Lithium Americas Corp (LAAC)

[jbsliverer]

LAC Ratings 3/18/22

[jbsliverer]

Lithium Americas Reports 2021 Full Year and Fourth Quarter Results
VANCOUVER, British Columbia , March 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lithium Americas Corp. (TSX: LAC) (NYSE: LAC) (" Lithium Americas " or the "Company") has reported financial and operating results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2021 .
HIGHLIGHTS
Argentina
Caucharí-Olaroz
-- Construction continues to advance with a revised timeline; currently the
project is approximately 85% complete and commissioning is targeted to
commence in H2 2022.

-- 1,500 workers are on site with 100% of the workforce having
received at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

-- Around the end of 2021, construction activities were impacted by
COVID-19 Omicron disruptions impacting supply chains and
availability of the main contractor. Activities have returned to
normal and the Company continues to monitor the situation closely.

-- Additional resources have been added to accelerate and de-risk
commissioning and ramp-up timeline.

-- Total capital cost estimates have been revised to $741 million (on a 100%
basis), up 16% from $641 million , to reflect additional resources and
manpower, engineering modifications and inflationary cost pressures.

-- As of December 31, 2021 , 76%, or $565 million , of the $741 million
budget has been spent.

-- Progress on the second stage expansion of at least 20,000 tonnes per
annum ("tpa") of lithium carbonate equivalent ("LCE") continues to
advance with additions to the technical leadership team and drilling
program underway.
Pastos Grandes
-- In January 2022 , the Company completed the acquisition of Millennial
Lithium Corp. and the 100% owned Pastos Grandes for total consideration
of approximately $390 million .

-- In February 2022 , the Company hired Carlos Galli as Senior Director,
Project Development , Latin America , to oversee the development planning
for Pastos Grandes and integration and expansion of a team of over 50
workers based in Salta, Argentina .
Arena Minerals
-- In November 2021 , the Company increased its strategic investment in Arena
Minerals Inc. (TSX-V: AN) to approximately 17.4% for $10 million .
United States
Thacker Pass
-- In October 2021 , Measured and Indicated ("M&I") Resource estimates were
updated to 13.7 million tonnes ("Mt") LCE at 2,231 parts per million
lithium ("ppm Li"). See the Company's news release dated October 7, 2021

-- The Company continues to advance the Feasibility Study with an increased
targeted capacity of 40,000 tpa lithium carbonate and incorporating a
second phase expansion to reach a targeted total capacity of 80,000 tpa
lithium carbonate. Results of the Feasibility Study are expected in H2
2022.

-- The Company is continuing to optimize engineering to complete capital and
operating estimates. Capital costs are expected to substantially increase
due to the incorporation of increased scale, additional processing and
related infrastructure changes, and the results of engineering and
testing, as well as to account for external factors such as inflationary
pressures and supply chain considerations

-- The Lithium Technical Development Center is expected to be operational in
Q2 2022 to support ongoing optimization work and to provide product
samples for potential customers and partners.

-- In February 2022 , the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection
("NDEP") issued the final key state-level environmental permits: Water
Pollution Control Permit, Class II Air Quality Operating Permit and
Exploration and Mine Reclamation Permits.

-- An appeal on the Record of Decision continues to advance through Federal
court process with a ruling expected in Q3 2022.

-- In February 2022 , the Company announced that it submitted a draft
application to the US Department of Energy for funding to be used at
Thacker Pass through the Advanced Technologies Vehicle Manufacturing Loan
Program.

-- Discussions continue with potential strategic partners and customers.
Corporate
-- As at December 31, 2021 , the Company had $511 million in cash and cash
equivalents with an additional $75 million in available credit.

-- In December 2021 , the Company completed a convertible senior note
offering of $259 million at 1.75% due in 2027. Net proceeds were
primarily used to repay the $205 million senior secured credit facility
and remove security over Thacker Pass , and to repay in early 2022 $25
million outstanding on its subordinate loan facility.

-- In January 2022 , the Company began to work with IRMA (Initiative for
Responsible Mining Assurance) to pilot their new draft IRMA -Ready
Standard for Responsible Mineral Exploration and Development.

-- In February 2022 , Richard Gerspacher joined as Senior Vice President
Capital Projects to oversee execution of the Company's development
projects. Most recently, Mr. Gerspacher served as Vice President and
Projects Director for Fluor Corporation leading the development of an
advanced stage lithium chemical project in Australia .

-- In February 2022 , the Company commenced the process to explore a
separation of its US and Argentina operations, through the creation of a
standalone public company focused on the development of Thacker Pass .
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
The Technical Information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Rene LeBlanc , PhD, SME, Chief Technical Officer of Lithium Americas , and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.
FINANCIAL RESULTS
Selected consolidated financial information is presented as follows:
(in US$ million except per share
information) Year ended December 31,
2021 2020
$ $
-------------------------------------------- ------------- -----------
Expenses (46.1) (30.6)
Net loss (38.5) (36.2)
(Loss)/income per share -- basic (0.32) (0.39)


As at December 31,
(in US$ million) As at December 31, 2021 2020
$ $
----------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------
Cash and cash
equivalents 510.6 148.1
Total assets 817.3 326.7
Total long-term
liabilities (272.8) (127.3)


During the year ended December 31, 2021 , total assets and cash increased primarily due to the $377.4 million net proceeds raised from the underwritten public offering of common shares, partially offset by expenditures in the period. Total long-term liabilities increased primarily due to drawdowns on the Company's $205 million senior credit facility and the $250 million in net proceeds raised from the convertible senior notes, which was used to fully repay the $205 million senior credit facility at the end of 2021.
The higher net loss in 2021 compared to 2020 is primarily attributable to higher Thacker Pass expenditures.
This news release should be read in conjunction with Lithium Americas' consolidated financial statements and management's discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2021 , which are available on the Company's website and SEDAR. All amounts are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated.
ABOUT LITHIUM AMERICAS
Lithium Americas is focused on advancing lithium projects in Argentina and the United States to production. In Argentina , Caucharí-Olaroz is advancing towards first production and Pastos Grandes represents regional growth. In the United States , Thacker Pass has received its Record of Decision and is advancing towards construction. The Company trades on both the Toronto Stock Exchange and on the New York Stock Exchange , under the ticker symbol "LAC".
For further information contact:
Investor Relations
Telephone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.lithiumamericas.com
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (which we refer to collectively as forward-looking information) under the provisions of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking information. Examples of forward-looking information in this news release include, among other things, statements related to: successful development of the Caucharí-Olaroz project and the Thacker Pass project, including timing, progress, construction, milestones, expansion plans, scale, anticipated production and results thereof; expectations and anticipated impact of COVID-19 on the Company and its projects; timing for commissioning, and plans to accelerate the commissioning and timeline for the Caucharí-Olaroz project; estimates of capital and operating expenditures and substantial changes thereto for any project, including factors expected to contribute to such changes; the Company's ability to fund its development programs through debt or equity financing, including through government loan programs; timing, capacity, expansion plans, completion of a feasibility study and sufficiency of water rights for the Thacker Pass project; Company expectations as to timing for technical development center operations for Thacker Pass , the outcome of such

(MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones Newswires
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operations and production of samples; government regulation of mining operations and treatment under governmental and taxation regimes; expected timing and outcome of litigation or regulatory processes concerning the Thacker Pass project; the estimated amount and grade of mineral resources for the Thacker Pass project; expected outcome and timing of environmental surveys and analysis, permit applications and other environmental matters; expected environmental impacts of the Company's projects; expected expenditures to be made by the Company on its properties; the timing, cost, quantity, capacity, product quality of production and sufficiency of brine inventory of the Caucharí-Olaroz project, which is held and operated through an entity in Argentina co-owned by the Company, Ganfeng Lithium Co. Ltd. (" Ganfeng") and Jujuy Energia y Mineria Sociedad del Estado (JEMSE); successful operation of the Caucharí-Olaroz project under the co-ownership structure, and expectations concerning proposed expansion plans for the project; results of the Company's engineering, design and permitting program at the Thacker Pass project, including the Company meeting deadlines and receiving and maintaining permits as anticipated; the Company's share of the expected capital expenditures for the construction of the Caucharí-Olaroz project; expected benefits of acquisitions and investments in third parties made by the Company; the potential for partnership and financing scenarios for the Thacker Pass project; and the proposed separation of the Company's business, the completion thereof and its structure.
Forward-looking information is based upon a number of factors and assumptions that, if untrue, could cause the actual results, performances or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by such information. Such information reflects the Company's current views with respect to future events and is necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company today, are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies. These assumptions include, among others, the following: current technological trends; a cordial business relationship between the Company and Ganfeng for the Caucharí-Olaroz project; ability of the Company to fund, advance and develop the Caucharí-Olaroz project and the Thacker Pass project, and raise additional capital as needed; the Company's ability to operate in a safe and effective manner; uncertainties relating to receiving and maintaining mining, exploration, environmental and other permits or approvals in Nevada and Argentina , and resolving any complaints or litigation concerning such environmental permitting processes; realizing on the expected benefits from previous transactions with existing or new partners, or for debt financing; demand for lithium, including that such demand is supported by growth in the electric vehicle market; the Company's ability to produce high purity battery grade lithium products; the impact of increasing competition in the lithium business, and LAC's competitive position in the industry; currency exchange and interest rates; general economic conditions; stable and supportive legislative, regulatory and community environments in the jurisdictions where the Company operates; stability and inflation of the Argentinian peso, including any foreign exchange or capital controls which may be enacted in respect thereof, and the effect of current or any additional regulations on the Company's operations; the impact of unknown financial contingencies, including costs of litigation and regulatory processes, on the Company's operations; gains or losses, in each case, if any, from short-term investments in Argentine bonds and equities; estimates of and unpredictable changes to the market prices for lithium products; exploration, development and construction costs for the Caucharí-Olaroz project and the Thacker Pass project; the timing, cost, quantity, capacity and product quality of production at the Thacker Pass project, and any expansion scenario; successful results from the Company's testing facility and third-party tests related thereto for the Thacker Pass project; capital costs, operating costs, and sustaining capital requirements of the Caucharí-Olaroz project and the Thacker Pass project; technological advancements and changes; estimates of mineral resources and mineral reserves, including whether mineral resources will ever be developed into mineral reserves; reliability of technical data; anticipated timing and results of exploration, development and construction activities, including the impact of COVID-19 on such timing; timely responses from governmental agencies responsible for reviewing and considering the Company's permitting activities at the Thacker Pass project; the Company's ability to obtain additional financing to fund the development of its projects, including pursuant to government loan applications; the ability to develop and achieve production at any of the Company's mineral exploration and development properties; the impact of COVID-19 on the Company's operations, timelines and budgets; that pending patent applications are approved; the Company's anticipated ownership interest in holdings of shares, warrants and other securities issued by third parties; accuracy of development budget and construction estimates; preparation of a development plan and feasibility study for lithium production at the Thacker Pass project; changes to the Company's current and future business plans and the strategic alternatives available to the Company; and general economic and stock market conditions.
Forward-looking information also involves known and unknown risks that may cause actual results to differ materially. These risks include, among others, inherent risks in the development of capital intensive mineral projects (including as co-owners), variations in mineral resources and mineral reserves, changes in budget estimation, global demand for lithium, recovery rates and lithium pricing, risks associated with successfully securing adequate financing, changes in project parameters and funding thereof, risks related to growth of lithium markets and pricing for products thereof, changes in legislation, governmental or community policy, changes in public perception concerning mining projects generally and opposition thereto, political risk associated with foreign operations, permitting risk, including receipt of new permits and maintenance of existing permits, outcomes of litigation and regulatory processes concerning the Company's projects, title and access risk, cost overruns, unpredictable weather and maintenance of natural resources, unanticipated delays, intellectual property risks, currency and interest rate fluctuations, operational risks, health and safety risks, cybersecurity risks, economic conditions, and general market and industry conditions. Additional risks, assumptions and other factors are set out in the Company's most recent annual management discussion analysis and annual information form, copies of which are available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.
Although the Company has attempted to identify important risks and assumptions, given the inherent uncertainties in such forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results to differ materially. Forward-looking information is made as of the date hereof and the Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or revise the forward-looking information contained in this news release, except as required by law. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking information.

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[JUKEN]

we could hit $32 today great find

[Kswies]

We=you. Major manufacturers have already placed their investments and it is EV. The trend is your friend. $LAC long and strong.

[jbsliverer]

Lithium Americas: New Russian Sanctions Should Push Lithium Higher
Mar. 09, 2022 9:00 AM ETLithium Americas
Austin Craig
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4493864-lithium-americas-new-russian-sanctions-should-push-lithium-higher
Summary
Thacker Pass will most likely spin off from Lithium Americas. This would make it a pure USA lithium play and open doors to gov funding.
Rising oil prices per Russian sanctions will benefit EV adoption.
Government loans could fund 50% of Thacker Pass via a 25-year loan (per CEO Interview) at lower treasury rates.
Lithium prices and demand continue to rise.
Given that the South American project will come online this year, Lithium Americas stock appears to be very undervalued in this market.

Lithium Americas (LAC) CEO Jonathan Evans was interviewed by Kitco News. This was one of the better lithium interviews. Frankly, you should watch the entire interview, but we will give readers a recap and analysis. Before we begin, realize that all electric cars require lithium. If you think EV is the future, then the reader needs to identify lithium producers that offer a good risk to reward ratio. Furthermore, rising oil prices (per Russian sanctions) will apply additional pressure to adopt EV vehicles as pain at the pump motivates consumers to vacate ICE engines.

Lithium, From Russia With Love
Casting aside the geopolitics of Russia and Ukraine, one has to simply look at the White House to get a rough guess where energy is going. Hint: Up, Up and away! The Keystone pipeline is still shut down. Now politicians want to block oil supplies from Russia and Belarus. In turn, the consequence will be higher fuel prices which we are already experiencing at the pump. We feel the pinch of increased inflation for the broad economy. In an interesting note, Saudi Arabia seems to be playing its cards well.

Conversely, efforts are in place to obtain oil from less-than-savory sources such as Iran (with its deep history of supporting terrorism) or Venezuela. Rising oil prices will put additional pressure on EV adoption and this presents us with opportunity. All we need to do is target lithium stocks, buy and hold. While Ukraine impacted metals are at the moment all the rage, lithium prices are rocketing higher. Eventually, Mr. Market will wake up and take notice. We need to have lithium stocks ready in our holdings and one of the best is Lithium Americas. Let's take a moment to review the CEO interview highlights and then cruise over to some demand news.

Lithium Americas CEO Interview Highlights
Moving on, let's look at some interview highlights from the CEO of Lithium Americas. Highlights of the CEO interview include:

At the 2:15 mark -

"For supply chain in the US today, for batteries is about 40,000 tons per year which is going to go to excess of 400,000 tonnes per year by 2030. So imagine the entire world supply today needs to be replicated just for use in North America in just ten years."

3:00 mark - lithium prices are discussed and Mr. Evans quips

"[Lithium prices] have certainly come up quite a bit and they will come up more where the price of lithium will never be in the range it was a few years ago. It's actually needed though because the question you asked me earlier "How do you get there?", It requires a lot of investment and that's the thing that has lacked in this industry for more than a decade."

4:00 mark - Industry consolidation is discussed.

5:00 mark - Long term pricing of lithium is discussed.

"The pricing that I think you are going to see is going to be above $20,000 a ton. Now your finally at a place that you can get sufficient capital returns to risk that capital, put it in the ground, in order to deliver it to customers at the end of the day."

Now at first glance you might be wondering what Mr. Evans is talking about, since Lithium is obviously much higher priced than $20,000 a ton at the moment. In fact, it is near $75,000.

price of lithium, lithium going to $100,000
Lithium Price in Metric Tons (Dailymetalprice)

(Source: Dailymetalprice.com - Arrow is per the author)

5:57 Mark - Ukraine and the impact on lithium via higher gas prices are discussed.

6:50 Mark - "80% of the processing is done in China, it's probably a little bit more actually". Further discussions of China processing is discussed. Well worth hearing.

8:40 Mark - Electric update by consumers is discussed. Update faster than expected per Mr. Evans.

Thacker Pass Government Funding Exposed
9:30 Mark - The discussion starts and Mr. Evans states in a little bit:

"Post appeal this summer, we are shovel ready. We are starting to line up financing sources, the strategic partnerships, but also leveraging the Department of Energy, which has a very active loan program office now, which offers basically debt up to 50 to 60% of the capital costs of the project at fixed treasury rates for up to 25 years."

Additional details can be found via this PR. It would behoove other lithium/cobalt companies such as HeliosX (OTCQB:HXLTF), Cypress Development (OTCQB:CYDVF), Electra Battery Metals (OTCQX:ELBMF), and Standard Lithium (SLI) to take a similar approach to obtain funding. Moving on.

11:14 Mark - Mr. Evans goes on to talk about the legal case. Well worth hearing for anyone investing in Lithium Americas.

Thacker Pass Spin Off Discussed
12:30 Mark - A detailed discussion involving spinning off Thacker Pass is discussed. Investor concerns; geopolitics; a ban on China investing in crucial elements in the U.S.; national security are discussed. Consider it mandatory listening.

Lithium Americas Eying Canada?
I've known for quite some time LAC is poking around and looking for new projects. As I've previously stated, they are the most aggressive North American lithium company. It comes as little surprise that LAC might eventually look at Canada, but at this point it is just a blurb; however, still one to watch and be aware of as it makes the puzzle pieces easier to fit into place.

14:00 Mark - "In the US, Thacker Pass is actually, could be a cornerstone asset for a business that could follow another regional strategy here, because there is actually more resources in the U.S. and several in Canada that could be developed by the team here."

