The Mountain Pass Mine is located along the I-15 corridor, between Las Vegas, NV, and Baker, CA, and borders on the Mojave National Preserve. It is a rare earth mine that produces a group of minerals called lanthanides. The mine has been listed by EPA California's largest polluter.

In 1977, a major pipeline break spilled more than 2 million gallons of radioactive water onto public land on the Ivanpah Playa. Yet San Bernadino County recently approved Molycorp's request to expand the mine and the company is in the process of getting the necessary operating permits. GBMW and other groups have appealed the county's decision.

Mountain Pass Elementary School children have become ill with inflammatory bowel disease, while others have suffered disorders including prolonged seizures, cysts, and cancers. Past problems at the mine include allegations of illegal dumping of nuclear waste by-products, and numerous hazardous waste spills on public land. Groundwater beneath the site is contaminated with radioactivity and other hazardous substances, and severe groundwater pollution containing radium, thorium, strontium, and lanthanides continues to bleed from the mine, and from the site of the various spills.

Mountain Pass Action Center

Interested in helping the Mountain Pass community with mining issues? Contact us.