IONEER MOVES TOWARD CONSTRUCTION AT ITS RHYOLITE RIDGE PROJECT

Image 1: Revised Plan Based on Stakeholder Feedback: 2020 Proposed Plan of Operations: 292.9 acres of disturbance within critical habitat before concurrent reclamation to establish functional pollinator habitat. 2.98 acres of direct impact to Tiehm’s buckwheat subpopulations. Subpopulations 4, 5, 6a, 6b, and 7 affected.(Graphic: Business Wire)

KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 (Bernama) -- Ioneer Ltd (Ioneer) has moved one step closer toward construction at its Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron site, following the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) planned issuance of the project’s draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), as referenced in the BLM’s statement on April 12.

The pending release of this draft EIS is the first to be issued from the Biden Administration as part of its efforts to accelerate domestic lithium production, which is the result of years of effective collaboration between Ioneer and federal, state and local agencies and Tribal Nations.

It marks a key milestone in the environmental permitting review process for the proposed greenfield project in Esmeralda County, Nevada, set to inject a critical supply of integral transition materials into the United States (US) electric vehicle (EV) battery production supply chain.

The draft document will include Ioneer’s efforts to redesign and relocate proposed project activity away from Tiehm’s buckwheat, an endangered species classified by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in December 2022.

According to Ioneer in a statement, the draft EIS will also detail the company’s investments as part of a formal protection plan and propagation strategy for the Nevada plant.

The draft EIS will be available for public comment beginning April 19. Reaching this stage of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) permitting process reflects federal inter-agency collaboration and agreement that the draft document is ready for public input.

“The forthcoming release of the draft EIS represents six years of hard work to help build America’s critical minerals supply chain and reaffirms the viability of our investment in Nevada. Rhyolite Ridge will help accelerate the electric vehicle transition and secure a cleaner future for our children and grandchildren,” said Ioneer Executive Chairman, James Calaway.

Once operational, Ioneer’s Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project will be a leading example of responsible and sustainable mining. In July 2022, Ioneer submitted a revised plan of operations for federal permitting review, to avoid any direct impact to Tiehm’s buckwheat.

After listing and designation of critical habitat, which the company supported, Ioneer worked closely with the agencies and stakeholders to develop a third iteration to detail plans to further reduce indirect impacts to the plant and reduce activity within designated critical habitat.

-- BERNAMA