"Environmentalists sue over US approval of ioneer's Nevada lithium mine, 31 October 2024

Environmental and Indigenous groups... filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Interior Department's approval of ioneer's Rhyolite Ridge lithium mine in Nevada, the first domestic source of the battery metal to be permitted by... President Joe Biden's administration.

In a lawsuit filed in federal court in Las Vegas, groups including the Center for Biological Diversity argued the project posed an existential risk to the rare wildflower Tiehm’s buckwheat and could drive it to extinction. They said the mine would also adversely impact groundwater, springs, wetlands, air quality, cultural resources and wildlife habitats, and would transform a remote part of rural Nevada into an industrial complex.

The Interior Department declined to comment.

Australia-based ioneer said it does not expect the lawsuit to "meaningfully affect our proposed development timeline" and that it believes the project can be developed sustainably.

"We are confident that the BLM will prevail against this lawsuit," said Chad Yeftich, ioneer's vice president of corporate development and external affairs. "We intend to intervene and vigorously defend the BLM's decision, which was based on its careful and thorough permitting process."