GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — Piedmont Lithium provided a much-anticipated update on a proposed lithium mine planned for Gaston County.
Residents and the Gaston County Board of Commissioners heard from the company on Tuesday during the board's regularly scheduled meeting and were able to provide feedback, mostly negative, about the project.
Neighbors say they're afraid of the environmental impacts but the company believes that the facility will actually give back to the community, bring in hundreds of new jobs, and boost the local economy.
Plans have been in the works to bring the lithium mine to Gaston County since around 2017 when Piedmont Lithium began drilling and researching for lithium in the area. Demand for lithium has surged in recent years due to its use as the main chemical element for electric vehicles.
If approved, the lithium mine would be one of the few lithium mines of its kind in the United States. Gaston County is home to one of the world's most abundant lithium deposits, Piedmont Lithium has previously noted.
Piedmont Lithium believes the investment could bring billions of dollars to the county.
Still, residents and commissioners remain skeptical about disrupting the environment they live around.
Commissioners also criticized the length of the mine's expected usage by Piedmont Lithium, believing the time frame is too short.
"I was a little shocked to see 11 and half years. I'd always heard that the mine would last like 15 to 25 years. That's very little and even more concerning. It's only going to be 11 years to disrupt all these people there, the homes and property, and their drinking water over an 11-year project." explained Commissioner Allen Fraley.
Piedmont officials say that the short life span, about a third of the typical time, is based on available ore resources.
Commissioners affirmed that no plans would be approved until Piedmont Lithium receives a mining permit from North Carolina, something the company has been seeking for two years. The company would then need to get zoning approval from Gaston County and a federal air quality permit.