July 28 (Reuters) – A U.S. federal judge ruled on Wednesday that Native American tribes may join a lawsuit seeking to block Lithium Americas Corp's proposed Thacker Pass mine in Nevada, the latest attempt to halt development of what could become one of the largest U.S. producers of the electric vehicle battery metal.

The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony and Atsa koodakuh wyh Nuwu/People of Red Mountain will effectively become co-plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed earlier this year against the project by four environmental groups. The tribes plan to file an injunction request on Thursday in an attempt to temporarily halt excavation at the mine site. (Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; Editing by Leslie Adler)