Climate Change Beats Endangered Species As the US Approves Massive Lithium Mine in Nevada

For years, environmentalists have had a hard time framing electric vehicles, which are both a key element in fighting climate change and an environmental menace because of the minerals used to make Li-ion batteries. Some even argue that electric vehicles pollute more than gas cars, and some raw materials, like cobalt, are sourced using child labor while creating local environmental disasters. In extreme cases, environmentalists set fires at Tesla's Gigafactory near Berlin to fight the planned factory expansion.

However, they suffered a resounding defeat in Nevada when the Biden administration approved the Rhyolite Ridge lithium mine. This is the first lithium mining project approved under Joe Biden's presidency and will become a key supplier to Ford and other EV makers in the US.

The approval ends a six-year review process of clashes between regulators, Ioneer, and conservationists trying to protect a rare wildflower found at the mine's site. The fight has become a symbol of challenges faced while trying to balance climate change mitigation efforts and biodiversity protection.

The mine will allow the US to divert away from China's critical mineral production and create local supply chains to boost resilience. China processes roughly two-thirds of the global lithium supply, whereas the US produces just 2% of the world's lithium.

The mine will supply lithium to power roughly 370,000 electric vehicles each year, with enough reserves for over 50 million electric cars. Construction is expected to begin in 2025, while production will start in 2028. The scale will make Rhyolite Ridge one of the largest US lithium producers alongside Albemarle and Lithium Americas.

Ioneer aims to extract lithium and boron (a chemical used to make ceramics and soaps) from a clay-like deposit. The lithium will be processed on-site into two main derivatives (lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide) used to make Li-ion batteries. The Australian company promised to recycle half of the water used. While this sounds too little, the percentage is higher than the industry average.

Recycling half the water is only half the problem, though. Rhyolite Ridge is home to the Tiehm's buckwheat flower, which doesn't grow anywhere else on the planet. The wildflower was declared an endangered species in 2022, and environmentalist groups claim the mining project will push it to the brink of extinction. The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) announced it would sue the federal government to block the project.

On its part, the Interior Department, which controls the US Bureau of Land Management, said allowing the mine project to proceed was "a science-based decision." The project will ensure "significant protections for the local ecosystem," including roughly 719 acres designated as critical habitat for the wildflower.