Strategic Partnership Process
16:00 Mark - Per Mr. Evans, "The Strategic partnering process has started for Thacker Pass". "Filed with the Department of Energy for a loan", "Process takes 6-9 months". "We have $500 million on the balance sheet".

Moving on to lithium prices and demand.

Lithium Prices
We can also see prices blasting off at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence below.

lithium prices, lithium, Jonathan Evans, Lithium Americas, HeliosX
Lithium Prices (Benchmark Mineral Intelligence)

(Source: Benchmark Mineral Intelligence)

lithium prices, lithium blasting off, Thacker Pass, Lithium Nevada
Lithium Prices (Benchmark Mineral Intelligence)

(Source: Benchmark Mineral Intelligence)

Most lithium project studies (PFS / DFS) price lithium in the $9000 to $12,000 range. Given the explosion in lithium prices these figures are rather stale and inaccurate now. Eventually yes lithium prices will come down. However, we can all safely assume that $20,000 is a very conservative estimate of long-term future lithium prices for the ground level. Hence, a lot of the NPV (Net Present Value) figures in the studies are now much lower than they should be as lithium has blasted off. The takeaway is when you read the company's NPV figures, realize they were calculated when lithium was $9,000 to $12,000 typically and are nowhere near reality. This bodes well for lithium investments.

Lithium Supply & Demand News
Demand for lithium is rising and future demand is in the works via various projects that will come online in the future. Projects such as:

Tesla Gigafactory in Germany has been approved.
Panasonic is rumored to be considering a battery deal w/ Tesla in Kansas or Oklahoma.
Unconfirmed reports place Ford at investing $40-$50 billion in EV.
A Porsche Taycan goes coast to coast on 2.5 hours of charging.
Firestone offers charging stations.
LG Energy to spend $1.7 billion on battery factory in the US.
Glencore & Britishvolt to build lithium / cobalt recycling plant in the U.K.
US Gov to put $5 billion into EV chargers nationwide over five years. An additional $2.5 billion will be released later on. (Total $7.5 billion)
EV models will double by 2024.
Pentagon to stockpile rare earths (includes lithium).
Mississippi snags a $500 million Nissan EV plant.
Conclusion
With rising lithium prices, eventually the masses will, once again, focus on lithium investments. Right now various lithium companies are trading at fire sales prices that are frankly not logical. Yet, that is the nature of the market. On the flip side, inflation is a concern and years of loose money have indeed propped up the market. Could the market pain train continue? Absolutely, and it can continue longer than you have liquidity.

The point is if you are in this game for the long term, then lithium needs to be in your holdings. At the same time be careful and nibble in small portions. Various short-term negative events will get resolved with time. We need to have solid investments in place for when good times cycle around again. Lastly remember that rising fuel prices (per internal and external Russian sanctions) will quicken EV adoption.

[jbsliverer]

Link? (reputable source). BS (little bits of truth to massive amount of lies) of course. They haven't got enough rigs to drill all the permitted wells that we have now. Will be busy drilling for quite some time. We have already 10's of thousands of drilling permits already given out in the last few yrs ready for drilling along with all the capped oil wells that could be uncapped to produce plenty that already drilled. No more oil permits won't make one iota of difference. We also EXPORT more oil and gas than we import.

Mining permits are still being given out obviously. Putting the word "Biden" in everything doesn't negate the reality of things.

[jbsliverer]

Who's we? Must not be in the group that Ford, GM, Tesla, etc are spending 10's of Billions of dollars to produce EV's for. Must be too small of group to stop the reasons for China gaining control of over 50% of Lithium mining and 75% of the world's mega battery factories.

You might be right though, I'm sure it's all done for no profit and no market for EV's in any foreseeable future. They are just throwing billions/trillions $ away because they can I guess. I could go on all day, but it is a worthless debate. "We" better get their act together, "we" is paying big time now and will get worse because they haven't, ignoring the impending issues in the past.

The clouds of War will pass (I hope) at some point in time and when the dust settle's the views (and reality) will become much clearer to "we".

[Lowjack]

We have absolutely no interest in driving electric vehicles!

It will be ICE!

[jbsliverer]

Of course security of this country was never a concern with certain previous administrations, only with how much it could be up for sale. But to address the statement, I'm trying to see the connection.

No link, no explanation with how, whatever it was, connected to LAC. How did or how would it effect the value or price action now or in the future, at least WHAT was thought be effecting. Pretty lacking with the topic of LAC.

If one thinks that this administration has blocked ALL mining and oil leases or permits, in particular, any LAC permitting, then please show the link and document that would pertain to that. At least some resemblance of an explanation.

If not it shows poor research on the issues, or maybe no research at all, and isn't any help at all to analyze our investments into LAC. But maybe that's not the intent, not sure, beyond me to figure it out.

Which mining leases/permits are getting held up and why? Does it have anything to do with this company. We've recently been updated on certain legal processes and how that was related, but I'm very open to anything pertaining to LAC.

Are any denials for purpose that will effect here. Or is it just saving our water sources that we are in such short supply, worse than in like 1200 yrs. Pretty soon we're going to paying more for water than oil.

Maybe just not taking profit and resources for personal gains, doesn't matter how helter-skelter it's done, just take what's not theirs. Ravaging all the other resources around it. Is LAC doing things like those examples or anything that it will effect the value here?

If one just puts a little time into some real research and investing they would find out things like examples given below, but I can't find why it would connect to LAC. All ears for any input that is directly related to my investment and ATM, and what, why, where. This is just a few and the list can be extremely long, so I'll leave it up to others that need to hone their skills to come up with more for discussion:

New Data: Biden’s First Year Drilling Permitting Stomps Trump’s By 34%

Thousands of Permits OK’d Despite President’s Authority to End Drilling by 2035

WASHINGTON— New federal data shows the Biden administration approved 3,557 permits for oil and gas drilling on public lands in its first year, far outpacing the Trump administration’s first-year total of 2,658.

Nearly 2,000 of the drilling permits were approved on public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management’s New Mexico office, followed by 843 in Wyoming, 285 in Montana and North Dakota, and 191 in Utah. In California, the Biden administration approved 187 permits — more than twice the 71 drilling permits Trump approved in that state in his first year.
biden-is-approving-more-oil-gas-drilling-permits-public-lands-than-trump-analysis-finds/


The Biden administration on Tuesday said it found “significant deficiencies” in a Trump-era environmental analysis of a mining road that would cut through wilderness and Indigenous territory in northwest Alaska.

The construction of Ambler Road is one of the most high-profile environmental issues in Alaska, as it would bring 211 miles of new road through one of the largest roadless areas in the country.

The Interior Department said in a statement that the road proposal — which includes about 50 miles of Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service land — would cross the traditional homelands of Alaska Native communities including the Koyukon, Tanana Athabascans and Iñupiat peoples.

In a federal court filing Tuesday, the administration asked the U.S. District Court for Alaska to send the permit approval back to the department so it can conduct a new environmental analysis. Interior said that it would suspend the right of way for the road while it carried out the new assessment “to ensure that no ground-disturbing activity takes place that could potentially impact the resources in question.”

Alaska Native groups endorsed the decision.

Some opponents of the road found the Biden administration’s decision lacking. Trustees for Alaska, an environmental group that has sued to stop the road, criticized the administration for not revoking the permits and said it “failed to acknowledge the full and long list of legal problems with the Interior Department’s approval process.”

“This project never should have been authorized in the first place, and the agencies can’t fix their broken analysis by papering over their mistakes after the fact,” Suzanne Bostrom, senior staff attorney with Trustees for Alaska, said in a statement.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/02/22/ambler-road-alaska/



A controversial mining project near Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness may be dead after the Biden administration canceled two mineral leases on Wednesday.....
in a release. "This action by the Biden administration re-establishes the long-standing legal consensus of five presidential administrations and marks a return of the rule of law. It also allows for science-based decision-making on where risky mining is inappropriate."
....Mineral leases first issued in 1966 were eventually purchased by Twin Metals Minnesota, a subsidiary of Chilean mining conglomerate Antofagasta [A FORIGN COMPANY], which in the early 2000s drilled millions of feet of core samples on the land. The project was halted in 2016 when the Obama administration denied Twin Metals' application to renew the leases. But the Trump administration reversed that decision and renewed the leases just three years later.

U.S. interior secretary Deb Haaland said the Trump administration made a mistake in reinstating the leases.

"We must be consistent in how we apply lease terms to ensure that no lessee receives special treatment," Haaland said in a press release. "After careful legal review, we found the leases were improperly renewed in violation of applicable statutes and regulations, and we are taking action to cancel them."
https://sports.yahoo.com/biden-administration-cancels-mining-permits-164702637.html

[Kswies]

Lucky for us, they just did. It is an issue of national security. $LAC long

[I-Man]

Strange events here indeed, as Biden Admin just few days back stated they are NOT going to give any new permits for mining/oil exploration projects within the USA...???

