Environmental and Indigenous rights groups in early April appealed a federal court ruling that upheld approvals for the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium Mine in Nevada.
The proposed mine would be located in southern Nevada’s Silver Peak Range and is estimated to produce enough lithium for about 400,000 electric vehicles per year. The groups filed suit to stop the project, arguing it would harm the Tiehm’s buckwheat wildflower.
A district judge ruled against the groups in late March, saying the government properly approved the project and examined the impacts on the wildflower. The groups, led by the Center for Biological Diversity, appealed the judge’s ruling to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
