Green light for lithium mining sparks protests

The Czech Environment Ministry has approved lithium mining in the Sokolov region in north-western Bohemia, where an estimated 5,400 tons of lithium lies in former tailings ponds, the news site Novinky.cz reported on Thursday.

The move has sparked protests from villages in the area which will be affected by the activity. The mayor of Horni Slavkov told Novinky he was upset that the ministry had not ruled out the transport of the mined lithium by road which would adversely affect living conditions in the area. The mayors of the villages concerned are pushing for rail transport to be the only option allowed.