The project in Nevada is key to Biden's clean energy agenda, but the mining plan appears destined for a legal battle with conservationists who say it will drive an endangered wildflower to extinction.

The U.S. Interior Department on Thursday gave final approval to ioneer's Rhyolite Ridge lithium mine in Nevada, the first domestic source of the battery metal to be permitted by President Joe Biden's administration and one that will become a key supplier to Ford and other electric vehicle manufacturers.