Legal threat over lithium mine in rare Nevada flower habitat

By SCOTT SONNER
Associated Press

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Conservationists have put federal wildlife officials on notice they’re ready to take them back to court in a three-year-long fight over endangered species protection for a rare wildflower in Nevada. The Fish and Wildlife Service concluded last October that Thiem’s buckwheat was at risk of extinction and proposed declaring it endangered. It had one year to finalize the listing but missed that Oct. 7 deadline. The Center for Biological Diversity sent the agency a formal notice this week of its intent to sue. The center won a court order forcing the agency to expedite its review two years ago. The flower only exists at the site of a proposed lithium mine.