Gary McKinney on Thacker Pass/Peehee Mu’Huh

Gary McKinney is a resident of Owyhee, Nevada, a small town on the Duck Valley Indian Reservation near the border of Idaho, about an hour north of Elko. Owyhee is located about 84 miles from a proposed lithium mine at Thacker Pass, an area known to the local indigenous community as Peehee Mu'Huh. Gary is the founder of People of Red Mountain, a group opposed to the Thacker Pass mine. 

On this episode, we traveled to Owyhee to met with Gary, where we talked about the history of the area, from it's earliest days as a pony express mail route, the 1865 massacre at Peehee Mu'Huh, the various (and sometimes hidden) financial incentives driving the green energy transition, the environmental impacts of mining in the area and around the world, and much more.

The Thacker Pass mine is currently under litigation, with various lawsuits from tribes in the area including the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony challenging the processes that were used to approve the project. Since the recording of this episode, federal judge Miranda Du has mostly ruled against the tribes, but a new lawsuit was filed just last week.

You can find People of Red Mountain at http://www.peopleofredmountain.com

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This season of Renoites is produced by Conor McQuivey, Lynn Lazaro, and Ember Braun. Send guest suggestions and feedback any time to conor@renoites.com