, spanning from southeastern Oregon into northern Nevada, is believed to hold the largest lithium deposit in the United States. Actions have been swift to begin extraction in Nevada’s section of the Caldera. The construction of the Thacker Pass open-pit mine began in the spring of 2023, despite legal opposition from pan Indigenous groups, ranchers, and environmental groups. Across the border in Oregon, mining claims are scattered throughout the Caldera and exploratory drilling has begun. Given the early stage and rapid progression of these mining activities, there is a small but growing body of research regarding lithium mining in the McDermitt Caldera. I build upon this research with a focus on Oregon’s section of the Caldera by investigating the social and spatial dimensions of these extractive ambitions. Through the lens of political ecology, I investigate the narratives of opposition or support for potential lithium mining in the state of Oregon, finding that these discourses are backed by anthropocentric or biocentric values that have competing beliefs about the utility of a landscape. Additionally, I analyze the footprints of potential mining I operations with the habitats of state-recognized sensitive species within the Northern Basin and Range ecoregion, where the McDermitt Caldera is located. In this spatial analysis, the habitats of 75% of sensitive species overlapped with mining operations, which aligns with critiques that many renewable energy projects can be harmful to local biodiversity. By integrating the social and spatial components of this study, I contribute to critical scholarship of renewable energy technologies, underlining the complexities and considerations that accompany their implementation. Moreover, I shed light on a region amid a substantial landscape transformation in the name of clean energy, highlighting the perceived trade-offs that are associated with contemporary approaches to energy transitions.

Rights

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Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/42592

Included in

Geography Commons

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