Environment and Endangered Species

A federal judge in Nevada has rejected conservation groups’ bid to block the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium/Boron Mine in Esmeralda County, ruling that federal agencies properly approved the project and adequately analyzed its impact on Tiehm’s buckwheat, an endangered wildflower whose entire habitat spans about 10 acres inside the project area. U.S. District Judge Cristina Silva found that mitigation measures proposed by mine developer Ioneer—such as fencing and buffer zones—satisfy Endangered Species Act requirements, handing a major legal victory to what could become Nevada’s third lithium mine and one of the few in the U.S. to process lithium on site. The $2 billion, 11‑square‑mile project, backed by a nearly $1 billion Department of Energy loan, is projected to operate for more than 77 years and produce enough lithium carbonate for roughly 400,000 electric vehicles, as well as boric acid used in multiple industries, and Ioneer aims to start construction by year’s end with production in 2029 if it can secure a new financial partner. The Center for Biological Diversity, which helped win ESA protection for Tiehm’s buckwheat in 2022, says it is weighing an appeal to the Ninth Circuit and warns the ruling could set a precedent for how far agencies can go in approving mines that threaten narrowly distributed species. The case highlights the collision between U.S. efforts to build domestic supplies of critical minerals for EVs and clean energy and the strength of federal wildlife protections, a tension that’s drawing close scrutiny from environmental lawyers, the mining industry and policymakers looking to speed energy‑transition projects.