The Biden administration on Thursday telegraphed its coming approval of an open-pit lithium and boron mine and processing plant in rural Nevada, a project that would pump out EV battery metals but that also has raised concerns about the fate of an endangered wildflower, Tiehm’s buckwheat.
The Bureau of Land Management announced its completion of a final environmental impact statement for Ioneer’s Rhyolite Ridge hard rock lithium mine and chemical processing plant, which will produce lithium chemical for companies such as Panasonic, Toyota, Ford and others.
Though details won’t be released until Friday, feds said the plan would protect nearby endangered flowers, an assertion that riled environmental advocates. BLM touted the mine’s projected output of enough lithium to fuel almost 370,000 electric vehicles annually.
“The Biden-Harris administration is committed to responsible development of critical minerals that are needed to drive America’s clean energy economy,” Interior Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis said in a statement. “The Rhyolite Ridge project represents what we can do when we work together — with industry, states, Tribes and stakeholders — to ensure the swift consideration and adaptation of projects to fulfill our energy needs while respecting cultural and ecologically sensitive areas.”
