Ioneer

Last updated
ioneer Ltd.
FormerlyGlobal Geoscience Limited
ASX:  INR
Industry Metal mining
Founded2001
Headquarters Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Website https://www.ioneer.com

ioneer Ltd. is a lithium-boron supplier founded in 2001 and headquartered in Sydney, New South Wales. [1] The company states that they are "intent on pioneering the production of materials necessary for a sustainable future." They are developing a Nevada mine site known as Rhyolite Ridge in order to be a future producer of lithium-boron. [2]

Contents

The Rhyolite Ridge project has raised controversy as it may threaten some populations of a rare wildflower, Tiehm's buckwheat ( Eriogonum tiehmii ), an edaphic endemic to the project area. The conflict over the conservation of the plants has sparked debate over whether the sustainability benefits of lithium extraction outweigh the fate of the buckwheat. [3]

History

Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project

Ioneer is developing the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project. Rhyolite Ridge [6] is a large, shallow lithium-boron deposit located close to existing infrastructure in Esmeralda County, Nevada. [7] [8]   Rhyolite Ridge is the only known deposit in North American (and one of two globally) with commercial amounts of high-grade lithium and boron. The mineralogy is geologically unique due the presence of the boron mineral Searlesite. [9] The company completed a Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) in August 2020, the first for a lithium project in the U.S. in over 50 years.  The DFS estimates annual production of over 20,000 tonnes per year of lithium battery materials and 170,000 tonnes of borates per year. The DFS contemplates extracting 2.5 million tons of ore per year.  Rhyolite Ridge has ore reserves of 60 million tonnes and a mineral resource of 146.4 million tonnes. [10]

Tiehm's buckwheat at Rhyolite Ridge

Tiehm’s buckwheat ( Eriogonum tiehmii ) is a low, cushion-forming perennial herb. Individual plants can be up to 12 inches in diameter and most plants are less than ten inches high. It was first identified at Rhyolite Ridge in 1983 by Arnold (Jerry) Tiehm. Located on 10 acres in Esmeralda County Nevada, Tiehm’s buckwheat is classified as a BLM Sensitive Species.

In October 2019, the Center for Biological Diversity submitted an emergency petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to protect Tiehm's buckwheat under the Endangered Species Act. [11] [12]

In January 2020, the Center for Biological Diversity withdrew a lawsuit and voluntarily dismissed its case against the Bureau of Land Management related to certain notices to conduct exploration [13] ioneer elected to intervene in the case and agreed to a settlement requiring additional measures to avoid impact on Tiehm’s buckwheat. In May 2020, ioneer submitted its project plan of operations for its proposed Rhyolite Ridge lithium-boron project in Nevada. [14] In July 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that two rare plants, including Tiehm’s buckwheat, warranted a year-long review of whether to list them as endangered species. [15] [16]

On September 8, 2020, University of Nevada, Reno conducted a survey [17] that observed that 25% - 50% of the plants had been damaged. The survey observed "apparent gnawing" on the roots of the plants and concluded that the damaged was from small rodents. [18]

On September 16, 2020, it was reported by the Center for Biological Diversity that about 40% of the population of the rare plants were destroyed. [19]

Patrick Donnelly, Nevada state director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said:

This is an absolute tragedy. Tiehm’s buckwheat is one of the beautiful gems of Nevada’s biodiversity and some monster destroyed thousands of these irreplaceable flowering plants...This appears to have been a premeditated, somewhat organized, large-scale operation aimed at wiping out one of the rarest plants on Earth, one that was already in the pipeline for protection. It’s despicable and heartless." [19] ioneer executive chairman James Calaway denied that the destruction was due to human activity. [18]

According to information from EM Strategies' Biology Program Manager Kris Kuyper:

“Similar herbivory activity has been noted in other mat buckwheat in the area.” Immediately upon learning about the herbivore damage, ioneer began working with the Nevada Division of Forestry (“NDF”) and other regulatory bodies to facilitate a thorough investigation. The Company provided transect information, equipment, and access to the Company’s botanist and geologic experts to ensure the appropriate steps are taken to learn more about the nature of the event. With these findings, ioneer hopes to provide possible alternatives and effective measures to mitigate this latest threat from natural causes” [20]

