Is Idaho’s Government Shutting off the Water to Local Farmers in Favor of a Cobalt Mining Operation?

Something strange is happening in Idaho, and it’s not because of a drought.

The government has quietly started shutting off water to the state’s farmers, and the official explanation?

A cobalt mine that supposedly needs the water for “national interests.”

But is that really the truth?

Farmers who’ve worked this land for generations are suddenly being cut off, while a multinational mining operation takes priority.

Could there be more to this story?

Behind the scenes, powerful interests and government agencies might be orchestrating this water grab, all in the name of corporate greed and control.

What else are they not telling us about this so-called “critical” mine?

Idaho State Government is Prioritizing Its Financial Interest Over That of Taxpaying Farmers

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Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

If Idaho state government has its way, it will continue to cap farmers’ water usage to redirect water to its cobalt mine.

The rationing of water certainly helps state government add to its coffers yet it ultimately hurts the local economy through reduced farm output. 

Farmers who can’t grow sufficient crops suffer economic losses and cannot hire as many employees as would otherwise be possible if water were 100% accessible without restriction.

Idaho water curtailments span a whopping 500,000 acres of land

This figure amounts to nearly 800 square miles of farmland that the Idaho Department of Water Resources has decommissioned from production.

If the state of Idaho were in the midst of a drought, farmers’ water restrictions might be somewhat understandable. 

However, this has been a plentiful year for water. 

The state has full water reservoirs yet some of that water is being used for a cobalt mine. 

Idaho officials have issued the largest curtailment of water in its history to move water in the direction of a mine that runs 24/7/365.

A Look Inside the Controversial Idaho Cobalt Mine

The end result of the water curtailment drama is a drying of thousands of farmland acres and hundreds of millions of dollars in losses. 

The state governor, Brad Little, is pushing farmers to figure out a way to use canal system water in the southern part of Idaho. 

Though it might be possible for farmers to reach such a private arrangement, the plain truth is the water that should be easily accessible is being redirected to cobalt mine operations. 

The mine is back up and running in response to an uptick in worldwide cobalt demand. 

Cobalt is a key component of lithium-ion batteries used for green power as opposed to fossil fuels.

Cobalt stabilizes tablets, smartphones and electric vehicles, ensuring they have a lengthy functional life. 

The demand for such green machines is soaring in unison with the tech revolution.

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Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

Therefore, the state is financially incentivized to redirect water away from farmers to mining operations.

Idaho’s massive cobalt mine is the only known reserve of the mineral in the United States. 

Located in Salmon, Idaho, the treasure trove of cobalt is accessed through a mine constructed by Jervois, a company based in Australia. 

Jervois opened the mine in the fall of 2022.

However, there was a downtick in cobalt demand in the fall of 2022

Fluctuations in market demand for the mineral ultimately determine whether Idaho farmers are able to access the water they need to grow a sufficient number of crops.

The Biden Administration is Interfering With Idaho’s Farming Industry

The startling truth is Idaho’s cobalt mine closed immediately after its celebratory opening in response to the downtick in demand. 

However, the mine remained accessible via standby throughout the remainder of 2022 thanks to corporate contributions of a million dollars per month. 

The United States Department of Defense also cut a $15 million check, using taxpayer dollars, to ensure the mine would be available when demand bounced back.

Though the price of cobalt has since declined even more, the Biden administration has prioritized it. 

Biden insists the mineral is an essential for national defense and our collective ongoing transition toward a green economy. 

Moreover, the Biden administration is fully committed to deviating from the use of oil, meaning the Idaho cobalt mine will likely remain open for the foreseeable future as we collectively transition toward electric vehicles.

The Connection to Ukraine

Though it might be difficult to believe, there is a link between the Idaho cobalt mining operation and Ukraine. 

In a dystopian twist, the Biden administration allocated money to the Idaho cobalt mine through a Ukraine aid package.

The logic in including the Idaho cobalt mine in the Ukraine aid package is that the mine is considered an integral national resource. 

Though Ukraine has some such minerals and plenty of arable farmland, the United States appears to only have one sizable cobalt mine. 

