🪖 No constitutional right to be free from tear gas

Court Challenge to Possible Lithium Mining

Environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit on Monday to block HiTech Minerals, a subsidiary of an Australian mining company, from exploring lithium reserves in southeast Oregon. They argue that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which approved the project in December, failed to follow the technical requirements of federal environmental law — and that as many as 168 drill sites would negatively impact sage grouse habitat. The company says the concerns are not new and have been addressed. [Oregonian]

• Related: The McDermitt Caldera in Oregon and Nevada is being eyed as a massive source of domestic lithium, which is a key element in batteries for electric vehicles and AI infrastructure. (A caldera is a volcano crater post eruption.) Currently, the U.S. imports its lithium from other countries, including China. [Forbes]

Appeals Court Reverses Restriction on Tear Gas

A 9th Circuit Court of Appeals three-judge panel (by a vote of 2-to-1) reversed a lower court decision that had restricted the federal agents' ability to deploy tear gas at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in South Portland. Notably, the judges said there was no constitutional right for residents of neighboring buildings “to be free of exposure to chemicals that were released when federal law enforcement officers used tear gas and other non-lethal devices to disperse the crowds.” [Oregon Capital Chronicle]

14 Ducklings Hatched on a Milwaukie Balcony

Rosie, a mallard duck, laid her eggs on the third story balcony of a Milwaukie apartment complex this spring. Once the 14 ducklings had hatched and bonded with their mother, a worker at the RoseVilla Retirement Community intervened to carry them down to ground level via a mesh cat carrier. Mother duck and her babies are now in residence at a pond nearby. [OPB]