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NEPA Number: DOI-BLM-NV-B020-2021-0020-EIS
Project Name: Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Mine Project

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Project Information

NEPA Number

DOI-BLM-NV-B020-2021-0020-EIS
Project Name

Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Mine Project
Project Type

EIS
NEPA Status

Completed - Completed
Lead Office

Tonopah Field Office
Last Updated

Project Description

Ioneer Rhyolite Ridge LLC (Ioneer) proposes to develop a new lithium and boron mine, the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Mine Project (Project), in Esmeralda County, Nevada. Lithium is one of the key components for systems used to store energy, foremost of which is for batteries in electric vehicles, utilities, computers, and cellular phones. Boron has a variety of uses, particularly as a critical additive to glass and ceramics to strengthen and prevent cracking, as well as for fiberglass insulation, permanent magnetics used in electric motors, and as a fertilizer to increase crop yields.

The Project is located approximately 40 air miles southwest of Tonopah and 13 air miles northeast of Dyer. The Operational Project Area (OPA) is situated on the west side of the central part of the Silver Peak Range, in a small basin in rolling foothills off the northeast side of Fish Lake Valley. 

The proposed Plan boundary is 7,166 acres, which consists of the OPA and access road and infrastructure corridor. There are approximately 7,137 acres of public lands administered by the BLM and approximately 29 acres of private land within the Plan boundary. The access road consists of the existing Hot Ditch Road and Cave Springs Road between State Route (SR) 264 in Fish Lake Valley and the OPA. The infrastructure corridor is adjacent to SR 264 in the Fish Lake Valley.

The BLM’s preferred alternative (North and South Overburden Storage Facility (OSF) Alternative) would be similar to the Proposed Action; however, the facility layout has been modified to reduce the footprint within the Tiehm’s buckwheat (Eriogonum tiehmii) designated critical habitat. Placement of overburden material would occur in the North OSF, Quarry Infill OSF, and the additional South OSF. The West OSF and associated infrastructure would not be constructed under the North and South OSF Alternative. Total surface disturbance under the North and South OSF Alternative would be approximately 2,266 acres, which would be approximately 40 acres less than the Proposed Action.

The capacities of the North OSF and the Quarry Infill OSF would be the same as the Proposed Action; however, the South OSF would be constructed to accommodate the remaining material. The design of the South OSF would be consistent with the OSF designs included in the Proposed Action including the average slope of 3H:1V. The haulage distance between the quarry and the South OSF would be similar to the distance between the West OSF and the quarry as configured in the Proposed Action. Additional differences include a higher output steam turbine generator (40 megawatts instead of the 35 megawatts for the Proposed Action), and reconfiguration of the quarry to minimize impacts, to the extent practicable, in Tiehm’s buckwheat designated critical habitat while maintaining slope stability required during operations and addressing long-term slope stability needs for Tiehm’s buckwheat subpopulations. Additional Applicant Proposed Conservation Measures and pollinator habitat reclamation would be conducted as described in the Buckwheat Protection Plan: Applicant Proposed Conservation Measures for Tiehm’s Buckwheat and its Critical Habitat.

What's New

10/23/2024: The BLM has issued a Record of Decision for the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Mine Project, which is available on this webpage and can be accessed by clicking "Documents" in the Dashboard.

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9/20/2024: The BLM has published under "Documents" on this website the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), Supplemental Information Report, and Supplemental Environmental Reports. These documents are available for public review and can be accessed by clicking "Documents" in the Dashboard of this webpage. The 30-day public review period has begun and will conclude on October 21, 2024.

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6/4/2024: Thank you to everyone who participated in the public review and comment process for the Draft EIS. The BLM will consider all comments received during the public participation period.

5/9/2024: The BLM has published on this webpage under "Documents" a recording of the public meeting held virtually on May 9, 2024. The recording is now available for public viewing and/or downloading. Also included is the presentation from the virtual meeting, as well as the poster boards from the in-person meetings.

4/15/2024: The BLM has published under "Documents" on this website the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), Supplemental Information Report, and Supplemental Environmental Reports. These documents are available for public review and comment and can be accessed by clicking "Documents" in the Dashboard of this webpage. The public review and comment period has begun and will conclude on June 3, 2024.

