Lincolnton: When Kristal Lee and her husband bought a house in Gaston County, North Carolina two years ago, they envisioned a “home forever.” But the planned lithium mine is causing sleepless nights.
This region is just one of several in the country that will be the target of a $1.2 billion project to produce battery-grade lithium for the US electric vehicle (EV) supply chain.
“When you hear that, you’re very concerned,” he said of the Piedmont Lithium project.
“Now, especially with the economy and inflation, we can’t move.”
As President Joe Biden works to build a domestic EV and battery industry, companies with major lithium deposits such as Nevada, North Carolina and California are looking to the United States for supplies.
Biden’s goals include reducing dependence on China, which supplies most global lithium-ion battery exports.
According to McKinsey & Company, demand for lithium-ion batteries will increase by nearly 30 percent annually between 2022 and 2030.
However, the backlash against Piedmont and others suggests that some residents are skeptical of the staff’s efforts.
The main risk of mining is water pollution and reduced water supplies, said Ayme Boulanger, executive director of the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA).
“Moving stones to extract minerals opens up the soil, and metals and minerals that are normally locked in the soil are washed into streams, rivers and estuaries,” he said.
Lee, 41, has five children and worries about dust and noise from the open pit mine, which Piedmont plans to blast once or twice a day.
The company says it won’t cause any structural damage anytime soon.
Neighbors fear water contamination or supply cuts.
Piedmont plans to test and treat the runoff before it can be used or dumped into ditches.
The company’s backup options include the possibility of drilling new wells, providing city water supplies or bottled water – but it has yet to close the reins.
“(Miners) have to work so they don’t overload or damage the outside,” Boulanger said.
Resident Jim McMahan said nearly a decade of mining life is another concern.
“It will provide jobs at some point,” said the 65-year-old retired farmer. But in the end, “jobs will be lost, maybe the farm will be lost.”
Reducing waste can be a valid argument for the development of new industries, says 73-year-old District Attorney Locke Bell.
“I want clean air, but I don’t want the disposal of land and water to produce a little bit of lithium,” he said.
This month, Piedmont Lithium received a mining permit in North Carolina, but it needs a local permit.
“We have to do it right. We have to make sure they convince us,” said Gaston County Board of Commissioners Chairman Chad Brown.
He said a decision could be reached by November.
A year after moving to her current home, Lee learned about the mine when Piedmont sent the family a gift of coffee and stamps.
“I lost sleepless nights,” he said.
The Piedmont project is expected to produce 30,000 metric tons of lithium hydroxide per year, significantly increasing US capacity.
Albemarle, the world’s top lithium producer, is also working to develop a mine in Kings Mountain, North Carolina.
The company said it took advantage of policies like the Inflation Relief Act and received about $150 million in Department of Energy grants to support spending.
Biden is struggling to win over Americans with his economic policies despite increased investment.
According to Bell, the situation in Gaston County leaves a “negative” view of the government’s clean energy push.
Lee said he supports clean energy but doesn’t believe in EVs, citing a lack of charging infrastructure and high costs despite tax cuts.
McMahan describes lithium mining as “invasive.”
“I don’t think that’s something that should be pushed into electric vehicles.” APPLICATIONS
Push for new US lithium mine leaves some Americans wary