“I believe this would be very difficult or impossible to do with a trowel or other small, handheld digging implement humans would have had to use to excavate plants. However, it is exactly what I would expect to see if a small creature had dug through the dirt to reach the plant roots,” the technician on the survey wrote in response to the report by the Center for Biological Diversity. [17]

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the US Bureau of Land Management conducted a DNA analysis of damaged Tiehm’s roots, nearby soils and rodent scat and identified the likely culprit as ground squirrels. [17]  The Center for Biological Diversity discounted the company's and USFWS claims, citing the lack of animal droppings or tracks, suggesting the work of humans. Dr. Jaqualine Grant, a scientist at Southern Utah University, who conducted the DNA analysis on behalf of USFWS, presented her work to the Utah Native Plant society on March 2, 2021, and concluded that “this evidence for rodents being part of Tiehm's buckwheat destruction is really strong….it’s quite convincing. [21] She also stated “Overall there seems to be a lack of systematic collection of evidence to support this human poaching hypothesis.”

Dr. Benjamin Grady of Ripon College and President of the Eriogonum Society stated:

“After the dust settled, it appeared that either white-tailed antelope ground squirrels or pocket gophers were responsible for the damage to about 60% of the global population of this already rare species. It is hypothesized that the mammalian culprit was drawn to the roots of the wild buckwheat after a particularly dry and stressful summer.” [22]

In February 2021, Ioneer released a statement acknowledging the change of administration - one very committed to electric vehicle production to help meet climate change mitigation goals - and reported its collaboration with The Conservation Fund to protect the Rhyolite Ridge Tiehm’s buckwheat. [23] In a broader context, the proposed mine, like several other projects, presents a "green" conundrum of mining for EV batteries to reduce fossil-fueled transport versus species and ecosystem preservation. [24]

In April 21, 2021, a federal judge gave the Fish and Wildlife Service 30 days to make a determination on whether to propose protection for Tiehm’s buckwheat. [25]

On June 4, 2021 U.S. Fish and Wildlife published a 12-month finding that the petitioned action to list Tiehm’s buckwheat under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, is warranted.   [26] "The Service, therefore, will promptly publish a proposed rule to list Tiehm's buckwheat. We will open a public comment period at the time of publication of the proposed rule. Any information received from the public prior to the publication of the proposed rule will be considered and addressed when we address comments received on the proposed rule." [26]

On October 7, 2021, U.S. Fish and Wildlife issued a proposed rule published in the Federal Register to list Tiehm’s buckwheat as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. The USFWS stated that the Rhyolite Ridge project could have "an immense impact on the overall resiliency and continued viability of the species," as the subpopulation threatened by the mine is also the most productive at recruitment. [27]

Related Research Articles

<i>Eriogonum</i> Genus of North American wild buckwheats

Eriogonum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Polygonaceae. The genus is found in North America and is known as wild buckwheat. This is a highly species-rich genus, and indications are that active speciation is continuing. It includes some common wildflowers such as the California buckwheat.

<i>Eriogonum fasciculatum</i> Species of flowering shrub

Eriogonum fasciculatum is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common names California buckwheat and flat-topped buckwheat. Characterized by small, white and pink flower clusters that give off a cottony effect, this species grows variably from a patchy mat to a wide shrub, with the flowers turning a rusty color after blooming. This plant is of great benefit across its various habitats, providing an important food resource for a diversity of insect and mammal species. It also provides numerous ecosystem services for humans, including erosion control, post-fire mitigation, increases in crop yields when planted in hedgerows, and high habitat restoration value.

<i>Eriogonum longifolium <span style="font-style:normal;">var.</span> harperi</i> Variety of wild buckwheat

Eriogonum longifolium var. harperi, also known as Harper's buckwheat or Harper's umbrella plant, is a dicot of the family Polygonaceae, found in areas of nutrient-poor shale soils in Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee. It lives inconspicuously in an immature vegetative stage for four or more years before developing a flowering stalk, then flowers and dies. It is listed as an endangered species by the state of Tennessee. It has eleven small populations in Alabama and five in Tennessee but its survival in Kentucky is uncertain. According to a leading expert, Professor James L. Reveal of the University of Maryland, its Kentucky population has been reportedly extirpated. Its 2006 Alabama Natural Heritage Program ranking was G4T2S1, demonstrating an opinion that it was "critically imperiled" in that state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Native species</span> Species indigenous to a given area in geologic time

In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution during history. The term is equivalent to the concept of indigenous or autochthonous species. A wild organism is known as an introduced species within the regions where it was anthropogenically introduced. If an introduced species causes substantial ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage, it may be regarded more specifically as an invasive species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sand Mountain blue</span> Subspecies of butterfly

The Sand Mountain blue is a lycaenid butterfly of the "blue" subfamily that is only found around the Sand Mountain Recreation Area near Fallon, Nevada. It is a subspecies of the pallid blue.

