House Democrats are accusing a senior Department of the Interior official of ethics violations, conflicts of interest, and self-dealing related to the controversial Thacker Pass lithium mine project in northern Nevada.
Reps. Jared Huffman of California and Maxine Dexter of Oregon are calling on the Department of the Interior to investigate Associate Deputy Secretary Karen Budd-Falen over the allegations, which they outlined in a letter to the agency.
The lawmakers say they raised concerns with Congress last November, alleging Budd-Falen failed to disclose her financial and ethical dealings. They claim she may have illegally retained ownership in the cattle ranching entity KJM LLC while also holding interests in three other ranching operations.
Huffman and Dexter further allege that Budd-Falen may have abused her position at the Interior Department by actions that resulted in a $3.5 million windfall for her family tied to ranching assets. According to the lawmakers, Budd-Falen’s family sold water rights essential to the Thacker Pass project to Nevada Lithium Company.
The representatives also allege Budd-Falen secretly met with company executives in November 2019, at a time when federal approval of the mine was still pending. They say her family would not have received the payment unless the project moved forward.
A spokesman for Lithium Americas said the company did not discuss Thacker Pass during its meeting with Budd-Falen.
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