Lithium Americas Raises Thacker Pass Cost by $900M, Blames Trump Tariffs

The cost overrun matters less for Thacker Pass itself than for what it signals about building domestic critical-minerals capacity under current trade policy: tariffs and labor inflation are now hitting project economics directly, not just equipment line items. For a flagship asset backed by a large federal loan, a near-$900 million increase and an all-time low share price suggest the financing structure, not just the timeline, is the pressure point. Whether other US lithium developers face similar revisions — and how the federal lender responds — is the open question.