Let’s not be delusional about it. For those who are not AZL addicts, I have already posted that the Hualapai tribe has 2,300 members. Why do some keep insisting that there are only 100? It’s like saying we can start chipping away at Uluru and selling the rocks as souvenirs because there aren’t many people living nearby.
The 100 number comes from the article (you should read it) that reports how many people showed up at a meeting. The majority of them were not Native American. They represent thousands with shared interests, though.
The Hualapai (pronounced WA-la-pie) managed to get financing for the $30 million Skywalk they built on the northern part of their lands, over the Grand Canyon. They can afford lawyers – they were involved for years in a long lawsuit with the Las Vegas promoter who financed that project.
AZL seems priced to perfection, because shareholders believe BLM approval is assured. I’m not so sure, but if it comes, the price may rise to 18 cents before falling back to 10 in a month or so. There are other places, including two nearby, to invest in lithium projects with less baggage. On the other hand, if BLM rules unfavorably, the price drops to 5 cents quickly. Lordsburg may provide some support. Odd, to have a company with Arizona in its name, known for its project in the neighboring state of New Mexico.
For those with open minds, state government is not involved in decisions about federal land. State law applies to some things, federal law applies to others. Occasionally there is some overlap, but not here. To use Murdoch as an example, he could not go to federal court for his divorce. Nor could he go to state court, to apply for US citizenship.
The top management of the federal bureaucracy are political appointees. They have a lot of control over policy and priorities. The work is done by civil servants who don’t lose their jobs when someone loses an election. Isn’t it that way in most places? For the Wikieup decision, the civil servants will have to weigh the evidence. They have to find some facts to support their decision, but they can believe either side about the level of the water table, or they can send it back for more fact-finding.
The Thacker Pass lawsuit is a preview of what might happen with AZL. Who is being sued? BLM. What did they do? They approved the project. What happened? Work stopped while the trial-court judge made her decision. What happens now? That decision, favorable to LAC on a preliminary phase of the study, can be appealed to two higher levels. Ultimately the higher courts tell BLM what to do.
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