The Interior Department plans to issue an environmental review for the proposed Ioneer Rhyolite Ridge lithium mine next Friday that the agency says will protect an endangered flower at the site, a move that a conservation group is already pushing back on.
The Bureau of Land Management in a news release said it will seek public comment on a draft environmental impact statement for the proposed lithium-boron mine in Nevada’s Silver Peak Range, about 40 miles southwest of Tonopah. If approved, BLM said the project is slated to pump out enough lithium for nearly 370,000 electric vehicles each year.
The news release heralded the project as another step taken to support “responsible, domestic development of critical minerals,” and stated that the draft review will include protections for Tiehm’s buckwheat, an endangered desert flower endemic to the area and present at the project site.
Randy Martin, a spokesperson for BLM, clarified in a follow-up email that the actual draft EIS will be released Friday, April 19, triggering a 45-day public comment period that will close on June 3.
