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The U.S. Department of Energy says it plans to loan $700 million to an Australian mining company to pursue a proposed lithium project in Nevada RENO, Nev. -- The U.S. Department of Energy on Friday announced a conditional loan of $700 million to an Australian mining company to pursue a proposed lithium project in Nevada, as the U.S. seeks domestic supplies for a key component in electric vehicle batteries. The move ups the ante in what's already a high-stakes battle over President Joe Biden's energy agenda and conservationists fighting to protect an endangered wildflower found only at the proposed mine site on a high desert ridge halfway between Reno and Las Vegas. Ioneer Ltd. has hoped to begin mining at Rhyolite Ridge by 2026 in Esmerelda County. The Energy announcement said the site could produce enough lithium to support production of about 370,000 electric vehicles annually for decades. The loan would be the latest project to demonstrate the Biden administration's ...

U.S. wildlife officials have declared a Nevada wildflower endangered at the only place it’s known to exist — on a high-desert ridge where a lithium mine is planned to help meet growing demand for electric car batteries RENO, Nev. -- A Nevada wild flower was declared endangered at the only place it's known to exist — on a high-desert ridge where a lithium mine is planned to help meet growing demand for electric car batteries, U.S. wildlife officials announced Wednesday. The Fish and Wildlife Service's formal listing of Tiehm's buckwheat and its accompanying designation of 910 acres (368 hectares) of critical habitat for the 6-inch-tall (15-centimeter-tall) flower with yellow blooms raises another potential hurdle for President Joe Biden's “green energy” agenda. With an estimated remaining population of only about 16,000 plants, the service concluded that Tiehm's buckwheat is on the brink of extinction. “We find that a threatened species status is not appropria...