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Top Interior Department official has ties to Thacker Pass lithium mine
Karen Budd-Falen did not disclose her husband’s $3.5 million 2018 water contract linked to a lithium mine permit, raising federal ethics and conflict-of-interest concerns.
- A senior U.S. Interior Department official, Karen Budd-Falen, failed to disclose her family's $3.5 million financial interest in the Thacker Pass lithium mine, which critics claim was illegally approved by the Trump administration.
- Frank Falen, Budd-Falen's husband, sold water rights to a Lithium Americas subsidiary for the mine, which requires a DOI permit for its controversial operation.
- The Bureau of Land Management approved Thacker Pass shortly before the Trump administration ended, using an expedited process that drew lawsuits from Indigenous and conservation groups arguing against its legality.
- Concerns have been raised over potential conflicts of interest involving Budd-Falen, with ethics experts stating that she should have disclosed her husband's financial dealings with Lithium Americas.
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President Trump’s Administration Approved a Big Lithium Mine. A Top Official’s Husband Profited
A map of the upcoming Thacker Pass mine in northern Nevada. Image used courtesy of Lithium Americas Click the link to read the article on The New York Times website (Lisa Friedman). Here’s an excerpt: January 3, 2026 Karen Budd-Falen, the No. 3 at the Interior Department, didn’t disclose a $3.5 million water-rights contract between her husband and the developers of a Nevada mine, records show. A high-ranking official in the Interior Department …
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Total News Sources10
Leaning Left4Leaning Right0Center0Last UpdatedBias Distribution100% Left
Bias Distribution
- 100% of the sources lean Left
100% Left
L 100%
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