The United States identified a 40-million-ton lithium deposit under the Oregon–Nevada McDermitt Caldera, highlighting a potential domestic source for EV batteries. The report outlines McDermitt Caldera lithium concentrations near Thacker Pass and implications for the U.S. EV battery supply chain. Stakeholders include Lithium Americas, the Bureau of Land Management, General Motors, and nearby explorers amid a lithium market deficit expected in 2026. Most lithium today is mined in Australia and South America and refined in China; McDermitt is framed as a diversification effort for domestic cathode production. The clay-hosted deposit requires energy‑intensive acid leaching and careful tailings disposal, with groundwater monitoring and habitat protections proposed. Tribal nations, conservation groups, and local ranchers have raised concerns about sacred sites, wildlife, water use, and cumulative impacts.
