January 12, 2024--Written by Amir Richani for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Since January 9, indigenous groups in Chile's Atacama Desert have been blocking roads and access to Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile's (SQM) (NYSE:SQM) (Santiago, Chile) lithium mine. The communities are seeking involvement in the contract negotiations between SQM and Codelco (Santiago, Chile) and the environmental impact of lithium mines on the salt flat.