President Joe Biden is eager to get it off the ground. However, its investigation is splitting communities that are generally on the same side of political debates.

Environmentalists and indigenous peoples disagree on whether a new rush for this “white gold” should be encouraged or strongly opposed.

“The entire environmental community is split on this thing,” says Glen Miller, a former board member of the anti-mining local environmental nonprofit Great Basin Resource Watch.

In March, the diggers relocated to Thacker Pass, a breathtakingly picturesque location 4,000 feet (1,219 meters) above sea level. It was produced by an old volcano and is surrounded by lonely mountain tops.

Lithium Americas has finally won its petition to mine the area after years of legal wrangling.

Mr. Biden has stated unequivocally that he wants the United States to be the world leader in electric vehicles, and that the lithium required to produce them should be mined in the United States.

Last year, he stated that America needed to buy “close to 100%” of its lithium from countries such as Australia, Chile, and China.

However, other environmentalists believe that extracting additional lithium is the wrong way.