GASTON COUNTY. N.C. — A company that wanted to dig a massive mine in Gaston County may now be looking to drill elsewhere, according to reports.
Reuters reports Piedmont Lithium is hitting regulatory delays in North Carolina, so now it’s taking steps to secure lithium supplies in Quebec or Ghana.
The proposed 500-foot-deep open-pit mine in Gastonia would be part of a $988 million project. The company wants to mine lithium to power electric vehicles.
Channel 9 has reported Gaston County residents’ concerns about dust, noise and vibrations near their homes. One family living a mile away from the proposed mine hoped the move to international mining meant Piedmont planned to leave the county.
The Pembletons told Channel 9′s Ken Lemon they worry about the impact mining would have on their water. Several people in the area use well water.
That concern is one of many that the North Carolina Mining Commission has posed about the project.
“Rumbling of traffic and explosives going off, rattling the dishes and possibly losing our water,” homeowner Rick Pembleton told Lemon.
However, Piedmont Lithium told Lemon their move to push mining in Quebec and Ghana doesn’t mean it is giving up in Gaston County. The company said public opposition to the North Carolina operation hasn’t turned it away.
MORE PREVIOUS STORIES:
- Where things stand for proposed mining operation near Charlotte
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- Gaston County commissioners investigate claims that could halt lithium mine
- Piedmont Lithium presents Gaston County mining plans, neighbors voice concerns
- Residents push back as Lithium Piedmont aims to expand mining plans in Gaston County
- Neighbors concerned as Piedmont Lithium moves to begin mining in Gaston County
- Piedmont Lithium zeroes in on Charlotte region for $500M mining operation
(WATCH BELOW: ‘Sacred land’: Woman concerned lithium mining will disturb gravesites)
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