Several Nevada lawmakers are pushing for a tax break for lithium development.
Assemblyman Jim Wheeler, (R-Minden) and Senator Pat Spearman, (D-North Las Vegas), have proposed the tax breaks in a bill draft request to head to the 2017 Legislative Session.
The Reno Gazette Journal reportsthe bill would seek to exempt sales tax from equipment and supplies used to explore for a develop lithium. The idea, Wheeler said, is to encourage mining and refinement of lithium in the state.
The only fully active lithium operation in Nevada is near Silver Peak in Esmeralda County, but there are other known deposits in the state.
Lithium extracted from Nevada is shipped overseas for processing, then shipped to the U.S. and elsewhere for use in products. The tax breaks would cover processing equipment to encourage companies to complete the production cycle entirely in Nevada.