Major Lithium Mine Approved in Nevada in Latest Effort to Support a Domestic Supply of Critical Minerals

Date: Thursday, October 24, 2024
Contact: [email protected]

RENO, Nev. - Acting Deputy Secretary of the Interior Laura Daniel-Davis and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Dr. Steve Feldgus joined Bureau of Land Management (BLM) leaders in Reno, Nevada today to announce the approval of the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron mining project, a major step towards the nation's efforts to strengthen domestic critical minerals supply chains. The project, when completed, could supply enough lithium to power nearly 370,000 electric vehicles annually. Located in southern Nevada's Silver Peak Range, the project will include significant protections for the local ecosystem, while providing robust engineering, construction, science and technology employment opportunities for the local community and Tribal members through hundreds of good paying jobs.

The BLM's Record of Decision for the project approves the preferred alternative outlined in the final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), released in September. The FEIS assessed and identified significant protections - developed by the BLM in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - for the endangered Tiehm's buckwheat. The project area encompasses the only known populations and critical habitat of the threatened plant. Protections include redesigning and relocating project features, funding Tiehm's buckwheat propagation work, and developing a formal Tiehm's buckwheat protection plan. The project proponent, Ioneer, modified its project proposal to limit impacts on the plant and its critical habitat.

In developing the FEIS for the proposal, the BLM worked closely with the State of Nevada, Tribal and local governments, and national and local stakeholders to identify and assess potential impacts of development. To ensure appropriate evaluation of potential impacts to cultural resources and sites, the BLM consulted with the Benton (Utu Utu Gwaitu) Paiute Tribe, Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley, Bishop Paiute Tribe, Duckwater Shoshone Tribe, Ely Shoshone Tribe, Shoshone-Paiute of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation, Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone, Timbisha Shoshone Tribe, and Yomba Shoshone Tribe.

"We have moved quickly to build a robust and sustainable clean energy economy that will create jobs to support families, boost local economies, and help address environmental injustice. The Rhyolite Ridge lithium mine project is essential to advancing the clean energy transition and powering the economy of the future," said Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis. "This project and the process we have undertaken demonstrates that we can pursue responsible critical mineral development here in the United States, while protecting the health of our public lands and resources."

Critical minerals are essential building blocks of the modern economy and America's energy security, from clean energy technologies - like electric vehicle and grid storage batteries and wind turbines - to semiconductors to advanced defense systems and consumer electronics. As the nation continues building a clean energy economy, demand for critical minerals is projected to grow exponentially.

"Our goal at the Bureau of Land Management is to safeguard the health of public lands as we help deliver critical minerals to our nation, and this project will help us do just that, supplying lithium that will power our clean energy future," said Bureau of Land ManagementDirector Tracy Stone-Manning. "This decision is the result of the hard work and dedication of BLM staff and our partners, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to come up with approaches that protect the environment while supporting the Biden-Harris administration's climate goals."

As proposed, the mine will employ up to 500 workers during construction and about 350 workers during operations. The company expects to generate an estimated $125 million in wages annually during the life of the mine and is investing in the community through future job training programs and scholarship opportunities.

The Rhyolite Ridge project will also produce significant quantities of boron, used extensively in the glass and ceramics industries. Boron is also used as a component in abrasives, cleaning products, insecticides, insulation, for defense applications, and in the production of semiconductors. 

Publication of a Record of Decision is the final step in the National Environmental Policy Act process, which requires federal agencies to determine if proposed actions will have significant environmental effects.

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