The BLM will also be hosting three public meetings to discuss the Draft EIS, as follows:

Monday, May 6, 2024, from 5:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) to 7:00 PM PDT: Open house, in-person meeting at the Community Center in Dyer, Nevada (NV-264 & Blue Bird Rd., Dyer, NV 89010). No registration necessary to attend.
Tuesday, May 7, 2024, from 5:00 PM PDT to 7:00 PM PDT: Open house, in-person meeting at the Tonopah Convention Center in Tonopah, Nevada (301 Brougher Ave., Tonopah, NV 89049). No registration necessary to attend.
Thursday, May 9, 2024, from 1:00 PM PDT to 2:00 PM PDT: Virtual, online meeting conducted via the Zoom platform. Registration required to attend. Please click the following link or copy and paste the URL into your web browser to register for the meeting: https://blm.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_Wsv9k-jhS52b7U6kWRKmog. Once you register, you will receive an email containing a unique hyperlink to join the meeting. Please contact the Battle Mountain BLM at (775) 635-4000 if you experience any issues registering.

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3/27/2023: The BLM has published hereto the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project EIS Public Scoping Report, which is available on this website under "Documents" in the Dashboard.

2/3/2023: The BLM has extended the public scoping period by an additional 30 days. The new closing date by which public comments must be received is March 6, 2023.

12/30/2022: The BLM has extended the public scoping period by two weeks. The new closing date by which public comments must be received is February 3, 2023.

12/20/2022: The BLM begins public scoping on the proposed Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project and announces public meetings.

The BLM will be conducting two online public scoping meetings that will provide an overview of the proposed Project, the organization of the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Mine Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement document, and information on how members of the public can submit formal scoping comments to the BLM.

Two virtual public scoping meetings will be held. The first meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 4, 2023, at 2:00 pm Pacific Standard Time (PST) and the second meeting will be held on Thursday, January 5, 2023, at 5:00 pm PST.

Members of the public who would like to attend one or both of the virtual public scoping meetings must register to attend using the following hyperlinks:

· Meeting on 1/4/2023 @ 2:00 pm PST: https://blm.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_k3NsbhGGSfuDhjzguhOoLA

· Meeting on 1/5/2023 @ 5:00 pm PST: https://blm.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_-bJzjLl_SQaOX021RunE5Q

Following registration, a unique hyperlink will be emailed to the registrant that the recipient will use to access the meeting. Please note that the hyperlink is unique and can be used only by the registrant.

A document titled "Project Overview for Public Scoping" is available for inspection on this website under "Documents" in the Dashboard. Also available for reference under "Documents" is Ioneer Rhyolite Ridge LLC's proposed Plan of Operations.

The formal public scoping period for this project during which the public may submit comments extends from December 20, 2022, through March 6, 2023 (date extended from January 20, 2023). Comments may be submitted through this ePlanning web page by clicking the "Participate Now" button in the dashboard; via email to the BLM Project Manager at [email protected]; or in writing by mailing your comment letter to Bureau of Land Management, Attention: Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Mine Project, 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, Nevada 89820.

Formal comments made during this public scoping period must be received by the BLM through one of the above methods. Comments must be submitted by March 6, 2023, to be considered. Mailed comments postmarked on or before March 6, 2023, will be accepted.

Draft EIS Publication

Actual Date

4/19/2024

Final EIS Publication

Actual Date

9/20/2024

Project Location

City	State/Territory	Zip Code	County(ies)
Dyer	Nevada	89010	Esmeralda County

Application Information

Applicant

Ioneer Rhyolite Ridge LLC
Case File Number

NVNV106205338 (NVN-098058)
Program

Mining

Project Dates

Start Date

12/20/2022
End Date

10/22/2024

Notice of Intent Publication

NOI Publication Date

12/20/2022

Record of Decision Publication

Actual Date

10/22/2024

Project Office Information

Lead Office

Tonopah Field Office
Offices

Tonopah FO

Contacts

Contact 1 Name

Randy Martin
Contact 1 Email

[email protected]
Contact 1 Phone

(775) 861-1234

Contact 2 Name

Scott Distel
Contact 2 Email

[email protected]
Contact 2 Phone

(775) 635-4000