The Biden Administration signaled it was on the verge of approving a proposed lithium and boron mine in Nevada\u2019s Silver Peak range that would quadruple the nation\u2019s current production of lithium and potentially power 340,000 electric vehicles\u2014though at the cost of roughly 20 percent of an endangered wildflower\u2019s critical habitat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thursday, the Bureau of Land Management announced<\/a> it has \u201cadvanced\u201d the Rhyolite Ridge mine\u2019s review after issuing its final environmental impact statement<\/a> (EIS), setting the stage for a decision from the federal government on whether to approve the project. It\u2019s the latest in a long-running dispute pitting the BLM and the mining company, Ioneer, against environmentalists and independent scientists over whether the mine can operate without further impacting Tiehm\u2019s buckwheat, which is only found near the proposed site of the mine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite concern the mine could drive the wildflower to extinction, the project has continued to move forward. The mine, each year, would extract around 2.6 million tons of lithium, the mineral critical to batteries that power EVs and store renewable energy from solar and wind farms. It will also produce 170,000 tons of boric acid, which is used in a variety of industrial chemical operations. The mine will employ 400 to 500 construction workers for four years, and roughly 300 permanent workers over the next 19, before its lifecycle ends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Australian mining company has secured agreements to provide lithium to automotive companies, including Toyota and Ford Motor Company. Public records<\/a> obtained by the Center for Biological Diversity, the environmental group that has led the effort to protect the wildflower, show BLM staff felt the project was on \u201ca very aggressive schedule that deviates from other project schedules on similar projects.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n