(Reuters) – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said on Thursday it will propose listing the Tiehm’s Buckwheat flower as an endangered species, dealing a blow to ioneer Ltd’s proposed Rhyolite Ridge lithium project in Nevada.
The agency said that the death last year of a large cluster of the flowers – likely caused by squirrels gnawing roots for water – along with the mine’s development, would reduce the flower’s population by at least 70%.
(Reporting by Ernest Scheyder)