Judge blocks Arizona lithium drilling that tribe says is threat to sacred lands

A federal judge has temporarily blocked exploratory drilling for a lithium project in Arizona that Native American leaders say will harm land they’ve used for religious and cultural ceremonies for centuries. Lawyers for Earthjustice and the Colorado-based Western Mining Action Project won the restraining order this week on behalf of the Hualapai Tribe. The tribe accuses federal land managers of illegally approving the drilling planned by an Australian mining company halfway between Phoenix and Las Vegas. The judge set a hearing Sept. 17 to determine if the exploration suspension should be extended. It’s among the latest legal fights pitting tribes and environmentalists against the Biden administration's green energy projects.