[jbsliverer]

VANCOUVER, British Columbia , Feb. 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lithium Americas Corp. (TSX: LAC) (NYSE: LAC) ("Lithium Americas" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the Company has submitted a draft application to the US Department of Energy (" DOE ”) for funding to be used at its 100%-owned Thacker Pass lithium project in Humboldt County, Nevada (“ Thacker Pass ”) through the Advanced Technologies Vehicle Manufacturing Loan Program (the “Loan Program”). The Loan Program is designed to provide funding to US companies engaged in the manufacturing of advanced technology vehicles and components used in those vehicles.
" Thacker Pass is a unique, large-scale and advanced-stage lithium project representing one of the most significant opportunities to create a truly domestic lithium supply chain to support the production of electric vehicles in the US,” said Jonathan Evans , President and CEO. “We are pleased to submit our draft application and look forward to engaging with the DOE to accelerate the growth of the domestic lithium industry in response to increased demand and interest from US-based consumers.”
Exploring Creation of Separate US Lithium Business
Lithium Americas continues to make meaningful progress at its projects in both the United States and Argentina :
United States : In addition to the draft application with the DOE , the Company received all final key state permits for Thacker Pass on February 25, 2022 . Funding discussions with a variety of strategic partners are ongoing along with the completion of the feasibility study incorporating increased scale, additional processing and related infrastructure changes and the results of engineering and testing. Capital and operating cost estimates are being updated to reflect these changes, as well as to account for external factors such as inflationary pressures and supply chain considerations.
Argentina : The Company’s Caucharí-Olaroz lithium brine project (“Caucharí-Olaroz”) is set to complete construction this year as the largest new battery-quality lithium carbonate brine operation to come online in over 20 years. The Caucharí-Olaroz expansion and the recently acquired Pastos Grandes lithium brine project (“Pastos Grandes”) provide further growth potential to support a regional lithium operation in northern Argentina .
As Lithium Americas continues to advance its projects in both regions towards production, the Company has started the process of exploring a separation of its US and Argentina operations, through the creation of a standalone public company focused on the development of Thacker Pass . The Company is assessing available alternatives and structures to effect such separation.
“We have world-class assets in both regions with tremendous potential,” said Mr. Evans . “While no final decision has been made, we believe a separation could enable each of our businesses to maximize and accelerate their strategic objectives, with dedicated focus and increased financial flexibility.”
Mr. Evans added, “Thacker Pass is one of the largest-scale and most advanced development-stage lithium projects in the US and received a Record of Decision (“ROD”) in January 2021 . The project is aligned with the national agenda to enhance domestic supply of critical minerals and has the potential to be a leading near-term source of lithium for the US battery supply chain.”
No final decision has been made with respect to any potential separation transaction. No assurance can be given as to whether a separation transaction will take place, the form of any such transaction or the timing of any transaction.
ABOUT LITHIUM AMERICAS

[jbsliverer]

Lithium Americas: An Update On The Court Case For Thacker Pass
Feb. 17, 2022 1:55 PM ET Lithium Americas Corp. (LAC)

Austin Craig

Summary
We cover timeline updates to the legal case at Thacker Pass. This might be useful for options traders to know.
General market fears are explored to include inflation.
Big picture lithium demand is covered. This demand will push projects via funding. If you build it they will come.

I've noted confusion on various forums concerning dates for Lithium Americas (NYSE:LAC) Thacker Pass project and the associated lawsuit. The purpose of this article is to give the reader updates on the timelines the court is looking at, some general musings on inflation, and corresponding updates to big picture lithium demand by major players. Consider this article a minor update.

Recent Developments & Court Dates
Reading in the forums you will encounter conjecture concerning court dates, which range from the Thacker Pass lawsuit will be wrapped up in February to April. First, we must realize that the court case has morphed into two actions: We can see the case and then an appeal for the injunction by looking at Pacer Legal.

Lithium Americas Thacker Pass Lawsuit
Thacker Pass Lawsuit

Source: pacer.uscourts.gov

Checking on the older of the cases (3:21-cv-00080-MMD-CLB Bartell Ranch LLC et al v. McCullough, et al) which most investors are watching, we see an Event filed date of 1/26/2022 and a Due/Set date of 3/04/2022.

174 Motions Deadline 01/26/2022 03/04/2022
(Source: Pacer Legal)

This tells us no court conclusion till sometime after this (at the earliest) and you still have legal delays and possibly additional appeals to be dealt with. A good guess would be April-May onwards for case #1. It also appears a hail Mary appeal has been filed for the preliminary injunction (Per Case 3:21-cv-00080-MMD-CLB). The odds of this appeal being successful are very low in my opinion, but it is worth noting for general situational awareness.

01/18/2022 4 Filed clerk order (Deputy Clerk: LCC): A review of the record reflects that this appeal, filed January 6, 2022, is a preliminary injunction appeal. Accordingly, Ninth Circuit Rule 3-3 shall apply.
(Source: Pacer Legal, Case 3:21-cv-00080-MMD-CLB)

We can also see a bit of a civil war within the Plaintiff ranks as multiple lawyers leave the case.

Lawyers leave the case (Pacer legal system)

(Source: Pacer Legal, Case 3:21-cv-00080-MMD-CLB)

In the main case, Obama appointee, Judge Du, did mention that she wants to wrap up the case by construction season. Per the December 27th Pacer court document #155 - Page 6 we see:

Lithium Americas - court timeline aspirations
Court Timeline Aspirations (Pacer Legal)

(Source: Pacer Legal - Highlights are the authors)

Typically, the construction season would be after the weather in northern Nevada turns favorable in April for construction. Hence we see the intent of the court to try to get this resolved somewhere near this time frame give or take due to delays.

A Realistic View of Market Risk
While I'm going to get to the big picture view of lithium, one cannot ignore the overall market trend. We are in a strange period where the government has really backed itself into a corner. Interest rates are abnormally low. Supply chains are disrupted and continue to be challenged. The labor market is a really strange one with "Help Wanted" signs everywhere and very good wages for unskilled labor, yet, somehow these jobs go unfilled. I find that most perplexing.

I've noticed prices for food have skyrocketed. Some of my personal observations are: Canned black olives are up 104%. Canned mushrooms are about the same. A frozen pizza which was $5.75 or low $6's is now $8. Of course, fuel is up as well. Housing has gone loco and rent is up 71% for some listings. The used car supply is tight, forcing consumers towards new cars. Meanwhile, new cars are being impacted by a semiconductor shortage. Frankly, it is rough times for anyone economically challenged. Something must give and the Fed is terrified of doing anything meaningful before midterms.

The Fed realizes that if they do what is necessary, they will send the nation into a recession. Remember Federal Reserve Chairman Volcker from the 1980's? He was not afraid to do what had to be done. Recessions are normal: they are part of the business cycle. During prosperity, weaker businesses can survive but eventually the party ends. These businesses fold or merge into stronger companies and the cycle continues. Chairman Volcker indeed shook the tree (perhaps to the point of insanity), but I see some parallels to modern times. Per the article.

"Many economists still argued that the Fed could reduce inflation gently, without causing a recession, by raising interest rates just enough to slow economic activity. But Mr. Volcker said inflation had become a self-fulfilling prophecy. People had come to expect prices and wages to rise, so they borrowed and spent more and demanded larger pay increases, and prices and wages rose.

The Fed had been promising to crack down on inflation for more than a decade, but it had repeatedly caved into intense political pressure so as to avoid a recession. Mr. Volcker decided a dramatic gesture was necessary to convince the public that this time would be different."


My best guess is they continue to hint at small raises; then we start seeing them as the quarters roll by, but frankly little 1/4-point or even 1/2-point raises are just a drop in the bucket to fight inflation. Some economists even say (and I concur) that the Fed is backed into a corner.

On the flip side, I have come across some discussions where people think that easing supply chains and productivity increases might result in lower inflation. I suppose time will tell. Keep some powder dry just in case.

Lithium Demand
Moving back on topic, let's look at some big picture lithium demand. It is this demand that will push project funding and acquisitions. The cream of the crop is being picked over by bigger fish. Millennial Lithium was acquired by Lithium Americas. The Chinese bought Neo Lithium and CATL is still on the prowl. Let's look at demand and lithium news. When you are reading over this, realize a sea change is coming. One day you will be able to tell your kids that you grew up when electric cars were not the dominant form of travel:

Unconfirmed reports place Ford at investing $40-50 billion in EV.
A Porsche Taycan goes coast to coast on 2.5 hours of charging.
Firestone offers charging stations.
LG Energy to spend $1.7 billion on battery factory in the US.
Glencore & Britishvolt to build lithium / cobalt recycling plant in the U.K.
US Gov to put $5 billion into EV chargers nationwide over five years. An additional $2.5 billion will be released later on. (Total $7.5 billion)
EV models will double by 2024.

