Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Biden approves controversial Rhyolite Ridge lithium project
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Friday, October 25, 2024
Tiehm's buckwheat, an endangered species that grows only at the site of the proposed mine; Jim Morefield/Flickr ([link removed])
The Biden administration has signed off on ([link removed]) a controversial plan to build one of the nation’s largest lithium mines, prompting a legal threat from environmentalists worried about the fate of an endangered wildflower.
Ioneer's proposed Rhyolite Ridge lithium and boron mine and processing plant is located in Esmeralda County ([link removed]) , Nevada, and would destroy habitat for the Tiehm’s buckwheat, an endangered wildflower that only grows at the site where Ioneer intends to mine.
“By greenlighting this mine, the Bureau of Land Management is abandoning its duty to protect endangered species like Tiehm’s buckwheat, and it’s making a mockery of the Endangered Species Act,” Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center for Biological Diversity, told E&E News ([link removed]) . “We need lithium for the energy transition, but it can’t come with a price tag of extinction.
Ioneer is angling to move the Rhyolite Ridge project into construction next year, with production beginning in 2028 ([link removed]) .
Utah's land grab lawsuit would hurt hunters and anglers
In the latest episode of CWP's podcast ([link removed]) , The Landscape, Kate and Aaron are joined by Backcountry Hunters & Anglers CEO Patrick Berry to talk about why Utah’s lawsuit seeking control of over 18 million acres of national public land in the state would be terrible for sportsmen and sportswomen across the West. The lawsuit could lead to privatization and increased extraction on public lands, Berry warns, as well as further fragmentation of wildlife habitat.
** Quick hits
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U.S Fish and Wildlife Service to invest $1 million into sagebrush habitat in Montana
Montana Public Radio ([link removed])
Tribes won’t be paid for unused water through a federal fund. Colorado lawmakers want that to change
Colorado Sun ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])
Wildfires in the West aren’t just getting bigger. They’re faster, too
New York Times ([link removed])
Tribal leaders at COP16 push Biden to designate California monuments
E&E News ([link removed])
Editorial: Dolores flap is much ado about nothing
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel ([link removed])
U.S. approves massive lithium mine in Nevada, overriding protests
Washington Post ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])
Gov. Gordon gives final input on BLM’s Rock Springs draft plan
Wyoming Public Radio ([link removed])
Biden to apologize for government’s Indigenous boarding schools
High Country News ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” We are here at COP16 to ensure our voices are being heard as we call for a national monument for our homelands—Kw'tsán National Monument—and to help amplify the voices of global Indigenous communities who are in the same fight as us to preserve our culture for future generations.”
—Lena Ortega ([link removed]) , a member of the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe’s Kw'tsán Cultural Committee
** Picture This
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@GreatDunesNPS ([link removed])
After this past weekend's heavy rains with snow at higher elevations, the sun is illuminating the last fall colors in the national park. Cottonwoods are at peak golden yellow in this view of the dunes and snowy Cleveland Peak from Montville Nature Trail.
Photo: NPS/Patrick Myers
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