April 12 (Reuters) -

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) moved a step closer

on Friday to approving ioneer's Rhyolite Ridge lithium

mine in Nevada, a project that would be a key supplier of the

electric vehicle battery metal to

Ford Motor ( F )

and others.

The proposed mine, roughly 225 miles

(362 km)

north of Las Vegas, contains one of North America's largest

sources of lithium, and could produce enough of the metal to

power nearly 370,000 EVs each year.

The site is also home a

rare flower

found nowhere else on the planet, so some conservation

groups oppose ioneer's project, making it a lightning rod in the

debate over whether biodiversity matters more than the fight

against climate change.

The BLM said it plans to next week publish a draft

environmental impact statement for public review during a 45-day

public comment period, ending on June 3. The agency noted that

ioneer has redesigned

the mine to incorporate a protection plan for the flower.

The proposed lithium mine "represents another step by

the Biden-Harris administration to support the responsible,

domestic development of critical minerals to power the clean

energy economy," the BLM said in a press release.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared the Tiehm's

buckwheat flower

endangered

in 2021. The U.S. Geological Survey has called lithium a

critical mineral vital for the U.S. economy and national

security. The U.S. Department of Energy has said it will

lend ioneer up to $700 million

to develop the mine.

During the review period, BLM said its staff will conduct at

least one in-person and one virtual public meeting on the

proposal.

Bernard Rowe, ioneer's managing director, said he

believed Friday's announcement reflected the company's

willingness to work with the government to protect the flower

and develop a domestic source of lithium.

"It really is a good demonstration of how, when parties

come together and work through challenges, there are solutions

that are possible," Rowe told Reuters.

The BLM said a final decision is expected by the end of

the year, after which ioneer would need to close a funding

agreement with the DOE and also with

South Africa's Sibanye Stillwater.

The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), a

conservation group that has opposed the mine, said in response

to BLM's announcement that it would "take every available

measure to protect" the flower.

"This is another in a series of bizarre media stunts

that the Bureau of Land Management has concocted while it drives

the false narrative that it is conserving Tiehm's buckwheat,"

said the CBD's Patrick Donnelly.

The

mysterious death

of more than 17,000 Tiehm's buckwheat flowers near the mine

site in 2020 sparked allegations from conservationists of a

"premeditated" attack in which the plants were "dug up and

destroyed."

Australia-based ioneer denied harming the flowers. The

Fish and Wildlife Service later blamed

thirsty squirrels

.