< All Press Releases

TONOPAH, Nev. – Today, the Bureau of Land Management advanced the proposed Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Mine Project near Tonopah, Nevada, by releasing a final environmental impact statement for the critical mineral project. The proposed mine would be located in southern Nevada’s Silver Peak Range and could potentially produce enough lithium to supply nearly 370,000 electric vehicles each year.

The proposed project represents another step by the Biden-Harris administration to support a responsible domestic supply of critical minerals to power the clean energy economy. If approved, the mine would employ up to 500 workers during construction and up to 350 workers during operations, generating an estimated $125 million in wages annually during the life of the mine.

“The Biden-Harris administration is committed to responsible development of critical minerals that are needed to drive America’s clean energy economy,” said Laura Daniel-Davis, Acting Deputy Secretary of the Interior. “The Rhyolite Ridge project represents what we can do when we work together -- with industry, states, Tribes and stakeholders – to ensure the swift consideration and adaptation of projects to fulfill our energy needs while respecting cultural and ecologically sensitive areas.”

Today’s announcement comes as the Administration has released new data to demonstrate how the historic steps it has taken to accelerate and improve federal permitting processes are helping deliver more projects, more efficiently, across the United States.

“This environmental analysis is the product of the hard work of experts from multiple agencies, to ensure we protect species as we provide critical minerals to the nation,” said Tracy Stone-Manning, Director of the Bureau of Land Management. “We’re steadfast in our commitment to be responsible stewards of our public lands as we deliver the promise of a clean energy economy.”

Lithium is one of 50 minerals identified as critical by the U.S. Geological Survey, which considers importance of the mineral to the country’s economy and national security and the vulnerability of its supply chains. Lithium batteries are used extensively in the growing market for portable electronic devices, vehicles, and grid storage applications. The BLM recently approved another lithium mine at Thacker Pass, also in Nevada.

The proposed project area encompasses the only known populations and critical habitat for Tiehm’s Buckwheat, a flower endemic to the site. The BLM’s final EIS for the project assesses and identifies significant protections for the plant, which the BLM developed in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The BLM also worked with the project proponent, Ioneer, to modify the project proposal and minimize impacts to the plant and its critical habitat. Protections include redesigning and relocating features of the project, funding Tiehm’s buckwheat propagation work, and developing a formal Tiehm’s buckwheat protection plan.

In developing the final environmental review for the proposal, the BLM worked closely with Tribal, State, 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 worked closely 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.

Publication of a Notice of Availability in tomorrow’s Federal Register will open a 30-day public review period, ending on Oct. 21, 2024. The Bureau expects to issue a Record of Decision no earlier than 30 days after publication of the final environmental impact analysis.