More and more electric cars are being produced each year, and they require lithium batteries for power. The U.S. has just one lithium mine and relies primarily on foreign sources of the valuable mineral. Now, a mining firm has proposed a new lithium mine in northern Nevada. It says the project will provide close to 2000 jobs, with many going to local Native American tribes. Tribal activists have fought the project, though, saying the proposed mine would destroy sacred land. Listen to learn more about the controversy over a proposed lithium mine and then debate: Should the U.S. mine lithium on sacred land?
Story Length: 4:52
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July 12, 2021
3:43
A controversial project to build a pipeline to transport oil from Canada to the Gulf Coast of the U.S. has been canceled. The fight over the pipeline has been waged for 10 years, as activists challenged the safety and environmental impact of the project and past presidents have alternately shut it down and revived it. President Biden’s order canceled the project amid public concerns about climate change that continue to grow. Listen to learn more about the Keystone XL pipeline project and hear an activist recall her decade-long battle to defeat it.
Read MoreNovember 18, 2020
3:51
After 100 years of searching, scientists in Washington state have detected gravitational waves, vibrations in space caused by the collision of black holes. The historic news was translated into dozens of languages so people around the world could share in the celebration, including Blackfoot, an endangered language spoken by a local indigenous tribe. Listen to learn why scientists decided to announce their discovery in a native language, hear how it sounds, and learn why the gesture held special meaning for the Blackfoot community.
Read MoreMay 29, 2020
2:33
Two South Dakota Native American tribes have placed highway checkpoints near their reservations to screen visitors for signs of COVID-19. Officials have demanded that they remove the roadblocks from state highways, but the tribes argue that their residents are especially vulnerable to infection and need protection. Listen to learn more about the standoff between tribal leaders and the state government and then debate: Do citizens have a right to protect themselves from the pandemic?
Read MoreNovember 1, 2019
3:30
A Native American tribe in California took an unusual step to protect a river central to its way of life – it gave the river the same rights as a person. The move allows the tribe to take legal action against anyone who harms the river. Listen to hear a tribal member explain the special role of the river in tribal life and why the group decided to take such bold action.
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