<i>Eriogonum longifolium <span style="font-style:normal;">var.</span> gnaphalifolium</i> Variety of wild buckwheat

Eriogonum longifolium Nutt. var. gnaphalifolium Gand., commonly referred to as scrub buckwheat is a dicot of the Polygonaceae family. It is listed as threatened in the US and endangered in Florida. Within Florida its most closely related species is Eriogonum tomentosum however there are three other varieties of Eriogonum longifolium found in other areas of the US.

<i>Eriogonum alpinum</i> Species of wild buckwheat

Eriogonum alpinum is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common name Trinity buckwheat.

<i>Eriogonum apricum</i> Species of wild buckwheat

Eriogonum apricum is a rare species of wild buckwheat known by the common name Ione buckwheat. It is endemic to Amador County, California, in the United States.

<i>Eriogonum giganteum</i> Species of wild buckwheat

Eriogonum giganteum, with the common name St. Catherine's lace, is a species of wild buckwheat in Southern California.

<i>Eriogonum ovalifolium</i> Species of wild buckwheat

Eriogonum ovalifolium is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common name cushion buckwheat. It is native to western North America from California to Alberta, where it is a member of many plant communities in varied habitats, including the sagebrush steppe and alpine regions.

<i>Eriogonum umbellatum</i> Species of wild buckwheat

Eriogonum umbellatum is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common name sulphurflower buckwheat, or simply sulphur flower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loch Lomond Vernal Pool Ecological Reserve</span> Natural reserve in California

The Loch Lomond Vernal Pool Ecological Reserve is a nature reserve of 8.22 acres (33,300 m2) in the community of Loch Lomond in Lake County, California. It is one of 119 ecological reserves managed by the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG). The ecological reserve system was authorized by the state legislature in 1968 for the purpose of conservation and protection of rare plants, animals and habitats.

<i>Arctostaphylos myrtifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Arctostaphylos myrtifolia is a rare species of manzanita known by the common name Ione manzanita. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada foothills of California. It grows in the chaparral and woodland plant community on a distinctive acidic soil series, an oxisol of the Eocene-era Ione Formation, in western Amador and northern Calaveras counties. There are only eleven occurrences, of which three have not been recorded since 1976. This is a federally listed threatened species.

<i>Eriogonum sphaerocephalum</i> Species of wild buckwheat

Eriogonum sphaerocephalum is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common names rock buckwheat and round-headed desert buckwheat. It is native to the western United States.

The Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve is a nature preserve of 552 acres (2.23 km2) in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California, United States. The reserve protects several rare and endangered plant and animal species within an area known as the Santa Cruz Sandhills, an ancient seabed containing fossilized marine animals.

<i>Eriogonum gypsophilum</i> Species of wild buckwheat

Eriogonum gypsophilum is a rare species of wild buckwheat known by the common names Seven River Hills buckwheat and gypsum wild buckwheat. It is endemic to the state of New Mexico in the United States, where it is known from only three sites in Eddy County. It is limited to a specific type of soil which is high in gypsum. The plant has been federally listed as a threatened species of the United States since 1981.

<i>Eriogonum argophyllum</i> Species of wild buckwheat

Eriogonum argophyllum is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common names Sulphur Hot Springs buckwheat, Silver Lake buckwheat, and Ruby Valley buckwheat. It is endemic to Nevada in the United States, where there is only one known population.

Eriogonum crosbyae is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common name Crosby's buckwheat. It is native to southcentral Oregon and northwestern Nevada in the United States. Some treatments include plants in Montana and Idaho as members of this species. This plant was first discovered in the Guano Valley in Lake County, Oregon, in 1978 by Bureau of Land Management botanist Virginia Crosby, and it was named for her in 1981.