EV Models to Double by 2024 (Visualcapitalist.com)

(Source: Visualcapitalist)

Conclusion
The above court timelines for the case could be useful for options traders to know concerning what time frames they might trade around.

The real catalyst for Lithium Americas is going to be the ruling on the legal case concerning Thacker Pass in Nevada. If the BLM decision of approval is upheld via a successful court case outcome, I think the stock will react in a violently positive fashion. The inverse is also true. Yet, one must wonder what happens to lithium investments in America if the court happens to side with the prosecution? Given that many mines can take 10 years to obtain permits, fully fund and build out, a negative ruling might have a very negative impact on aspiring lithium miners across the United States. Hence (with the support of the Biden administration and an Obama appointed Judge Du) I view the odds favorable that the court will uphold the BLM approval for Lithium Americas.

This article was written by

Austin Craig


Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of LAC either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Additional disclosure: We also own long calls.
We have sold covered calls as well.

[jbsliverer]

The Thacker Pass lithium mine project north of Winnemucca came closer to becoming a reality Friday when the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection issued three permits for the project: the Water Pollution Control Permit, Mine Reclamation Permit and Class II Air Quality Operating Permit.

Lithium Americas Corp. said in a press release that these are “the final key state-level permits for the Thacker Pass lithium project.”

The comment periods on these three permits closed in November and December. With some permit requests, NDEP may issue a decision on the permits within a couple weeks of the close of the comment period, but the Thacker Pass project inspired a lot of comments, and NDEP added a couple extra weeks to allow for additional public input and spent some extra time doing their review.

“NDEP conducted extensive reviews of the mine site plan, verified the air models and calculations for the Class II Air Quality Operating Permit, assessed required bonding for land disturbance and reclamation as part of the Mining Reclamation Permit, and authorized mine operations and ore processing for the Water Pollution Control Permit, including setting monitoring and reporting requirements,” the Lithium Americas press release said.


The deadline to request appeals to the permits is March 7.

There continues to be ongoing litigation over the Thacker Pass project.

The Bureau of Land Management issued a Record of Decision on Jan. 15, 2021. In February 2021, claims were filed against the BLM. In the third quarter of 2021, injunction requests over Lithium Americas’ plan to begin cultural assessment and pre-construction work were denied, and a motion to reconsider was also denied in late 2021.

Recently, the federal court partially approved a request for the inclusion of additional documents from the BLM. As a result of the additional documentation requests, the ROD appeal process is expected to be complete in the third quarter of 2022, according to Lithium Americas.

Tim Crowley, Lithium Nevada Corp. vice president of government and community relations, said the company still needs a ruling from the state water engineer on water rights, and an incidental eagle take permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These are both expected fairly soon.

Crowley said they hope to begin cultural treatment work at the site this spring, and they are on track to begin pre-construction work at the end of this year.

“With the final key state environmental permits in hand, Lithium Americas can begin to advance Thacker Pass towards construction,” said Jonathan Evans, Lithium Americas president and CEO. “Thacker Pass provides an opportunity to enable a U.S.-based battery supply chain for the growing electric vehicle market. Our commitment to developing Thacker Pass in the most environmentally responsible way is demonstrated from over a decade of conducting the necessary planning, design and engagement.”

Thacker Pass is the largest known lithium deposit in the United States, and it is expected to have about 300 full-time employees and produce about 60,000 tons of lithium a year when it reaches full production.

https://elkodaily.com/mining/permits-approved-for-thacker-pass-lithium-mine

[IL Padrino]

Thacker Pass court win is huge!

[nowwhat2]

Absence makes the mkt grow stronger - All week long












Don't be fooled by slightly negative Futures.....



Frankfurt 16,000
https://bigcharts.marketwatch.com/advchart/frames/frames.asp?show=&insttype=Index&symb=DX%3ADAX&x=29&y=12&time=18&startdate=2%2F4%2F1985&enddate=9%2F21%2F2022&freq=9&compidx=aaaaa%3A0&comptemptext=&comp=none&ma=0&maval=9&uf=0&lf=1&lf2=0&lf3=0&type=2&style=320&size=3&timeFrameToggle=false&compareToToggle=false&indicatorsToggle=false&chartStyleToggle=false&state=9








Gold busts hard above 18 https://www.kitco.com/charts/livegold.html



Risk On City Week https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=167707492



Korea and Hongkong also closed !

[I-Man]

Short term down gap closed yesterday like on many stocks who created same with recent market drops everywhere. Point now is, will they continue upward, or the selling continue down to new support levels from here??

Today is Chinese New Year as well so do not expect any Asian impotiss to help support US markets for next few days...

[nowwhat2]

Pretty awesome
Now "official"
LAC scooped up Millenial
At I guess 4.50
Their chart currently looks quite good





https://bigcharts.marketwatch.com/advchart/frames/frames.asp?show=&insttype=Stock&symb=ca%3Aml&x=47&y=14&time=100&startdate=2%2F4%2F2019&enddate=2%2F21%2F2022&freq=1&compidx=aaaaa%3A0&comptemptext=&comp=none&ma=0&maval=9&uf=0&lf=1&lf2=0&lf3=0&type=2&style=320&size=3&timeFrameToggle=false&compareToToggle=false&indicatorsToggle=false&chartStyleToggle=false&state=9



Meanwhile

[TradingCharts]

January 25, 2022 - Vancouver, Canada: Lithium Americas Corp. (TSX: LAC) (NYSE: LAC) ("Lithium Americas" or the "Company") and Millennial Lithium Corp. (“Millennial”) are pleased to announce the completion of the previously announced plan of arrangement (the “Arrangement”) whereby Lithium Americas has acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of Millennial. Millennial owns 100% of the Pastos Grandes lithium brine project (“Pastos Grandes” or “Project”) in Salta, Argentina.

https://www.lithiumamericas.com/news/lithium-americas-completes-acquisition-of-millennial-lithium

[TradingCharts]

Lithium Americas Corp.
8,080 followers
4h • 4 hours ago

Lithium Americas completes acquisition of Millennial Lithium, and its Pastos Grandes brine project in Salta Province, ~100km from Cauchari-Olaroz $LAC #lithium #Argentina https://lnkd.in/dQza4GZ6

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6891775237281968129/

[oxnous]

Lithium Americas on CNBC.com

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/15/how-the-us-fell-way-behind-in-lithium-white-gold-for-evs.html

[BGCapital]

LAC should acquire TINO that would help bigtime

[John-Knee]

Cowen Upgrades Lithium Americas to Outperform From Market Perform, Raises PT to CA$50.15 From CA$37.81
2022-01-12 08:33:26 AM ET (MT Newswires)
   
   
08:33 AM EST, 01/12/2022 (MT Newswires) -- (MT Newswires covers equity, commodity and economic research from major banks and research firms in North America, Asia and Europe.

[John-Knee]

Millennial Obtains Final Order of the Court Approving Arrangement with Lithium Americas Corp.
2022-01-11 09:32:40 PM ET (Newsfile Corp)
   
   
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 11, 2022) - Millennial Lithium Corp. (TSXV: ML) (FSE: A3N2) (OTCQB: MLNLF) ("Millennial" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has obtained a final order from the Supreme Court of British Columbia approving the previously announced plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia), pursuant to which Lithium Americas Corp.(TSX: LAC) (NYSE: LAC) ("LAC") is to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Millennial at a price of C$4.70 per common share payable in cash and shares of LAC (the "Arrangement").

All of the conditions to the completion of the Arrangement have now been satisfied, excluding certain conditions that are intended to be satisfied or waived on or about the effective date of the Arrangement. Completion of the Arrangement is expected to occur on or about January 25, 2022.

Additional details on the te rms and conditions of the Arrangement may be found in the Company's news release of November 17, 2021 available on www.sedar.com.

About Millennial

To find out more about Millennial Lithium Corp. please contact Investor Relations at [phone] or email [e-mail].

About LAC

Lithium Americas is a development-stage company with projects in Jujuy, Argentina and Nevada, United States. Lithium Americas trades on both the Toronto Stock Exchange and on the New York Stock Exchange, under the ticker symbol "LAC".

[tikotiko]

Thank you for the updates. I have been busy and was not aware of the reason for today’s rise in SP. I continue to be mostly long with occasional minor swing trades, and I look forward to production this year.

[John-Knee]

Awesome jbsliverer! Hold some shares for investments and trade some shares along the way. EVs and their relative supply chains are in a secular run.

[jbsliverer]

Just made another 6+% on day trade LAC. Paid me to put a few more into long account.

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3787154-lithium-americas-grabs-two-analyst-upgrades-on-coming-catalysts-valuation
Lithium Americas grabs two analyst upgrades on coming catalysts, valuation
Jan. 11, 2022 10:43 AM ETLithium Americas Corp. (LAC), LITALB, SQMBy: Carl Surran, SA

Lithium Americas (LAC +6.1%) pops in early trading after winning two upgrades: Piper Sandler upgrades shares to Overweight from Neutral with a $41 price target, and Deutsche Bank hikes the stock to Buy from Hold with a $34 PT.

