ESMERALDA COUNTY — U.S. District Judge Cristina Silva ruled that the federal government properly approved Ioneer's proposed Rhyolite Ridge Lithium/Boron Mine Project in Esmeralda County, Nevada, rejecting a legal challenge by conservationists seeking to block the project. Silva, who was nominated by President Biden, found that federal regulators sufficiently examined the mine's impacts on Tiehm's buckwheat, a rare wildflower whose entire population grows within 10 acres of land in the project area.

The Rhyolite Ridge project covers 11 square miles between Reno and Las Vegas and sits atop the largest lithium and boron deposit in the world outside of Turkey. The mine is expected to cost $2 billion, have a life span of over 77 years, and produce enough lithium carbonate for around 400,000 electric vehicles. The mine would also produce boric acid used in pest control, flame retardant, and medical and personal care.

In her ruling, Silva found that Ioneer's mitigation efforts, including fencing around the habitat and buffer zones between mining activities and the buckwheat, were sufficient for the purposes of the Endangered Species Act. Silva wrote that of Tiehm's buckwheat's 1.4 square miles of critical habitat, 4.9% will be lost due to the project. The wildflower, a couple of inches tall, grows in an area the size of seven football fields in the Silver Peak Range and produces green leaves and yellow flowers in spring.

The Center for Biological Diversity, which pushed for the endangered species designation of Tiehm's buckwheat in 2022, continues its legal challenge against the project. Patrick Donnelly, the center's Great Basin director, said his organization was considering appealing the ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing the case could have implications for other species and protected habitats under the Endangered Species Act. Donnelly also cast doubt that fencing around the wildflower's habitat will protect it.

"This can seem like a little remote flower in the middle of nowhere. But if we lose on Tiehm's buckwheat, you know, what else are we facing with the whittling away of the Endangered Species Act?" Donnelly said.

Chad Yeftich, vice president of corporate development and external affairs at Ioneer, said, "Rhyolite Ridge will create hundreds of new American jobs, reduce reliance on foreign materials and processing, and provide a domestic source of two critical minerals." Ioneer wants construction to start by the end of this year, with production beginning in 2029. The company is looking for a financial partner after Sibanye Stillwater, a major investor, pulled out last year, saying the project did not make financial sense.

The project was first approved under the Biden administration. The Trump administration supported lithium projects in Nevada to bolster U.S. manufacturing of critical minerals. In January 2025, the Department of Energy finalized a nearly $1 billion loan for the project. Rhyolite Ridge would be Nevada's third lithium mine and one of the few in the state that processes lithium and boron on site. The U.S. Interior Department declined to comment.