In the Nevada desert at a high altitude, close to the Oregon border, there is a huge source of lithium, a metal that is necessary for the manufacture of electric vehicle batteries.
President Joe Biden is pushing for removal of the resource, yet its extraction has generated division amongst communities that commonly agree on political matters.
Environmentalists and native people are in disagreement about whether they should back or strongly oppose a new exploration for the "white gold".
Glen Miller, a former board member of Great Basin Resource Watch - an environmental charity that is against mining - claims that the ecological sector is divided on this issue.
In March, the excavators went to the incredibly gorgeous Thacker Pass, standing at 4,000ft (1,219m), which was formed by a volcanic eruption in the past and features sagebrush valleys encircled by desolate mountain peaks.
After prolonged legal disputes, Lithium Americas eventually emerged triumphant in its effort to extract resources from the designated area.
Mr Biden has stated plainly that he wishes for the US to take the lead role in the production of electric cars and to gather the lithium, a fundamental component, from within the US.
He declared last year that America was heavily reliant on foreign countries such as Australia, Chile and China for practically all of its lithium supply.
Environmentalists argue that increased mining of lithium is not the right way to go.
John Hadder, director of Great Basin Resource Watch, warns that mining operations are highly detrimental to the natural environment, and he emphasizes the importance of careful regulation.
He expresses concern that there is an opportunity to do more to fight climate change being missed due to simply altering habits. "We can decrease the need for minerals by modifying our behavior," he states.
Divisions have been caused by the mine within Mr Hadder's group.
Mr Miller stepped down from the board last year after expressing his backing for the mine.
He believes that climate change is highly significant, as is lithium’s role in powering the transportation sector.
Mr Miller, who was formerly an academic at the University of Nevada, asserts that his position on the mine is not in any way influenced by the partial funding of his research from Lithium Americas.
He argues that no environmentalist will suggest that people stop driving and quit utilizing anything that requires the acquisition of minerals.
Crowley, who is Lithium Americas' V.P. of government affairs, considers himself an environmentalist.
For two decades, he has been a strong supporter of mining in Nevada, often coming into conflict with environmental activists who are against such projects.
The separation is not limited to only environmentalists.
Sentinel Rock is often referred to as 'Nipple Rock' owing to its peculiar contour. The People of the Red Mountain come to this place annually to commemorate their predecessors - whom they declare were killed at Thacker Pass.
The Shoshone-Bannock and Paiute tribes hold the belief that this region was the location of a tragedy in 1865.
Ka'ila Farrell-Smith, a member of The People of the Red Mountain, explains that the US Cavalry cornered the individuals in the region currently being excavated for a mine, before massacring them.
"It's a lamentable event that should have been regarded as an important landmark", she declared. "Regrettably, the businesses did not take note of this."
The tribes contest that despite the land being owned by the Bureau of Land Management, it has been taken from local citizens and they should be allowed to determine its use.
Lithium Americas has maintained that there is no proof of a massacre having taken place at the location - and was successful in court.
Mr Crowley notes that various Native Americans who live in the area are employed at the mine and back the venture, an opinion Ka'ila shares.
This area is extremely isolated - there are not many opportunities for well-paid employment.
For Ka'ila, the wounds of colonialism remain open.
She maintains that the Thacker Pass mine perfectly exemplifies "green colonialism", the conception that indigenous people are again disregarded, under the pretext of battling climate change.
"She points out that these are not the individuals who journey around the globe utilizing jets; it's unjust," she remarks.
The mining of lithium has only just begun and won't start yielding results until 2026, with the intended recipient being General Motors.
The People of the Red Mountain are concerned that this mine could be just the start, given the abundance of lithium and the number of firms making plans to exploit it.
Mr Crowley is candid concerning Lithium Americas' intentions for the vicinity.
He insists that the US needs to become more self-sufficient and thus requires additional lithium reserves. "We have to have more of it," he states.
He contends that, in the name of saving the planet, the whole area of awe-inspiring natural beauty could suffer damage from lithium mines if his assertions stand true.
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