In a recent development, advocates are preparing to take legal action against a newly approved lithium mine in Nevada, raising concerns that the project is crucial to President Biden’s clean energy agenda but poses a significant threat to the extinction of Tiehm’s buckwheat. This decision marks the first federal permit granted for a new lithium mine under Biden’s administration.
During a press event in Reno, officials emphasized that Ioneer Ltd’s mine is vital for boosting the production of lithium, a key mineral in electric vehicle batteries that supports Biden’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Acting Deputy Interior Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis remarked that this project is “essential to advancing the clean energy transition and powering the economy of the future.”
After six years of planning, Ioneer intends to begin construction of the Rhyolite Ridge mine next year, located in the high desert between Reno and Las Vegas. By 2028, production is expected to yield enough lithium to support the manufacture of batteries for 370,000 vehicles annually for over twenty years, amid a projected sixfold increase in global lithium demand by 2030 compared to 2020 levels.
James Calaway, executive chairperson of Ioneer, expressed confidence in the mine’s potential impact, stating, “I can say with absolute confidence there are few deposits in the world as impactful as Rhyolite Ridge.” He highlighted that the approval of their federal permit is a result of extensive efforts and dedication to developing one of the most sustainable mining projects in the United States.
The approval process involved the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), which determined that the mine would not jeopardize Tiehm’s buckwheat, a six-inch tall wildflower listed as endangered since December 2022. The designation cited mining as the primary threat to its survival.
However, environmentalists have voiced strong opposition to the mine’s final approval, labeling it a politically motivated breach of U.S. laws. Patrick Donnelly, the Great Basin director for the Center for Biological Diversity, stated, “Litigation is now the only way to stop the Rhyolite Ridge Mine.” He criticized the Biden administration for neglecting its responsibilities to protect endangered species and suggested that the push for lithium should not come at the cost of extinction.
Currently, fewer than 30,000 Tiehm’s buckwheat plants exist within a confined area in Nevada, specifically across eight sub-populations spanning only 10 acres. Although USFWS acknowledged that the project will encroach within 15 feet of these plants, they asserted that no direct harm would come to individual specimens and that promised reclamation and monitoring efforts would allow the flower to coexist with the mining operation.
Critics argue that this decision reflects the Biden administration’s ongoing disregard for U.S. protections of native wildlife and sacred tribal lands as it seeks to combat climate change by decreasing reliance on fossil fuels. “We’ve been fighting to save Tiehm’s buckwheat for six years, and we’re not giving up now,” Donnelly affirmed.
Notably, Nevada is home to the only operational lithium mine in the U.S., with another project under construction near the Oregon border. The latter, located at Thacker Pass, gained approval during the final days of the Trump administration, despite facing numerous legal challenges from environmental advocates and Native American tribes concerned about the preservation of lands they consider sacred.
