Social

Community and Indigenous Engagement

Lithium Americas is committed to building collaborative and mutually beneficial relationships with local communities everywhere we operate and creating positive socio-economic impact and generating value for our stakeholders throughout our development and operating activities.

Building on several years of engagement and relationship-building between the Company and the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe (Tribe), the closest Native American community to the project site, located approximately 40 miles from Thacker Pass, we jointly signed a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) with the Tribe in October 2022. The CBA established a framework for continued collaboration and defines long-term benefits for the Tribe. Benefits include infrastructure improvements at Fort McDermitt, additional job training and employment opportunities for tribal members, and support for cultural education and preservation. As part of the CBA, the Tribe provided a letter in support of the Thacker Pass project.

In anticipation of construction and operations, we are working with the Tribe to provide skills training. We have organized several training events for Tribe members, including basic construction skills, heavy equipment operator training and cultural monitor training (for archeological mitigation work).

We actively participate in the locally based Community Working Group, along with select members of the local TPCC Work Group, to develop agreements supported by scientific data and community views to guide the construction and operation of Thacker Pass. Together, we focus on identifying solutions that protect the safety and well-being of community members.

Talent Attraction, Development and Retention

We are driven by our people. Our vision for our people is to cultivate and sustain an inclusive culture that embraces diverse backgrounds and inspires each professional to achieve their highest potential in a supportive and equitable work environment. We aim to attract, develop and retain the most talented people with diverse backgrounds, beliefs and perspectives to enhance innovation, creativity and employee engagement. To build and develop our team to drive the long-term success of our business, we are actively recruiting talent and committed to promoting from within where possible.

As our business grows from an exploration and development company to one that is in construction, and soon a producer, there will be many new employment opportunities, as well as career advancement opportunities for our existing employees. To magnify the benefits of our operations we are committed to hiring locally wherever possible.

Construction of Thacker Pass Phase 1 is expected to provide employment for approximately 1,800 workers during construction and approximately 360 permanent workers during operations. We are committed to employing Nevadans and working with Nevada service providers to the greatest extent possible.

We are proud to report that in 2023, 70% of new hires at Thacker Pass were local to Nevada. In 2023, we also partnered with local tribes to provide temporary and full-time employment opportunities to tribal members which resulted in the hiring of eight Tribe members, three Duck Valley members living in Fort McDermitt and one Arizona Navajo living in Fort McDermitt.

Learn more about working at Lithium Americas and career opportunities here.

Human Rights

We are committed to respecting and upholding the rights and interests of all persons at our operations and the local communities impacted by our operations, including vulnerable communities such as Indigenous Peoples and children. We aim to be an employer of choice, earning respect and trust by promoting and protecting the human rights of all persons working for us.

We are committed to implementing the “Protect, Respect and Remedy” framework set forth in the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and recognize the foundational principles identified in the International Bill of Human Rights and the International Labour Organization Conventions.

Our Human Rights Policy outlines our commitment and approach to respecting all internationally recognized human rights standards.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

We value diversity of thought, perspectives and approaches to business. We recognize the importance of cultivating an inclusive work environment focused on a sense of belonging. We aim to foster a culture where employees feel valued, and where they can freely express their beliefs and suggestions.

We strive for a workplace where all people have equal access to opportunities and advancement. We are an equal opportunity employer, and our policies and programs are aligned with national legislation pertaining to equal opportunity and non-discrimination.

Our Code of Conduct, in addition to our Respectful Workplace Policy, outlines the guiding principles everyone is expected to comply with to create a workplace free from discrimination.

Our DEI Policy outlines our priorities to further promote DEI, in which certain activities have been developed and implemented to support and advance DEI initiatives.

Economic Benefits and Opportunities

Thacker Pass will play an integral role in the economic development of northern Nevada. The construction of Phase 1 will employ approximately 1,800 workers, and the 40-year life of the mine will provide approximately 360 family-supporting permanent positions. Tax payments are estimated to be more than $8 billion over the lifetime of the mine and Humboldt County will directly benefit from government support for road maintenance, education, safety and other public services.

In 2023, we commissioned UNR to prepare an economic, fiscal and community impact assessment for the construction and operations of Thacker Pass, to align with the Nov 2022 Feasibility Study. The study was completed with a short-term view for the construction stage (approximately seven years for both Phase 1 and 2, or until the operation is producing 80,000 tpa of lithium carbonate), and long-term view for the expected mine life of 40 years.

The following table summarizes our estimated impact during the construction period. Please note, the following results do not take into account the capital cost increase announced in March 2024.

We are committed to engaging with and working closely with our local communities to sustainably drive economic growth, including:

• Providing scholarships, heavy equipment operator training and cultural monitor training for Tribe members, reflective of the needs and interests of the local communities. Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe member Jayson Crutcher and McDermitt resident William Ashby were among the first local people hired to help our geophysics team prepare for major construction by laying out leads, lines and electrodes.
• Bringing infrastructure improvements, new workforce development and training programs and several hundred indirect jobs to support mine construction and operations.
• Funding the design and construction of the new K-8 school in nearby Orovada. A location has been selected by the local community on public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management.
• In 2023, $4.4 million was spent on improvement to Highway SR293 and the intersection of Highway SR293 and US-95.