In 2000, Oil-Dri Corporation proposed building a cat litter mine in the largely pristine Hungry Valley, 10 miles north of Reno and near the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony. The proposed mine's two pits and processing plant would have generated significant air and water pollution and severely impacted quality of life in the area, including jeopardizing the water supply for the Colony. The mine would have processed roughly 540 million pounds of clay for more than 20 years.

After organized protests by the Colony, local residents and Great Basin Resource Watch, the Washoe County Commission denied Oil-Dri's application. On appeal, GBRW and the community celebrated a major victory when Nevada District Court rejected Oil-Dri's argument that the county must allow the mine since it was on U.S. public land, and the 1872 Mining Law calls mining the highest and best use of public land. The Oil-Dri decision was a step in the right direction, allowing local communities, through their governments, the right to say no to irresponsible mining projects.

Hungry Valley Action Center

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