Rare Toad Near Ormat Nevada Site Granted Emergency Protection

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will use its emergency listing authority to protect a toad located near the site of Ormat Nevada’s proposed geothermal project, an action that an environmental group says is rare for the agency.

The Dixie Valley toad will be listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, and it will be provided immediate federal protections for the next 240 days, the agency said. The toad’s primary habitat is a wetland that’s fed by hot springs in Dixie Valley near Fallon, Nev., according to the agency. Geothermal development “poses a significant risk” to the toad’s well-being, ...