The new Lithium Americas will own the Thacker Pass lithium project in Nevada, while Lithium Argentina will focus on the assets held in the South American country.
Biden's comments on Tuesday were the clearest to date about the rubric administration officials deploy when determining whether or not to support a proposed US mining project.
In its latest assessment of 250 mine sites, the Responsible Mining Foundation found that that commitments are commonplace, yet basic actions are rarely evident.