| The Biden administration has all but approved the only major lithium project in the United States owned by Australia’s Ioneer, in the election battleground state of Nevada, less than 50 days before the poll.
Bernard Rowe is the managing director of Ioneer, which is listed on the ASX but developing a mine in the US.Approving the new project will significantly increase domestic lithium supply in the US, which is working towards greater self-reliance in the critical minerals supply chain. Lithium is a crucial component of batteries for electric vehicles and military equipment.
is the first lithium project to reach this advanced stage of the environmental permitting review process.Steve Feldgus, an official with the Bureau of Land Management, said the agency had conducted its review with the help of the Fish and Wildlife Service to identify protections for the endangered Tiehm’s Buckwheat, a desert flower endemic to the area.
Ioneer modified its mining proposal at the request of the Bureau of Land Management to minimise the damage to the Tiehm’s Buckwheat. It will fund a propagation program.