It is a big step forward for the Biden Administration to get an environmental study of Nevada’s lithium mine. This could be the third lithium mine in the United States. Conservationists have taken the mine to court many times because they say it could hurt the rare Nevada wildflower.
President Biden has been looking for lithium in more places because it is very useful for batteries, which are needed for electric cars, which is part of Biden’s plan to use green energy. There is a 2000-page report from the Bureau of Land Management about the environmental effects of the Rhyolite Ridge mine that will be sent there.
The Bureau has said that this lithium-boron mine project “represents another step by the Biden-Harris administration to support the responsible, domestic development of critical minerals to power the clean energy economy.” Steve Feldgus, who is the deputy assistant secretary of the interior for land and minerals management, said, “If we want to make these important minerals in the United States, we will need to get federal agencies to work together to solve problems quickly while protecting endangered species and other irreplaceable resources.”
A lot of people have said they are fighting the mine because it’s another way the government is ignoring how it will hurt wildlife and ecosystems that are already weak.
The plans are being fought against by Patrick Donnelly, who is the head of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Great Basin and calls them “greenwashing extinction.” He said they would fight the idea if it became law because they believe it goes against the Endangered Species Act.
One of the biggest things that will likely grow quickly in the next few years is the need for lithium, which is needed for electric cars and most other goods that use lithium batteries.
