Residents of Amargosa Valley and surrounding communities support mining ban at BLM public meeting Feb. 27, 2025. (Photo: Jeniffer Solis/Nevada Current)
Residents of Amargosa Valley and surrounding communities urged the federal government Thursday to move forward with a mining ban that would protect thousands of acres surrounding the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.
After intense local backlash to a proposed mining project in the valley, the Department of Interior announced in January they would launch a public review to consider whether or not to pull nearly 270,000 acres of public land adjacent to the wildlife refuge from mining for the next two decades.
There are currently 791 active mining claims in the Amargosa Valley, according to the Bureau of Land Management’s Pahrump Office.
Over the next two years, the decision on whether to enact the 20-year mining ban will be made under the Department of the Interior’s Secretary Doug Burgum, who recently called on federal land managers to “suspend, revise, or rescind” a series of conservation policies, including mining bans in sensitive locations.
During a public meeting Thursday, residents urged federal officials to ban water-intensive mining in the valley, which they say could imperil their already dwindling water source — the Amargosa River.
More than a hundred people packed into the small Amargosa Community Center to express their support for the mining ban.
Claire Watkins, who played volleyball at the community center as a student, said Amargosa Valley should not have to bear the burden of lithium mining.
“As I see it, this river kept me alive, and I think we should repay the favor,” Watkins said during the meeting.
Conservation groups and local residents expressed hope the Trump administration would ultimately agree to impose the mining ban, despite political uncertainties.
Earlier this month, a BLM public meeting for a proposed oil and gas leasing ban in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains was canceled the same day thousands of federal workers were indiscriminately fired, including several National Park Service employees in Nevada.
“This is our chance to prove that the American Experiment still works, that regardless of party or politics, people can come together and work toward a common sense solution that benefits many people instead of just few,” said Mason Voehl, the executive director of the Amargosa Conservancy.
The proposed mining ban in the Amargosa Valley has broad support from state and federal lawmakers, Tribal governments, local residents, conservation groups, and surrounding businesses.
The Timbisha Shoshone Tribe, Amargosa Valley Town Board, Beatty Town Board, Nye County Water District, Nye County Board of County Commissioners, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and the entire Nevada congressional delegation have backed the proposed mining ban.
“I’ll be honest, this was the first time a coalition like this in my career has ever been all on the same page. So it’s kind of cool,” said Nicholas Pay, the field manager for the BLM Pahrump Office.
One year ago, the tight-knit community of Amargosa Valley learned that Canada-based lithium company Rover Critical Minerals was gearing up to drill exploratory boreholes in the valley — a move they say would negatively impact groundwater essential for local communities and wildlife.
The Amargosa River travels just under the surface for most of its 185-mile course. In the stretches of the river that reach the surface — like the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge — the river supports endemic species that depend entirely on springs fed by groundwater aquifers, including the Devil’s Hole pupfish.
A federal mineral withdrawal would not dissolve previous mining claims, but it would greatly reduce mining companies’ interest in developing claims they already have in the area, say supporters of the ban.
Nye County Commissioner Bruce Jabbour, whose commission district includes most of the proposed mineral withdrawal area, said implementing a mining ban will not be easy, but strong community involvement has helped the proposal come a long way.
“We’re very sensitive to what’s happening, and we want to help, and we want to hear your voice,” Jabbour said.
“Without the water this will become yet another Nevada ghost town, which we cannot afford. We can’t allow that to happen,” he continued.
Jack Hamm, a resident of Pahrump, said he holds copper mining claims in the proposed withdrawal area and would “be honored to relinquish” them to further protect the Amargosa Valley.
“Whatever impact that has pales in comparison to the impact of allowing mining in the Amargosa,” said Hamm, who also serves as a board member at the Goldwell Open Air Museum.
“My view, the protection of the Amargosa is nonnegotiable, and this withdrawal must be passed,” Hamm continued.
Claudia Bowker, a resident of Amargosa Valley, said she was among a few people who might avoid being directly impacted — given her location and water availability — but remains “adamantly against any kind of mining here.”
“I don’t want to see my neighbors have to put tens of thousands of dollars to drill deeper wells. I don’t want to see my neighbors lose their property value because they’re too close to mine. I don’t want to see my neighbors have to pack up and move,” Bowker said.
“I am 100% against any kind of mineral extraction in Amargosa Valley, for not only just the next 20 years, but the next century. Forever,” she continued.
Public comments for the proposed mineral withdrawal will be open until April 15. The BLM Pahrump office is collecting additional data and information that could be included in a report to the Department of the Interior.
“We all know how important this valley is,” Pay said.
“We’re going to put together a package that tells a story, and we will provide a recommendation to my leaders, and then we go from there. I am super excited about this process,” Pay said.