Lithium Fever in the US Brings a Rare, Unique Flower to the Brink of Extinction

Environmental activist Patrick Donnelly closely examines a handful of pink buds. This is not just any flower but a unique species that finally blooms in a creamy yellow color and grows only in this corner of the western United States.

The rare "Eriogonum tiehmii," discovered in 1983 by botanist Arnold Tiehm and known as "Tiehm's buckwheat," is under threat of extinction. It had the misfortune of dominating a desert valley in Nevada whose subsoil is rich in lithium, a crucial metal for manufacturing electric car batteries.

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Energy Transition

In Rhyolite Ridge, a dry lake basin surrounded by volcanic formations about 370 kilometers northwest of Las Vegas, Ioneer wants to install a mine to extract "22,000 tons of lithium carbonate per year" which will be refined on-site, explained Bernard Rowe, CEO of the Australian firm, to AFP.

This volume would allow the production of batteries for about 370,000 electric vehicles annually for 26 years.
In the United States, where President Joe Biden has set ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, Ioneer's project should boost US lithium production, which has been quite scarce despite its enormous reserves.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global lithium demand will multiply by five to seven times by 2030. Currently, Australia, Chile, and China dominate production.

For Ioneer, the drive to diversify the sources of lithium supply does not imply an environmental sacrifice.

"We are confident that the mine and Tiehm's plant can coexist," assured Rowe.

Ioneer's plan involves the gradual destruction of 22% of the already reduced habitat of the plant, but promises to take measures to protect the remaining specimens.

The Australian company claims to have invested $2.5 million in research on the native plant, which it cultivates in greenhouses with the aim of replanting it in the terrain.

"Eco-imposture"

But environmentalists are skeptical.

The activist argues that the construction of the quarry and the dust generated by the coming and going of trucks must limit the photosynthesis process, as well as impact the insects that pollinate the flowers, reducing their population.

In light of the imminent project, the Center for Biological Diversity proposes that the mine be built at least 1.6 kilometers from the flowers but would prefer it to be canceled entirely. There are other deposits in Nevada that could be exploited, they argue.

The company hopes to start production by late 2027, but its operating permit will depend on the environmental impact assessment.
The Center for Biological Diversity will go to court.

Donnelly argues that a clean transition loses its purpose if the price to pay is the planet's biodiversity.

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