<i>Eriogonum tiehmii</i> Species of buckwheat plant endemic to Nevada

Eriogonum tiehmii, known as Tiehm's buckwheat, is a species of flowering plant endemic to the Silver Peak Range of Esmeralda County, Nevada, in the United States. Its only known population is at high risk of destruction due to proposed mining for lithium by Australian company Ioneer. In 2020, a noticeable decline in the known population was attributed to herbivory.

Naomi Suzanne Fraga is an American botanist who is the Director of Conservation at the California Botanic Garden and research assistant professor of botany at Claremont Graduate University. She has focused her career on the conservation, monitoring and habitat restoration of rare plants across California. She was awarded the 2021 Center for Biological Diversity E.O. Wilson Award for Outstanding Science in Biodiversity Conservation. In 2023, Fraga received the Peter Raven Award from the American Society of Plant Taxonomists. This award is given annually to a plant systematist who has made exceptional efforts at outreach to non-scientists.

References

  1. ↑ "INR.AX Ioneer Ltd Profile". Reuters . 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "Share Information". ioneer.com. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  3. ↑ Barber, Gregory (17 June 2021). "The Lithium Mine Versus the Wildflower". Wired . Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  4. ↑ "Company History". ioneer Ltd (INR). 2018-09-26. Archived from the original on 2021-06-02. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
  5. ↑ "ioneer joins major US Industry Organization for Zero Emission Transportation by 2030" (PDF). ioneer.com. November 18, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  6. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Rhyolite Ridge
  7. ↑ "Rhyolite Ridge Li-B Deposit". Mindat.org . Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Ioneer Delivers Definitive Feasibility Study that Confirms Rhyolite Ridge as a World-Class Lithium and Boron Project" (PDF). ioneer.com.
  9. ↑ "History & Geology". ioneer Ltd (INR). 2018-02-01. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
  10. ↑ "Rhyolite Ridge Ore Reserve Increased 280% to 60 million tonnes" (PDF).
  11. ↑ "Endangered Species Protections Sought for Rare Nevada Wildflower Imperiled by Mining". Center for Biological Diversity. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  12. ↑ Federman, Adam (February 9, 2020). ""This Is the Wild West Out Here" - How Washington is bending over backward for mining companies in Nevada at the expense of environmental rules". Politico . Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  13. ↑ Sonner, Scott (2020-01-07). "New deal reached with mining company to protect rare Nevada wildflower". KSNV. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  14. ↑ Wragg, Ralph (May 12, 2020). "(IE) ioneer plans Rhyolite Ridge operations" (PDF). Australian Associated Press . Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  15. ↑ "US Mulls Endangered Status for Nevada Plant in Mine Fight". Manufacturing.net. 2020-07-24. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  16. ↑ Morse, Ian. "Rare plant may prevent the first lithium quarry in the US from opening". New Scientist. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  17. 1 2 3 "Eriogonum tiehmii herbivory observations" (PDF). Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  18. 1 2 Solis, Jeniffer (September 17, 2020). "Conservationists say humans uprooted flowers, lithium miner blames rodents". Nevada Current . Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  19. 1 2 "More Than 17,000 Rare Nevada Wildflowers Destroyed". Center for Biological Diversity. September 16, 2020. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  20. ↑ "Ioneer Provides Update on Buckwheat Destruction" (PDF). ioneer.com. September 18, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  21. ↑ Stunning destruction: Unraveling whether humans or rodents attacked Tiehm's buckwheat , retrieved 2021-06-16
  22. ↑ Grady, Ben (May 2021). "The Conservation Status of Tiehm's Wild Buckwheat" (PDF). Eriogonum Society Newsletter. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  23. ↑ "ioneer Advises on New US Administration Transition and Rhyolite Ridge Update". www.morningstar.com.au. 2021-02-10. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  24. ↑ "Mining in America is necessary for EVs but controversial with environmentalists". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  25. ↑ Sonner, Scott (April 24, 2021). "Judge sets deadline for rare Nevada plant-listing decision". Elko Daily Free Press . p. A3. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  26. 1 2 "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Endangered Species Status for Tiehm's Buckwheat". Federal Register. 2021-10-07. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  27. ↑ "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Endangered Species Status for Tiehm's Buckwheat. A Proposed Rule by the Fish and Wildlife Service". Federal Register. Retrieved 2021-11-02.

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