Some further links for those not able to find these or can use the extra research info.
Apologies if already posted.

Good to see this finally up for review. Extended till Feb 3rd gives a little more waiting time but at least the meetings will be held Jan 4th US daytime.
Lets see what transpires.



https://www.blm.gov/press-release/bureau-land-management-begins-review-rhyolite-ridge-lithium-boron-mine

19th DEC 22

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT BEGINS REVIEW OF RHYOLITE RIDGE LITHIUM-BORON MINE

Public meetings will inform project review

TONOPAH, Nev. – Today, the Bureau of Land Management announced it will commence review of the proposed Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Mine Project. Lithium is one of the elements on the U.S. Geological Survey’s 2022 list of critical minerals and an important component of batteries for electric vehicles and personal electronics.

The proposed project by Ioneer Rhyolite Ridge LLC would be located within the Silver Peak Range in Esmerelda County, Nevada, approximately 40 miles southwest of Tonopah and 14 miles northeast of Dyer. The BLM will review the proposed construction, operation, reclamation, and closure of a surface quarry and associated facilities to mine lithium and boron.

“The Bureau of Land Management welcomes input on this proposed project. We are committed to transparent engagement in this review process and will utilize the public comments received to inform development of the Environmental Impact Statement,” said Perry Wickham, Tonopah Field Manager.

Rhyolite Ridge is one of the only two known global deposits of lithium-boron. It is also the location of the only known population of the Tiehm’s buckwheat plant, which was last week determined to be endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The purpose of the scoping process is to solicit public input on the proposed project including issues to be addressed and alternatives to be evaluated. The scoping meetings will provide an overview of the proposed project and the BLM’s environmental review process and provide information on how members of the public can submit formal scoping comments.

Two public scoping meetings will be held online at 2:00 PM Pacific Standard Time (PST) January 4, and 5:00 PM PST January 5, 2023. Information and links to register for the meetings can be found on the project’s website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2012309/510.

No formal comments will be accepted during the online meetings, but public comments are being accepted via the website, email, and regular mail. All scoping comments must be received prior to the close of the 30-day scoping period or 15 days after the last public meeting, whichever is later, and should reference Rhyolite Ridge Mine in the subject line.

Formal comments may be submitted in the following ways:

• Online via the ePlanning website, https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2012309/510 via the Participate Now tab.
• By regular mail to: Scott Distel, BLM Project Manager, 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, NV 89820.
• Email to [email protected].

For more information, contact Scott Distel, Project Manager, at 775-635-4093. Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 7-1-1 (TYY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunication relay services.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.


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https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2012309/510

Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Mine Project

Project Information

NEPA Number:

DOI-BLM-NV-B020-2021-0020-EIS

Project Name:

Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Mine Project

Project Type:

Environmental Impact Statement

Project Status:

In Progress - Public Scoping Period

Lead Office:

Tonopah FO

Last Updated:

12/31/2022 09:58:12 MDT

Project Description

Ioneer Rhyolite Ridge LLC (Ioneer) proposes to develop a new lithium and boron mine, the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project (Project), in Esmeralda County, Nevada. Lithium is one of the key components for systems used to store energy, foremost of which is for batteries in electric vehicles, utilities, computers, and cellular phones. Boron has a variety of uses, particularly as a critical additive to glass and ceramics to strengthen and prevent cracking, as well as for fiberglass insulation, permanent magnetics used in electric motors, and as a fertilizer to increase crop yields. The Project is located approximately 40 air miles southwest of Tonopah and 13 air miles northeast of Dyer. The Operational Project Area (OPA) is situated on the west side of the central part of the Silver Peak Range, in a small basin in rolling foothills off the northeast side of Fish Lake Valley. The proposed Plan boundary is 7,166 acres, which consists of the OPA and access road and infrastructure corridor. There are approximately 7,137 acres of land administered by the BLM and approximately 29 acres of private land within the Plan boundary. The access road consists of the existing Hot Ditch Road and Cave Springs Road between State Route (SR) 264 in Fish Lake Valley and the OPA. The infrastructure corridor is adjacent to SR 264 in the Fish Lake Valley.

What's New

12/30/2022: The BLM has extended the public scoping period by two weeks. The new closing date by which public comments must be received is February 3, 2023.

12/20/2022: The BLM begins public scoping on the proposed Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project and announces public meetings.

The BLM will be conducting two online public scoping meetings that will provide an overview of the proposed Project, the organization of the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Mine Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement document, and information on how members of the public can submit formal scoping comments to the BLM.

Two virtual public scoping meetings will be held. The first meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 4, 2023, at 2:00 pm Pacific Standard Time (PST) and the second meeting will be held on Thursday, January 5, 2023, at 5:00 pm PST.

Members of the public who would like to attend one or both of the virtual public scoping meetings must register to attend using the following hyperlinks:

· Meeting on 1/4/2023 @ 2:00 pm PST: https://blm.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_k3NsbhGGSfuDhjzguhOoLA

· Meeting on 1/5/2023 @ 5:00 pm PST: https://blm.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_-bJzjLl_SQaOX021RunE5Q

Following registration, a unique hyperlink will be emailed to the registrant that the recipient will use to access the meeting. Please note that the hyperlink is unique and can be used only by the registrant.

A document titled "Project Overview for Public Scoping" is available for inspection on this website under "Documents" in the dashboard. Also available for reference under "Documents" is Ioneer Rhyolite Ridge LLC's proposed Plan of Operations.

The formal public scoping period for this project during which the public may submit comments extends from December 20, 2022, through February 3, 2023 (date extended from January 20, 2023). Comments may be submitted through this ePlanning web page by clicking the "Participate Now" button in the dashboard; via email to the BLM Project Manager at [email protected]; or in writing by mailing your comment letter to Bureau of Land Management, Attention: Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Mine Project, 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, Nevada 89820.

Formal comments made during this public scoping period must be received by the BLM through one of the above methods. Comments must be submitted by February 3, 2023, to be considered. Mailed comments postmarked on or before February 3, 2023, will be accepted.

Application Information

Program:

Mining

Sub-Program:

Hard Rock (gold, Silver, Copper, Uranium, etc.)

Applicant:

Ioneer Rhyolite Ridge LLC

Case File Number:

NVN-098058

Project Dates

Start Date:

12/20/2022

End Date:

Decision Date:

FONSI Date:

Project Office Information

Lead Office:

Tonopah FO

Office(s):

Tonopah FO

Cooperating Agencies:

US Fish & Wildlife, Nevada Division of Forestry, US Department of Energy, Nye County, Esmeralda County, Nevada Department of Wildlife, Environmental Protection Agency