SEC complaint filed over mine that could threaten rare plant

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Conservationists have filed a complaint with the Securities Exchange Commission accusing an Australian mining company of misleading investors about how soon it might start building a Nevada lithium mine at the center of a fight over a rare desert wildflower.

Ioneer Ltd. told investors in July its goal was to have all the necessary regulatory approvals in place by next summer for the project they estimate could be worth more than $1 billion.

But a government official told The Associated Press that U.S. land managers don’t anticipate making a formal decision on the fate of the environmentally sensitive project until January 2022.

The Fish and Wildlife Service currently is considering whether to order endangered species protection for Tiehm’s buckwheat at what’s believed to be one of the most promising untapped lithium deposits in the world about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of Reno.

Read more: https://www.joplinglobe.com/region/sec-complaint-filed-over-mine-that-could-threaten-rare-plant/article_7090b5fb-79c8-563e-a79b-cc9fa8c8e15c.html