Acting Deputy Secretary of the Interior Laura Daniel-Davis and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Dr. Steve Feldgus, along with Bureau of Land Management (BLM) leaders, have announced the approval of the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron mining project in Nevada. This development is part of efforts to bolster domestic supply chains for critical minerals. The project aims to produce enough lithium annually to power nearly 370,000 electric vehicles.
Located in Nevada's Silver Peak Range, the mine will incorporate protections for local ecosystems while creating jobs in engineering, construction, science, and technology sectors. Hundreds of positions are expected to benefit local communities and Tribal members.
The BLM's Record of Decision endorses the preferred alternative from the final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), released last month. The FEIS includes measures developed with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect Tiehm’s buckwheat, a threatened plant found only within the project area. Measures include redesigning certain project features and funding propagation work for Tiehm’s buckwheat.
In preparing the FEIS, BLM collaborated with state authorities, Tribal governments, local entities, and stakeholders to evaluate potential impacts on cultural resources. Consultations were held with several Tribes including Benton Paiute Tribe and Shoshone-Paiute Tribes.
“We have moved quickly to build a robust and sustainable clean energy economy that will create jobs to support families,” stated Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis. “This project...demonstrates that we can pursue responsible critical mineral development here in the United States.”
The demand for critical minerals is rising as clean energy technologies become more prevalent. Tracy Stone-Manning from BLM remarked on safeguarding public lands while supporting national climate goals: “This decision is the result of hard work...to come up with approaches that protect the environment.”
The Rhyolite Ridge mine plans to employ up to 500 workers during construction phases and about 350 during operations. It is anticipated that $125 million in wages will be generated annually over its lifespan. Additionally, Ioneer plans community investments through job training programs.
Besides lithium production, significant quantities of boron are expected from this site—used widely across industries such as glass manufacturing and semiconductors.
Publication of a Record of Decision concludes NEPA's process requiring federal agencies' assessments regarding environmental impacts from proposed actions.
A House Natural Resources Committee hearing last year covered hardrock minerals, including copper, lithium, and cobalt, which are critical components in smartphones, laptops, satellites, national defense technology, and renewable energy technology such as electric vehicle batteries. According to a memo on the hearing, the rising demand for renewable energy technology corresponds with an increasing demand for those minerals, which must be mined. "The United States has the choice of how to respond to that demand – we can support domestic production, where we are certain of our responsible development practices, or we can allow foreign nations with unverified (or definitively unacceptable) labor and environmental standards to dominate the global market," the memo said.
China "unquestionably" dominates the global supply chains of minerals, both in terms of raw materials and refined products, according to the memo. New mining projects in the U.S. typically take hundreds of millions of dollars in upfront capital costs and require as long as ten years to get through the permitting process. The refining process for the minerals once they have been mined is also lengthy and expensive.
