Environmental groups have kicked their battle over the Rhyolite Ridge lithium boron mine up to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, filing an appeal Wednesday after a federal judge in Nevada rejected their challenge to the project. The lawsuit, brought by the Center for Biological Diversity, Great Basin Resource Watch and the Western Shoshone Defense Project, centers on Tiehm's buckwheat, a tiny wildflower whose entire known population grows inside the project area. By moving the dispute from the U.S. District Court in Nevada to the appeals court, the case now carries stakes that could affect future mining approvals and endangered species law nationwide.
Environmental Groups Take the Fight to the 9th Circuit
The three groups filed a notice of appeal after a judge rejected their claims that federal agencies had improperly approved the project. They argue the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service signed off on the mine without fully grappling with the risks to Tiehm's buckwheat.
Great Basin Resource Watch director John Hadder said it is "dangerous to allow the Rhyolite Ridge mine to proceed," and the groups maintain the plan would imperil Tiehm's buckwheat. No hearing has been scheduled, and the company said it was confident the ruling would hold, according to Reuters.
Judge's Ruling and the Endangered Buckwheat
On March 30, U.S. District Judge Cristina Silva concluded that the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service adequately analyzed the mine's environmental impacts and that Ioneer's mitigation measures met statutory requirements, according to The Associated Press. Her ruling said measures such as fenced buffers around the plant and a propagation program were sufficient under the Endangered Species Act and related laws. The decision removed a major legal roadblock for a project supporters say could supply lithium for hundreds of thousands of electric vehicles.
Conservationists counter that Tiehm's buckwheat is uniquely vulnerable. The Fish and Wildlife Service has listed the plant as endangered and designated roughly 910 acres of critical habitat at Rhyolite Ridge in its final rule. The groups say even limited disturbance could push the species toward extinction and have vowed to press that point on appeal, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.
What the Feds and Company Say
The Department of the Interior and the BLM point to a multi-year environmental review that culminated in a Record of Decision on Oct. 24, 2024, and say protections, including project redesigns and funding for buckwheat propagation, are built into the plan, according to the Department of the Interior. Ioneer says it redesigned the project to avoid direct impacts, will defend the Record of Decision in court and is continuing to advance financing and construction planning, according to Ioneer.
What Happens Next
The appeal will be decided by the Ninth Circuit, and judges there could affirm, vacate or remand parts of the district court decision, outcomes that often take many months. Reuters noted that Ioneer shares rose roughly 1% on the news and that no hearing has been set. Environmental lawyers say a Ninth Circuit ruling could set key precedents for how the Endangered Species Act is applied to critical-minerals projects. The case will be watched by tribal groups, conservationists and industry as the United States moves to secure domestic sources of battery metals.
This dispute joins a series of Nevada mining fights and comes after Rhyolite Ridge cleared federal permitting during the Biden administration; Hoodline covered the state's broader lithium developments in earlier reporting.
