Oregon May Be Sitting on One of the World’s Biggest Lithium Deposits but Who Really Benefits if It Becomes a Mine?

A massive deposit of lithium, which could overtake the giant South American ‘Lithium Triangle,’ has been identified in Malheur County, Oregon.

This discovery could be the largest single deposit of lithium worldwide, with estimates exceeding the trillions of dollars generated by the Bolivia, Argentina, Chile triangle.

Yesterday, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced the expansion of lithium exploration in southern Malheur County.

Oregon’s Lithium Jackpot Raises a Bigger Question About Who Actually Benefits in Malheur County

Now, the question on many lips is who will benefit from the rich returns of this discovery if the area in Malheur County becomes a lithium mine.

The monetary value of a lithium mine runs into trillions of dollars and will attract massive investments. The scarcity of lithium makes it a strategic resource, rather than an asset with a single fixed value.

Australian-based HighTech Minerals has been given the go-ahead by BLM to explore  the land for development as a lithium mine. HighTech will oversee the intensive drilling exploration by Jindalee Lithium in Malheur County for the next five years.

The Malheur County Exploration Land Will Undergo Major Disturbance

The BLM public lands, bordering Nevada, will undergo major disturbance of up to 73 acres created by 168 exploration drill sites across 7,200 acres, including construction of 22 miles of new access routes and equipment storage facilities.

Exploration drilling will take place annually for the next five years between July and November. BLM says disturbed areas of land will be reclaimed after each drilling session. Subsurface hydrological, geophysical, and Geochemical data could be collected during drilling activities.

BLM’s Acting Malheur Field Manager, Tara McLain, says the approval represents a significant step forward to achieving the nation’s energy goals and reducing dependence on critical minerals from foreign sources. Lithium was placed on the Department of the Interior’s list of critical minerals in 2017.

Presently, the U.S. Depends on Imported Lithium For its Needs

The United States relies heavily on imported lithium to manufacture lithium-ion batteries that are vital to national security and the transition to low-carbon transportation and energy storage.

If the area is mined, it is estimated that the mine will provide for the U.S.’s lithium needs for the next 63 years.

Time will tell if the 31,700 people living in one of Oregon’s poorest counties will benefit from the proposed lithium mine. Currently, Malheur is home to a low median household income of just under $50,000 and an unemployment rate of 4%.

Finally, the “unanswered question” on many lips is whether Malheur County and the state end up with refineries, manufacturing, and long-term jobs, or just hundreds of acres of disturbed land with exploration roads and truck traffic, while the real value flows elsewhere.