US backs rare flower habitat amid Nevada lithium mine fight
ABC News
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed designating critical habitat for a Nevada wildflower it plans to list as endangered
RENO, Nev. -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed designating critical habitat for a Nevada wildflower it plans to list as endangered amid a conflict over a mine to produce lithium batteries for electric vehicles critical to the Biden administration's plans to combat climate change.
The agency on Wednesday proposed designating critical habitat for Tiehm's buckwheat on a high-desert ridge near the California line halfway between Reno and Las Vegas.
It's the only place in the world the delicate, 6-inch-tall (15-centimeter) wildflower with yellow blooms is known to exist.
It's also the site where Ioneer USA Corp. plans to build a big lithium mine.
