WASHINGTON D.C.: As the U.S. will need far more lithium to achieve its clean energy goals, the race is on to mine more lithium, and the industry that mines, extracts and processes the chemical element is expected to grow.

However, this goal faces many challenges from environmentalists, indigenous groups and government regulators.

While lithium reserves are distributed widely across the world, the U.S. has just one active lithium mine in Nevada.

In 2020, global demand for lithium was about 350,000 tons, but industry estimates project demand will be up to six times greater by 2030.

In the U.S., new and potential lithium mining and extracting projects are in various stages of development in states, including Maine, North Carolina, California, and Nevada.

“Nobody really foresaw this huge spike in demand. We owned the lithium space for a long time, and we forfeited it to China,” said Tim Crowley, vice president of government affairs for Lithium Nevada, a subsidiary of a company developing a mine in Thacker Pass, Nevada. His comments were reported by the Associated Press.

While China dominates the worldwide supply chain for lithium-ion batteries, most of the world’s lithium comes from South America and Australia, with the U.S. producing less than 2 percent of the world’s supply of lithium, despite having about 4 percent of reserves.

Expanding domestic lithium production would involve open pit mining or brine extraction, and opponents, including the Sierra Club, have raised concerns that such projects could harm indigenous lands and damage fragile ecosystems and wildlife.

However, Glenn Miller, emeritus professor of environmental sciences at the University of Nevada, said the projects could also benefit the environment in the long-term by eliminating fossil fuel-burning cars.

“A domestic source has tremendous value. Then we can do things that only China is doing with production,” Miller told the Associated Press.

Interest in lithium surged in recent years because of its use in rechargeable batteries for electric and hybrid cars, lawnmowers, power tools, laptops and cell phones.

The Biden administration has implemented a signature infrastructure plan for half a million charging stations for electric vehicles, which, combined with the growth of electric vehicle companies, such as Tesla, will require more lithium to manufacture batteries.

The big challenge is making sure lithium mines are located in places where they do the least amount of damage, said Lisa Belenky, senior attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity.

“It really is very site specific, as far as what impacts it would have to the local species and water,” she added, according to the Associated Press.