Judge sets deadline for rare Nevada plant-listing decision

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A federal judge has given the Fish and Wildlife Service just 30 more days to make an overdue decision on whether to formally propose endangered species protection for a rare desert wildflower at the center of a fight over a proposed lithium mine in Nevada Conservationists say the rare order issued Wednesday in Las Vegas is a significant victory that underscores the critical condition of the Tiehm’s buckwheat, which they say is on the brink of extinction. The wildflower is found only on 10 acres at Rhyolite Ridge where the Canadian mining company, Ioneer Ltd., wants to dig for lithium and boron on federal land about 220 miles southeast of Reno Ioneer Managing Director Bernard Rowe said the ruling “is not unexpected” and “in no way dictates an outcome of the FWS listing decision — it just requires them to propose a decision by a certain date.” Ioneer has been committed from the beginning to “producing a first-class project that allows for the development of a critical supply of lithium, while also ensuring the protection” of the plant, Rowe said in a statement late Wednesday. Mahan noted the U.S. Bureau of Land Management already has designated the plant as a sensitive species, and the state is considering listing as a ``fully protected species.” Last July, the service concluded in a 90-day finding that was supposed to be completed in January 2020 that the center had provided “substantial information” indicating protection of the buckwheat “may be warranted.” The center believes the destruction of nearly half of its remaining population between July and September was caused by humans. Mahan said that “although the exact cause of the destruction is uncertain, the parties do not dispute the ongoing and `alarming’ threat to the species.” Greenwald said species typically haven’t received Endangered Species Act protection unless conservationists petition for a listing and/or file lawsuits demanding such action.