There is no sense being completely dependent on Ukraine and other foreign nations for cobalt and other minerals when we can access them right here at home.

The problem is that funding the mining of Idaho’s cobalt has damaged the state’s farming economy. 

Idaho farmers should not have to limit their water usage to ensure the on-again, off-again cobalt mine remains functional. 

Idaho farms grow the potatoes we eat in the form of fast food French fries, frozen hash browns and more. 

The state also grows wheat for bread and numerous other crops.

The worst-case scenario is continued water restrictions that lead to crop shortages. 

Though unlikely, there is the potential for Idaho growers to endure food scarcity that causes the food supply to decrease and prices to rise. 

Though Idaho farmers can import water from other parts of the state, doing so is logistically challenging and cost-prohibitive.

Can the United States Government be Trusted to do the Right Thing?

Some conspiracy theorists insist the federal government is minimizing the flow of water to Iowa farms to guarantee the state’s cobalt mine continues operations to benefit foreign firms. 

After all, it is Jervois, an Australian-based business, that operates the cobalt mine. 

In an ideal world, the United States government would have intervened in 2019 when the Idaho cobalt mine was purchased by Jervois. 

It is not in our nation’s interest for foreign firms to own, operate and control our finite resources including valuable mineral mines. 

The United States’ taxpayers are now at the mercy of profit-hungry businessmen based in Australia. 

Moreover, we will inevitably pay more for potatoes, bread and other food items as Idaho farmers find it becomes increasingly challenging to bring food to market.

Water is the New Oil

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Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

It is often said that water is the new oil as both substances are nearly invaluable. 

The world has finite amounts of potable water and oil. 

Moreover, transporting water for use on farms and within homes is egregiously challenging and expensive. 

Some politicians and futurists insist nations will soon go to war over access to water.

Instead of reducing the global population through authoritarian family planning or yet another global or regional war with the latent motive of acquiring water, the resource will simply become more expensive and scarce. 

As Idaho farmers are finding out, water scarcity and cost are gradually increasing. 

Idaho and other state governments are now wrestling with the adjudication of water and other common resources. 

Feats of engineering, court decisions and contracts will inevitably shape the distribution of water in the years ahead.

Idaho Farmers Need and Deserve Water Predictability

Here’s what matters most to Idaho farmers: water should be abundant and immediately accessible as it was in the years preceding the operation of the state’s cobalt mine.

If Idaho farmers aren’t given an accurate estimate of water accessibility throughout the forthcoming growing season, they won’t have the information necessary to purchase seeds. 

Nor will the state’s farmers have the assurance necessary to plant acres with confidence.

At the moment, Idaho farmers have solid legal footing for arguing state officials are negligent. 

Negligence is a term commonly used by attorneys to refer to a failure to provide due care to other parties including farmers. 

The state government is responsible for regulating the usage of water, meaning it owes a duty of care to farmers. 

The duty of care includes providing access to water and also keeping those hardworking farmers informed in regard to the amount of water they will have access to in a specific period of time.

What Happens Now?

At the very least, Idaho state officials should give local farmers an expectation of the amount of water they will have access to in the upcoming year. 

If Idaho officials continue to prioritize the Australian cobalt mining firm over farmers, the “salt of the earth” as often referred to, might take legal action against state government.

Such a lawsuit would seek damages to offset losses resulting from crop growth decline and reduced sales. 

Such losses could have been avoided had the state provided continued water access to farmers as necessary to meet market market demand.

However, a lawsuit is a last resort as legal action requires attorneys’ fees and patience. 

Some such lawsuits against state and federal governments take years to litigate, especially if decisions are appealed.

It is also worth noting that cobalt mining will pollute and even destroy parts of Idaho’s natural landscape. 

Environmental degradation resulting from mining operations will take decades to clean up. 

Such ecosystem damage will inevitably poison some of the water, air and land Idaho farmers rely on to grow the food that feeds America.

As it stands now, there is an agreement in place to allow farmers to have access to water.

The catch is this agreement is only for the remainder of this growing season.

Come 2025, this issue could come to a head once again.

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