Ioneer CEO Bernard Rowe speaks to reporters at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management Nevada headquarters in Reno, Nev., Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, during a news conference announcing approval of a federal permit for Ioneer Ltd.'s lithium-boron mine now scheduled to begin construction next year near the California line about halfway between Reno and Las Vegas. Environmentalists are threatening to sue to try to block the mine they say will drive an endangered wildflower to extinction. (AP Photo/Scott Sonner)