Piper analyst Greg Tuttle says Lithium Americas "holds the keys to a multitude of game changing catalysts" related to the Thacker Pass mine in Nevada, which could receive court permits later in the current quarter.
Tuttle sees management's willingness to deploy capital for road work development on the heels of provisionary permits for Thacker Pass as a positive signal.
Also, Tuttle notes the Cauchari project in Argentina likely will come online in H2 2022, as the joint venture already is priming its facilities to prepare for a slow ramp process.

Deutsche Bank's Corinne Blanchard raises shares primarily on valuation following a 28% drop since late November.
Blanchard taps Lithium Americas, Albemarle (ALB +1.5%) and SQM (SQM +3.2%) as her top picks in the space, seeing the trio as well positioned to benefit from tight supply and rising electric vehicle demand leading to a growing deficit.
ETF : LIT
Millennial Lithium shareholders recently approved Lithium Americas' ~$400M offer to buy the company.

[jbsliverer]

A couple of upgrades this morning for LAC. About 7.5% profit just made for my buys yesterday in less than 24hrs. Not too bad for a hard market. Lets see what the day brings.






January 11, 2022 04:44 AM ET (BZ Newswire) -- News
Deutsche Bank analyst Corinne Blanchard upgrades Lithium Americas (NYSE:LAC) from Hold to Buy and announces $34 price target.
Copyright © 2022 Benzinga (BZ Newswire, www.benzinga.com/licensing). Benzinga does not provide investmentadvice. All rights reserved. Write to [e-mail] with any questions about this content. Subscribe to Benzinga Pro (http://pro.benzinga.com).


January 11, 2022 06:41 AM ET (BZ Newswire) -- News
Piper Sandler analyst Greg Tuttle upgrades Lithium Americas (NYSE:LAC) from Neutral to Overweight and raises the price target from $32 to $41.
Copyright © 2022 Benzinga (BZ Newswire, http://www.benzinga.com/licensing). Benzinga does not provide investmentadvice. All rights reserved. Write to [e-mail] with any questions about this content. Subscribe to Benzinga Pro (http://pro.benzinga.com).

[mdb1]

3 or 4 years ago: $2.80s--> now hit $30s. Wow.

[jbsliverer]

Been a pretty good success in short term account even after tax bite in and out of dips and surges (sometimes intraday, sometimes a day or two, sometimes longer), in long term account looks like 20 day on a weekly is acting like support for the moment, it might retrace enough to fill the gap at about 25. All depends on the general market (it's in a downtrend with that near term) and I think the market is going to be a bit volatile near term at least and just have to keep on the toes for any enters or exits trading. Long term lithium and LAC is in pretty good shape fundamentally and can see that continuing barring any annihilations from some virus, wars, or meteor landings. Analysts are still giving a moderate buy rating with $23-24 for low end, but even at that low LAC is still way up percentage wise for my long anyways. Some people don't give any heed to analysts (varies with who the analysts are), but more do so it does affect sentiment overall and in turn effects the sp. Last year they were exuberant, but this year I see them toning it down a bit and being more conservative generally with most securities, but one never really knows.

[Kswies]

That would depend on your investment strategy. I am long and believe $LAC has a lot more room to run. This looks like one to be long in IMO of course .

Anyone else see the trend? $LAC long and strong!

[Spicknspan]

Looks like I did not sell "too soon" at $36 on the way to over 40.

Where do you think support is?

[TradingCharts]

Cool

[I-Man]

Bear trap: Again more early enticing to bring in new retail $$$ for liquidity purposes, and then will shortsell against that as previously been doing... Driving this closer to new 52 week lows IMHO...

[nowwhat2]

Ganfeng / LAC / SQM / The Sector As A Whole ?





https://bigcharts.marketwatch.com/advchart/frames/frames.asp?show=&insttype=Stock&symb=cn%3A002460&x=46&y=9&time=100&startdate=2%2F4%2F2020&enddate=2%2F21%2F2022&freq=1&compidx=aaaaa%3A0&comptemptext=lac+sqm&comp=lac+sqm&ma=0&maval=9&uf=0&lf=1&lf2=0&lf3=0&type=2&style=320&size=3&timeFrameToggle=false&compareToToggle=false&indicatorsToggle=false&chartStyleToggle=false&state=13



















What Ganfeng does this Fiday Monday could reveal a lot

[TradingCharts]

30.60 +1.29 (+4.40%)
After hours: 5:53PM EST

https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/LAC?p=LAC

The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Albemarle Corp, Lithium Americas, Livent Corp and Piedmont Lithium

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6884132787700408321/

[John-Knee]

Thanks jbsliverer for sharing the article (and sending your message too). A good read.

[jbsliverer]

This article was from last month and the author really does presume a lot, but not entirely out of the realm for LAC, but a couple of yrs in the future IMO. I didn't think too much about it when I read and saved it, but recently there was other statements from a news sources on my EV watch list which includes F(own), GM and TM which is stating how TM had their stock of chips already procured before the chip shortage allowing them to overtake sales above GM for first time. The other auto makers are now forming their own supply lines away from foreign supply including their own lithium battery supply. These continued efforts are giving support for a LAC battery production that this article talks about.


Lithium Americas: Electric Battery Ambitions
Dec. 20, 2021 5:47 PM ET
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4476115-lithium-americas-electric-battery-ambitions
Summary
We summarize why the market has dropped & if this presents an opportunity for the long-term lithium investor.
The Biden Administration's EV support is covered along with a battery push.
Lithium Americas battery plant ambitions are revisited.
Batteries and electric vehicles on a blackboard
Yagi Studio/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Before we get into this article let's look at why the market is a mess. Then we can speculate on Lithium Americas and why I think they will build a battery plant in Nevada.

Messy Market = Opportunity
Emotions often dictate short-term investing and how we respond. If I were to say that Stock X is up 100% from where you bought it, you would respond with joy. If I were to say it is down 25%, you would not be thrilled. If the company is progressing forward and the sector is progressing forward then we need to look past short-term jitters of emotional investors. We need to focus on the long-term situational logic.

I've got a friend who texts me often when the market shows any jitters. It reminds me of the character "Tweak" from "South Park". The truth is the market is going to shake; it will pop up and down; it will get messy. Messy creates opportunities (usually). Take, for example, the decimation of Standard Lithium (SLI) last month over a fake short seller report. This created opportunity. The recent lithium sector downtrend creates additional opportunity.

Looking at Lithium Americas (LAC), Standard Lithium, and Cypress Development (OTCQB:CYDVF), I can't help but nibble and add to my position at what looks like discount pricing. Could things continue to go south? In the short term, absolutely. Long term though, lithium demand continues to grow on the commercial side and on the government side.

In this article we will explore what has pushed lithium down in the short term. Then we will explore the long-term demand by auto makers and the government. Lithium Americas battery plant ambitions will also be revisited.

Short-Term Market Jitters
We are having a Blue Light Special on lithium on aisle #2. The market has been selling off a few names: Cypress Development, Standard Lithium, Lithium Americas and other lithium stocks are in the red and have been on a down trend. The reasons for this are:

1. Momentum traders selling off to move elsewhere. After a massive run north in price, the trend has stopped and the momentum traders exit to lock in profits.

2. End of year window dressing to lock in profits and bonuses.

3. Locking in tax losses to offset profits for some people. This is most likely the largest contributor to the drop. Frankly, people are looking at what they own and selling off things at a loss to lock in tax credits. I know because I have sold off another stock to do just this and so are my friends.

4. A fake short seller report against SLI bled into Cypress, as both use related DLE technology to extract lithium. At the same time, Lithium Americas announced new financing. This put a damper on lithium.

5. Warrants were executed against Cypress Development and then some were most likely sold into the market. This puts downward pressure on the stock in the short term.

6. The Omicron nothing burger surfaced and went nowhere.

7. Federal Reserve Corporation Powell spread fear via inflation talk and tapering.

With all of the above, I have gazed into my blue crystal ball and it hints that January will be better after the tax loss selling is over. The story for lithium has not changed for the worse. In fact, it has improved via government cogs that are spinning and private industry plans via Volkswagen (OTCPK:VWAGY).

The Government Wants Lithium
Looking past the trendy word crafting, we can see the Biden administration is behind lithium much like the Trump administration was. Looking at the December 13th, 2021 statement we see the following highlights:

1. "The Department of Energy (DOE) and Department of Transportation (DOT) will establish a Joint Office of Energy and Transportation focused on deploying EV infrastructure."

2. $5 billion in funding for a national charging network.

3. $2.5 billion in additional charger funding.

4. Target of 50% EV penetration by 2030.

5. DOT will publish standards for EV chargers.

6. "Increase domestic manufacturing of EV batteries and components and advance environmentally responsible domestic sourcing and recycling of critical minerals."

