2026-03-30T19:35:18.029Z / 路透社
作者：欧内斯特·沙伊德与内特·雷蒙德
2026年3月30日 世界协调时19:35 更新于8分钟前
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[1/2] 本示意图展示了碳酸锂。路透社/卡洛斯·巴里亚/资料图
- 法院裁定联邦监管机构对该矿的审批程序合规
- 流纹岩岭矿有望成为美国主要锂矿来源之一
- 环保组织对裁决深感失望
- 裁决公布后，ioneer公司股价在拉斯维加斯盘后大涨
3月30日（路透社）——一名联邦法官周一驳回了环保组织的诉讼请求，这些组织曾指控美国政府在2024年不当批准了澳大利亚公司ioneer位于内华达州的流纹岩岭锂硼矿项目。这一裁决有助于提升美国关键矿产生产的相关努力。
美国地区法官克里斯蒂娜·席尔瓦在拉斯维加斯作出裁决，称民主党前总统乔·拜登政府时期的美国内政部监管机构，已充分分析了拟建的流纹岩岭矿对蒂赫姆荞麦的影响。这是一种稀有野生花卉，ioneer公司曾承诺会对其加以保护。
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ioneer公司股价在纽约证券交易所午盘交易中上涨约24%。去年西西奈斯特尔沃特公司退出后，该公司仍在为该项目寻找财务合作伙伴。
该矿有望成为北美最大的锂矿来源之一，锂是电池生产的关键金属，同时也是福特汽车等车企的关键供应商。
提起诉讼以阻止该项目的生物多样性中心环保组织曾辩称，该矿可能会导致该野生花卉灭绝，并损害地下水、空气质量、文化资源以及野生动物栖息地。
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该组织对政府批准该项目的合法性提出了质疑。诉讼称，内政部土地管理局在批准该矿时，未确保其不会危及该野生花卉，或未按《国家环境政策法》《联邦土地政策与管理法》和《濒危物种法》的要求对环境造成过度影响。
由拜登任命的席尔瓦在一份长达14页的裁决书中写道，联邦官员为该野生花卉制定的缓解措施“足够详细且合理”，并正确分析了该项目对地下水和其他生态问题的影响。
ioneer公司的一位发言人对这一裁决表示欢迎，称这是美国政府关键矿产计划的一个重要里程碑。
“流纹岩岭项目将创造数百个新的美国就业岗位，减少对外国原材料和加工的依赖，并为两种关键矿产提供国内来源，”发言人查德·耶夫蒂奇说道。
生物多样性中心表示，对该裁决深感失望，并将政府拯救该野生花卉的计划称为“空中楼阁”。
“我们正在探讨下一步行动，但我们比以往任何时候都更坚定地要继续为拯救蒂赫姆荞麦而斗争，”该组织的地区主管帕特里克·唐纳利说道。
美国内政部拒绝置评。该部门在批准该矿时曾表示，已采取多项措施保护该矿场附近的生态系统，该矿场位于拉斯维加斯以北约225英里（362公里）处。
后续融资步骤
拜登在去年离任前几天，最终批准了美国能源部为该项目提供的9.96亿美元贷款，作为其巩固绿色能源政绩的举措之一。拜登于2024年签发了该项目的最终许可。
该公司原本计划与西西奈斯特尔沃特公司合作开发该项目，但该公司在拜登签发贷款后不久，因自身财务问题退出了合作。ioneer公司的高管随后开始为该项目寻找新的财务合作伙伴，这将是为该项目16.7亿美元资本成本提供资金的关键。该公司本月表示，正“与多家合作伙伴进行积极磋商”。
欧内斯特·沙伊德在休斯顿、内特·雷蒙德在波士顿报道；威尔·邓汉姆编辑
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Judge upholds US government approval of ioneer’s Nevada lithium mine
2026-03-30T19:35:18.029Z / Reuters
By Ernest Scheyder and Nate Raymond
March 30, 2026 7:35 PM UTC Updated 8 mins ago
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[1/2]Lithium carbonate is seen in this illustration. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
Court rules federal regulators properly approved mine
Rhyolite Ridge slated to be major US source of lithium
Environmental group deeply disappointed by ruling
Shares of ioneer surge after ruling in Las Vegas
March 30 (Reuters) – A federal judge rejected claims by environmentalists that the U.S. government in 2024 improperly approved Australia-based ioneer’s Rhyolite Ridge lithium and boron mine project in Nevada in a ruling on Monday that boosts efforts to increase U.S. critical minerals production.
U.S. District Judge Cristina Silva ruled in Las Vegas that U.S. Interior Department regulators during Democratic former President Joe Biden’s administration sufficiently analyzed how the planned Rhyolite Ridge mine could affect Tiehm’s buckwheat, a rare wildflower that ioneer has vowed to protect.
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Shares of ioneer gained about 24% in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The company is still seeking a financial partner for the project after Sibanye Stillwater pulled out last year.
The mine is slated to become one of North America’s largest sources of lithium, a metal important for batteries, and a key supplier to automaker Ford and others.
The Center for Biological Diversity environmental group, which filed suit in a bid to halt the project, had argued that the mine could drive the flower to extinction and harm groundwater, air quality, cultural resources and wildlife habitats.
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The group challenged the legality of the government’s approval of the project. The lawsuit said the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management approved the mine without ensuring that it would not jeopardize the wildflower or unduly impact the environment in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act, the Federal Lands Policy and Management Act and the Endangered Species Act.
Silva, appointed to the bench by Biden, wrote in a 14-page ruling that federal officials imposed mitigation measures for the flower that “are sufficiently detailed and reasonable” and had correctly analyzed the project’s effect on groundwater and other ecological concerns.
An ioneer spokesperson welcomed the ruling, calling it a significant milestone for the U.S. government’s critical minerals plans.
“Rhyolite Ridge will create hundreds of new American jobs, reduce reliance on foreign materials and processing and provide a domestic source of two critical minerals,” said spokesperson Chad Yeftich.
The Center for Biological Diversity said it was deeply disappointed by the ruling, and called the government’s plan to save the wildflower “a house of cards.”
“We’re exploring our next steps but we’re more determined than ever to continue fighting to save Tiehm’s buckwheat,” said Patrick Donnelly, a regional director for the group.
The Interior Department declined to comment. The department said when it approved the mine that it had taken numerous steps to protect the ecosystem near the mine site, roughly 225 miles (362 km) north of Las Vegas.
NEXT FUNDING STEPS
Days before leaving office last year, Biden finalized a $996 million loan for the project from the U.S. Department of Energy as part of a bid to cement his green energy legacy. Biden issued the project’s final permit in 2024.
The company had been set to develop the project with Sibanye Stillwater but that company pulled out not long after Biden issued the loan due to its own financial issues. Executives at ioneer then launched an effort to find a new financial partner for the project, which would be key to fund its $1.67 billion capital cost. The company said this month it is in “active discussions with a number of parties.”
Reporting by Ernest Scheyder in Houston and Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Will Dunham
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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