"July 31 (Reuters) - A joint battery venture of Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) and Panasonic Corp (6752.T) will buy lithium from ioneer Ltd's (INR.AX) Rhyolite Ridge mining project and use the metal to build electric vehicle batteries in the United States.

The binding supply deal, announced on Sunday, is the second in less than a month for ioneer and a strong vote of confidence in a project that is racing to be the first new U.S. source of the battery metal in decades."

Obviously the emphasis with bold type has been added by me and was not in the original Reuters article.

I guess Reuters doesn't consider LAC at Thacker Pass to be "racing to be the first new U.S. source of the battery metal in decades"

One has to wonder as to what reporter could have come up with that nonsense statement?

Answer: Ernest Scheyder  

Scheyder can't claim to be unaware of LAC and Thacker Pass since he has written several articles about both over the years, so how could he come up with such a ridiculous statement about ioneer racing to be the first?  Maybe he wrote it while on a "coffee" break at one of the many watering holes in Reno?  Who knows where his sudden attack of amnesia occured or what was the causative agent?  

Maybe he just forgot that ioneer isn't the only runner in that race?  Maybe.  Probably not, but maybe.

It will be intresting to see how Mr. Scheyder covers the story when Judge Du rains on his parade and when LAC becomes the real winner of that race to become the "first new U.S. source" of battery grade lithium in decades.

Can't wait to read his retraction!

Okiedo

PS:  ioneer isn't nearly as far along in the "development" process as is LAC's Thacker Pass proposed lithium mine. 

LAC isn't exactly "shovel ready", but should Judge Du rule in favor here in H2 of 2022 then LAC will be much closer to that "shovel ready" status than will be ioneer, Mr. Scheyder's literary efforts not withstanding.  Just my opinion and with all due respect to the profession of "Journalism".