7. "$17 billion in loan authority in the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program (ATVM) to support the domestic battery supply chain. LPO will leverage full statutory authority to finance key strategic areas of development and fill deficits in the domestic supply chain capacity. This will include the ATVM program making loans to manufacturers of advanced technology vehicle battery cells and packs for re-equipping, expanding or establishing such manufacturing facilities in the United States."

8. "Leverage $13 million in FEMP's Assisting Federal Facilities with Energy Conservation Technologies grants to unlock an estimated $260 million or more in project investments, including battery storage projects."

9. "Funded two dozen teams to expand sourcing of lithium from geothermal brines and approved a permit for the Nevada-based Thacker Pass lithium mine."

10. "Automakers are also signing contracts that leverage domestic supply, including Ford sourcing lithium from recycled content through Redwood Materials, GM sourcing lithium from geothermal brines in the Salton Sea with Controlled Thermal Resources, and Tesla sourcing lithium from a Piedmont project in North Carolina."

11. "$7 billion in funding to accelerate innovations and facilities across the battery supply chain from battery materials refining, processing and manufacturing to battery manufacturing, including components, to battery recycling and reuse. These investments will support the development of a North American battery supply chain, help expand manufacturing and recycling facilities in the United States and substantially advance the battery recycling through research, development and demonstration projects in collaboration with retailers as well as state and local governments."

12. Last, we can see quite a bit of additional funding for batteries via:


Infrastructure bill batteries funding
(Source: December 13, 2021 White House Statement)

Author's Assessment Of Government Lithium Support
Point number 9 is one of the more interesting points. Lithium Americas Thacker Pass was approved during the final days of the Trump administration. While the Biden administration is trying to take credit for approving the mine --- this attempt at ownership does show the intent of the Biden administration. Frankly, if Thacker Pass in Nevada were to not be approved, the impact upon United States lithium would be rather stark. It would send a clear message to the industry to avoid investments in United States based lithium. Nevada is one of the most friendly locations for mining in the U.S., throwing a 10+ year project under the bus would hinder future lithium exploration and battery ambitions in the United States.

The Biden administration trying to take credit for Thacker Pass sends a clear message to the U.S. government and state entities that the administration is supporting lithium and is giving its papal blessings to Thacker Pass. In addition, the government is supporting United States battery production, but more on this in a moment. Let's look at Thacker Pass.

Approval Of Thacker Pass
Thacker Pass is the linchpin of American lithium projects. Will the BLM approval be upheld? Having read many of the legal documents via Pacer, I would say it will be upheld. Frankly, the prosecution is throwing many Hail Mary plays but nothing is sticking. Also, if we look at Judge Du's background we can see how she has ruled in the past. A key Hail Mary argument is that Thacker Pass will impact Sage Grouse. We can see that (Obama appointed) Judge Du was not buying such speculation in the past, per a December 2015 case involving Sage Grouse.

December 2015 case involving Sage Grouse
(Source: Apnnews.com, highlight from author)

One of the key points of the prosecution is things that -might- happen. Sage Grouse might be impacted. Rare snails might be impacted. Plants might be impacted, but we cannot prove they will be impacted. Given the footprint and the geographic isolation (One rancher lives within a few miles of the project), the overall takeaway from the above judge's ruling is I would not personally bet on her going with hypothetical scenarios, especially after the Biden administration is signaling its intent towards lithium.

Lithium Americas Battery Ambitions
Disclaimer: Before we get into the battery section do note that you should consider this entire section speculative in nature. This part involves some analysis and guess work. Consider it a "what if" scenario.
Different companies have a different feel. Some are content to simply focus on a lithium project. Others want to be a lithium powerhouse. Either approach is kosher if the management team can take on the associated duties and has the capital and experience to pull it off. Cypress Development is laser focused on Clayton Valley, and being only one of three companies in the valley that have water rights they are progressing quite nicely. Standard Lithium is obsessed with Arkansas with its California project mothballed and that is fine. One day they will get back to that project. Lithium Americas, however, is not content to simply work on one project or even two projects. They are engaged on many lithium fronts, but they are not content to simply be a lithium miner or even a large lithium miner. No indeed. Lithium Americas wants to vertically integrate and become a battery producer.

BLM Documents And Batteries
The battery factory has since been removed from Thacker Pass to my knowledge (as it would require extra permitting), but read below and then ponder what happens if LAC simply moves the battery plant to other property it owns? Reading the old proposal for the Nevada mine at the Bureau of Land Management website, I could not help but notice that Lithium Americas has laid out its plans to build a lithium battery factory. You can read the entire proposal here, but the bulk is located in document "DEIS Chapters 1-6." On page 1-3 we are greeted with:

"Construction and operation of a battery production facility" and "Battery production complex" on pages 2-8.

Now did they at one time want to create this battery complex? Per LAC from Appendix B:

"Due to rapidly rising demand by the uptake in electric vehicles and energy storage, securing lithium supply has become a top priority for battery producers and vehicle manufacturers. Lithium is contained on a list of 35 critical minerals defined by the United State Department of the Interior (83 Federal Register [FR] 23295) pursuant to Executive Order 13817 of December 20, 2017, A Federal Strategy to Ensure Secure and Reliable Supplies of Critical Minerals. The executive order includes a policy clause for "streamlining leasing and permitting processes to expedite exploration, production, processing, reprocessing, recycling, and domestic refining of critical minerals."

Looking at Figure 13, we can see the below picture of the former proposed battery facility. The former proposed battery plant appears to be approx. 160,000 square feet by my calculations.
Proposed battery plant

(Source: DEIS - Note the former battery production complex circled in blue)

A close-up view of the battery production complex
(Source: DEIS - A close-up view of the battery production complex)

And we can read additional details of what LAC wanted to put on the property in the past via:

DEIS Document Section 2.2.5.9
(DEIS Document Section 2.2.5.9, highlights from author)

Biden And Batteries
So we know that at one time Lithium Americas wanted a battery factory at Thacker Pass. We also know Biden and crew want to bring battery production to the United States via point #6 above. Additionally, money is available via the government for this purpose via:

Infrastructure bill batteries funding
(Source: December 13, 2021 White House Statement, highlights from author)

At this point the question would be: Where to locate it? While they might put it on the Thacker Pass location, this would come with its own set of headaches. They might also locate it elsewhere to avoid unnecessary legal shenanigans.

Lithium Nevada has two properties that are near Thacker Pass.

Lithium Nevada properties near Thacker Pass
(Source: Arcgis & Type In "Lithium Nevada")

Property #1 is to the east of Thacker Pass and weighs in at 160 acres. Property #2 is comprised of two parts: The north part in green at 215 acres; the south side at 105 acres.

Both properties are zoned as M-3, which falls under mining and commercial use per Humboldt counties codes. I would venture that property #2 is more likely a location to place the plant, but that is just idle speculation. In the end the thing to remember is we can see the intent of the company and the Biden administration concerning EV batteries. It will be interesting to see how LAC and batteries play out. I doubt we have seen the last of this subject.

Commercial Demand
Before we wrap this up, we need to look at news on the commercial side of things. Now I could wow you with a rather long list of demand that is coming, or I could just drop this on you: Volkswagen is set to invest $100 billion into lithium in the next five years. I really do not need to explain why that is significant.


Conclusion
Massive government support combined with cyclopean amounts of capital being invested by commercial endeavors bodes well for the future of EV and lithium. With this, our largest holding is Cypress Development followed by Nano One and then Lithium Americas. Even though inflation fears abound, my personal theory is lithium will reward long-term investors. However, keep some powder dry for when waters become choppy. Remember chaos and rough seas can offer up opportunity.

This article was written by

Austin Craig profile picture
Austin Craig
6.1K Followers
"Never let formal education get in the way of your learning". - Mark Twain,,,You are here for one reason. You want "actionable Intelligence". If you wanted a history lesson on a company then Google is your friend. My aim is to provide intelligence that you can read, ponder, and then execute upon to make a profit or avoid a loss. A price of a stock is almost irrelevant. It is the last thing to consider when buying a stock. If you don't pay attention to management, financials (go back 3 years), the sector, global macros, your portfolio mix, along with risk/reward for capital used and the company news, you are ignoring all of the things that come before price. Price is mostly real-time sentiment. It is hardly ever a good indicator of value.People who only look at price will fail as investors, because price is a result of fundamentals, news, and sentiment. You have to learn to "take" from the market, if at all possible, make it give you what you want.Use targets, set limits, protect your capital with stops and if something changes fundamentally, review, review, review.You can't read too much. If it was easy everyone would be doing it. Now you have no reason to not get Alpha.
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Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of LAC either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Additional disclosure: We also own Standard Lithium, Cypress Development.
We own LAC long calls as well.

