Emerging lithium-boron producer Ioneer announced that its Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project in Esmeralda County, Nevada (earlier post) has advanced into the final stage of federal permitting with the decision by the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to publish a Notice of Intent (NOI) in the Federal Register. This marks a major milestone toward the completion of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process and approval of the project’s plan of operations.

The plan is the foundational permitting document for the project and will become the basis for compliance during operations and closure. Ioneer commenced work on the plan almost four years ago. The latest revised plan was submitted to the BLM in July 2022. Under the revised plan, there are no project-related direct impacts to any of the subpopulations of Tiehm’s buckwheat.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has listed Tiehm’s buckwheat as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act and designated 910 acres of critical habitat on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management in the Rhyolite Ridge area. (Earlier post.)

We understand the Rhyolite Ridge Project is the first lithium project to be issued a Notice of Intent under the Biden administration, and we see this as a significant step toward ensuring a strong domestic supply of critical minerals and strategic materials necessary for development of a domestic battery supply chain essential to the electrification of transportation in the US.

—Ioneer’s Executive Chairman James Calaway

BLM determined that the plan was complete on 17 August 2022. However, BLM cannot approve the plan until an environmental review is completed under NEPA. With work on the plan completed and the NOI issued, the project moves into the public review and comment phase of the NEPA process.

Publication of the NOI marks the beginning of that process, starting a public comment period on the scope of the environmental review. The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) contractor Stantec, the BLM, and other cooperating government agencies will use comments received during scoping and resource information gathered by Ioneer to prepare the EIS. The plan will be updated to reflect the outcomes of the NEPA review before it is finalized.

The NEPA process culminates in the BLM’s Record of Decision (ROD), which represents the Department of Interior’s final decision on Ioneer’s application for an approved Plan of Operations. An approved plan will allow the company to begin construction of the Rhyolite Ridge Project. The company’s current best estimate is that a ROD would be received in 1Q 2024.

To optimize the revised plan and allow for mining to commence at the southern limits of the deposit, Ioneer will undertake further drilling activity at the southern extension of the ore body as soon as a positive ROD is received. The company intends to complete the drilling, optimize the mine plan and update capital and operating cost estimates before making a Final Investment Decision (FID). This work is underway, with the exception of the drilling program. The 24-month construction estimate remains unchanged, with first production expected in 2026.