TONOPAH, Nev. (KTNV) — A lithium mine proposed 40 miles southwest of Tonopah in Esmeralda County moved into a new phase this week with the release of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). Read the proposal for Rhyolite Ridge Mine in its entirety here:
The document includes plans submitted by parent company Ioneer to develop the site with a quarry that would extract 25 million tons of lithium-boron over a 17 year time frame.
According to a press release from the Bureau of Land Management, the project could potentially produce enough lithium to supply nearly 370,000 electric vehicles and employ up to 350 people during operations.
The DEIS, released by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Monday, started a 45-day comment period where the public can submit feedback to the plans. The comment period is set to end on May 26th.
The proposal is not without controversy, as the project would impact habitat for the endangered Tiehms' Buckwheat, a wildflower that only grows in that region.
According to the press release, Ioneer modified its initial mining proposal, at the request of BLM and the Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), to minimize impacts to the plant and its critical habitat. And according to their website, the company "has budgeted $1 million over the each of the next several years to conduct research and implement conservation measures to address existing risks to Tiehm's buckwheat, and to uplift and expand the species."
Maps within the DEIS showcase 559 acres of designated critical habitat that would fence in the species - previously, the FWS designated 910 acres of critical habitat in that area.
The Center for Biological Diversity, who initially petitioned to list Tiehm's on the Endangered Species List, has come out in opposition to the new development saying the mine would "destroy" and "severely degrade" the plant population.