[John-Knee]

Millennial Provides Update Regarding Lithium Americas Arrangement
2022-01-05 04:31:15 PM ET (Newsfile Corp)
   
   
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2022) - Millennial Lithium Corp. (TSXV: ML) (FSE: A3N2) (OTCQB: MLNLF) ("Millennial" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that at the Company's special meeting of shareholders (the "Shareholders") and warrantholders (the "Warrantholders", and, together with the Shareholders, the "Voting Securityholders") held earlier today (the "Meeting") the Voting Securityholders voted in favour of the special resolution (the "Arrangement Resolution") approving the previously announced plan of arrangement under Section 288 of the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) pursuant to which Lithium Americas Corp. (TSX: LAC) (NYSE: LAC) is to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company (the "Arrangement").

The Arrangement Resolution was approved by: (i) 98.60% of votes cast by Shareholders; (ii) 98.61% of votes cast by Voti ng Securityholders voting together as a single class; and (iii) 98.31% of the votes cast by Shareholders excluding for this purpose the votes cast by any persons that are required to be excluded under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions. Voting Securityholders holding securities carrying an aggregate of 22,037,250 votes, representing approximately 21.57% of votes entitled to be cast at the Meeting, were represented in person or by proxy at the Meeting.

Additionally, on December 30, 2021, the Commissioner of Competition issued a "no-action" letter, which satisfies the Competition Act approval condition in the Arrangement Agreement.

The Arrangement remains subject to customary closing conditions, including the approval of the Supreme Court of British Columbia. The Arrangement is currently expected to be completed on or about January 25, 2022, provided that the conditions to the Arrangement are s atisfied or waived.

About Millennial

To find out more about Millennial Lithium Corp. please contact Investor Relations at [phone] or email [e-mail].

About LAC

Lithium Americas is a development-stage company with projects in Jujuy, Argentina and Nevada, United States. Lithium Americas trades on both the Toronto Stock Exchange and on the New York Stock Exchange, under the ticker symbol "LAC".

[Kswies]

Happy new year to you too Tiko. This year will be great for $LAC and lithium in general. $LAC long

[tikotiko]

Happy 2022 Ks and all here!

[Kswies]

Happy New Year fellow $LACers. What a great way to start the year!
$LAC long and strong

[I-Man]

?? Looks to be going down to 27.00 level soon. Markets all broken as I said for a long time.

[BottomBounce]

$LAC https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/12/28/2358456/0/en/Kandi-Subsidiary-Announces-Successful-Mass-Production-of-Leading-LFP-Battery.html $ALB

[jbsliverer]

Maybe we should wish for it. PLL gapped up this morning now up $.72 at the moment. Up about %100 for the year. LOL

[nowwhat2]

Oh my that sounds awful. Do you think it wiil ?

[I-Man]

Better hope this does not happen to LAC now in lieu of all the recent landgrabs their BOD made which ONLY serves them- Not retail mom & pop investors...

Lifshitz Law Firm, P.C. announces that a class action complaint has been filed against Piedmont Lithium alleging that Defendants, throughout the Class Period, made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Piedmont has not, and would not, follow its stated steps or timeline to secure all proper and necessary permits; (2) Piedmont failed to inform relevant people and governmental authorities of its actual plans; (3) Piedmont failed to file proper applications with relevant governmental authorities (including state and local authorities); (4) Piedmont and its lithium business does not have "strong local government support"; and (5) as a result, Defendants' public statements were materially false and/or misleading at all relevant times.

If you are a Piedmont investor, and would like additional information about our investigation, please complete the Information Request Form or contact Joshua Lifshitz, Esq. by telephone at [phone] or e-mail at [e-mail].

[nowwhat2]

This is how bad things are ;

December 3rd




INSTANTLY down to that line !


Okay......


Meanwhile ;


Last week.....


4 sessions later......



That's how bad things are.



Futures minus 61 now....

[John-Knee]

A rush to mine lithium in Nevada is pitting climate advocates and environmental groups against each other
By Ella Nilsen and Rene Marsh, CNN
Updated 3:39 PM ET, Fri December 17, 2021

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/17/politics/lithium-mining-energy-climate/index.html

In an ancient and now extinct supervolcano sitting in northern Nevada lies a treasure that its seekers call "white gold."

This metal isn't to trade or to make jewelry out of -- it's lithium, and its value lies in its role in potentially slashing the world's carbon emissions.

President Joe Biden's plan to transform the US to clean, low-carbon economy energy depends on switching to electric vehicles, and that means replacing gas with batteries, which are made from critical minerals like lithium.

But in the US, doing so is not without controversy.

Lithium is a key ingredient for the big, rechargeable batteries that power electric vehicles and store energy generated by solar panels and wind turbines -- keeping that energy in use even when the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing.

Obtaining these minerals, which some call the new "white gold," is part of the latest worldwide rush to produce clean energy. Earlier this year, the Biden administration released a strategic plan from several federal agencies detailing how it planned to improve the entire supply chain for critical minerals like lithium -- from extracting it from US mines to putting it in batteries, to recycling and reusing these batteries.

"America has a clear opportunity to build back our domestic supply chain and manufacturing sectors, so we can capture the full benefits of an emerging $23 trillion global clean energy economy," US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in June.

In the US, the major lithium prospect is a large deposit in Thacker Pass, Nevada, and another lithium deposit sits in North Carolina. The Thacker Pass lithium deposit is one of the world's largest, sitting in an ancient, and now-extinct, supervolcano.

A proposal to start mining lithium by Lithium Nevada Corporation -- a subsidiary of Lithium Americas Corp. -- was approved by the US Bureau of Land Management in January.

"It's the largest-known lithium deposit in North America, so given where we're going globally and as a country, it's a unique opportunity," Jonathan Evans, president and CEO at Lithium Americas Corp., told CNN.

Evans told CNN that currently, the bulk of lithium chemicals used in the US are imported from other countries. Lithium-rich countries including Chile and Bolivia are heavy exporters. Evans said that with lithium deposits in the US and Canada, "it's not lost on state governments and the federal that everyone wants to play in that and we have the resources to do it."

Lithium and cobalt mining for electric cars has been controversial globally for years, in part because of its environmental destruction, the short lifespan of batteries and in some countries, because child labor has been used in the process.

And as a "white gold" rush comes to the US, not everyone is thrilled about the rush to mine it.
Not everyone is on board

Lithium Americas hopes to break ground on its mining project in early 2022. CNN traveled to Nevada and found the rush to procure critical minerals in the United States has pitted environmental advocates against each other.
Some climate advocates say the rush to mine lithium is critical for a larger transition away from fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. Other local environmental groups and tribal nations oppose the project, concerned about disturbing sacred tribal burial grounds as well as potential environmental impacts. Three tribal groups tried to stop it through lawsuits -- which were dismissed by a judge in September.

"A lot of us understand blowing up a mountain for coal mining is wrong; I think blowing up a mountain for lithium mining is just as wrong," said Max Wilbert, an environmental organizer who is camping out at Thacker Pass to protest the mine's development.

Wilbert cited several reasons he is against the lithium mine: environmental impacts to sage grouse and antelope, potential water pollution for surrounding communities and cultural issues for the local indigenous community, which considers the land on and around Thacker Pass sacred burial grounds.

Wilbert is currently camping out in frigid Nevada desert winter conditions in a tribal ceremonial camp, and he and other advocates say they're willing to stand in front of mining machinery to try to stop the project from going forward.

"Our laws haven't caught up to the reality of what's happening to our planet, and so people might have to break the law in order to change what's happening," he said. "Electric cars won't actually reduce greenhouse gas emissions that much; they will reduce emissions but not by a sizable amount."

Driving gas-powered vehicles in the US comes at a cost to the climate. Greenhouse gas emissions from transportation account for nearly 30% of total US emissions; more than any other sector, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Glenn Miller, a retired professor of environmental science at the University of Nevada Reno, disagreed -- telling CNN the Thacker Pass project is a "relatively benign mine for its size."

Miller said he thinks the clean energy benefits of mining lithium in Nevada outweigh environmental concerns -- especially when it comes to reducing the greenhouse gas emissions worsening global climate change.
"Those who say it isn't going to make any difference, they're simply wrong," Miller said. "Radical environmentalists are going to argue that the only way to solve the climate change problem is to drive a whole lot less and to not burn gasoline or coal. Well, that's not going to happen -- the demands of society are set so we're going to have to have an active transportation industry."

Miller told CNN that lithium is the key ingredient that will power the transition to electric vehicles.

"There's no other metal that can work as well as lithium," Miller said. "We're going to need a lot of batteries to run the cars that we're going to have on the road. It's going to be a very positive contribution to mitigating climate change."

Evans told CNN his company is engaging community stakeholders, and local and state governments about the mine's plans.

"It's very important that this transition is done as sustainable as possible," Evans said, stressing his company is committed to mitigating the environmental impacts of mining as much as it can, by conserving water use and trying to lessen carbon emissions as it extracts the mineral.

"It's not the cheapest, but it's essential as we move to this phase to ensure we do things as responsibly as possible."

[Haniballector]

Looks like a good day to buy some!