The Biden administration has approved a federal permit for a new lithium mine in Nevada, a project central to its clean energy agenda, despite warnings from conservationists that it will drive an endangered wildflower to extinction. The Rhyolite Ridge mine, operated by Australia-based Ioneer Ltd, is expected to start construction next year in the high desert between Reno and Las Vegas, with production beginning in 2028.
Acting Deputy Interior Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis said the project is 'essential to advancing the clean energy transition and powering the economy of the future.' The mine is projected to produce enough lithium for 370,000 electric vehicles annually for over two decades. Global lithium demand is expected to grow sixfold by 2030 compared to 2020.
The Bureau of Land Management issued the permit after the US Fish and Wildlife Service concluded that the mine would not jeopardise the survival of Tiehm's buckwheat, a 15cm-tall wildflower listed as endangered in 2022. The agencies said Ioneer's changes to the mine's footprint alleviated concerns. However, fewer than 30,000 plants remain across 10 acres in Nevada, and the mine will come within 5 metres of the flower, resulting in some habitat loss.
Environmental groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity, have vowed to sue, calling the approval a politically motivated violation of US laws. 'We need lithium for the energy transition, but it can't come with a price tag of extinction,' said Patrick Donnelly, the centre's Great Basin director. He accused the administration of 'making a mockery of the Endangered Species Act.'
Opponents argue this is another example of the Biden administration prioritising climate goals over protections for wildlife and sacred tribal lands. Nevada is already home to the only operating lithium mine in the US, with another under construction near the Oregon border.
