If you could power large swaths of the United States with carbon-free energy but had to sacrifice one endangered species in exchange, would you do it?

That exact choice may be fantastical, but an episode playing out near Fallon, Nevada, provides a real-world example of the tradeoffs between environmental progress and environmental protections.

Last week, the largest geothermal company in the nation threatened to sue the federal government over an endangered species decision that could derail its plans to supply Californians with emissions-free electricity. The company, Ormat, claims that the government hastily and erroneously listed the Dixie Valley toad as endangered last year. The decision halted construction of its 12-megawatt Dixie Meadows geothermal plant. (To be clear, the company does not plan to exterminate the toad; it says it can build and operate the facility in a way that will not disturb a nearby area of hot springs and wetlands that sustains the species.)