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#spodumene — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #spodumene, aggregated by home.social.

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  1. Chariot Flags Spodumene Across Nigerian Lithium Prospects

    Chariot Resources confirms spodumene, a key lithium mineral, in Nigerian projects. This finding helps understand the potential for lithium extraction.

    #ChariotResources, #Lithium, #Nigeria, #Spodumene, #Mining

    newsletter.tf/chariot-resource

  2. Europe’s lithium hunt: An Easter discovery series

    IN LONDON: As Europe hunts for its clean energy future, a new kind of easter egg is being…
    #Europe #EU #EuropeanCommission #cleanenergy #CzechRepublic #Electricity #Finland #France #Germany #Spain #Spodumene
    europesays.com/europe/7810/

  3. A pegmatite is an #igneousRock showing a very coarse #texture, with large interlocking #crystals usually greater in size than 1 cm (0.4 in) and sometimes greater than 1 meter (3 ft). Most pegmatites are composed of #quartz, #feldspar, and #mica, having a similar #silicic composition to #granite. However, rarer #intermediateComposition and #mafic pegmatites are known. Many of the world's largest crystals are found within pegmatites. These include crystals of #microcline, quartz, mica, #spodumene.

  4. ⚒️🧪 geology

    #MinCup24
    It was a very close match but congratulations to #Topaz and commiserations to #Spodumene.

  5. ⚒️🧪 geology

    #MinCup24
    It was a very close match but congratulations to #Topaz and commiserations to #Spodumene.

  6. ⚒️🧪 geology

    #MinCup24
    It was a very close match but congratulations to #Topaz and commiserations to #Spodumene.

  7. ⚒️🧪 geology

    #MinCup24
    It was a very close match but congratulations to #Topaz and commiserations to #Spodumene.

  8. ⚒️🧪 geology

    #MinCup24
    It was a very close match but congratulations to #Topaz and commiserations to #Spodumene.

  9. The Greenbushes mine also produces ~50% of the world’s tantalum, another oddball element which will also be in your device as capacitors.

    If you think it’s cool to think that minerals that made your smartphone have been here for half the age of the Earth then vote #spodumene. /4

  10. The Greenbushes mine also produces ~50% of the world’s tantalum, another oddball element which will also be in your device as capacitors.

    If you think it’s cool to think that minerals that made your smartphone have been here for half the age of the Earth then vote #spodumene. /4

  11. The Greenbushes mine also produces ~50% of the world’s tantalum, another oddball element which will also be in your device as capacitors.

    If you think it’s cool to think that minerals that made your smartphone have been here for half the age of the Earth then vote #spodumene. /4

  12. The Greenbushes mine also produces ~50% of the world’s tantalum, another oddball element which will also be in your device as capacitors.

    If you think it’s cool to think that minerals that made your smartphone have been here for half the age of the Earth then vote #spodumene. /4

  13. The Greenbushes mine also produces ~50% of the world’s tantalum, another oddball element which will also be in your device as capacitors.

    If you think it’s cool to think that minerals that made your smartphone have been here for half the age of the Earth then vote #spodumene. /4

  14. Vote #Spodumene for #MinCup24 ⚒️🧪 because many of you will be reading this on a device powered by lithium and there’s a good chance some of that lithium came from spodumene at the Greenbushes Mine in Western Australia. /1

    mineralcup.org/2024/results/r1

  15. Vote #Spodumene for #MinCup24 ⚒️🧪 because many of you will be reading this on a device powered by lithium and there’s a good chance some of that lithium came from spodumene at the Greenbushes Mine in Western Australia. /1

    mineralcup.org/2024/results/r1

  16. Vote #Spodumene for #MinCup24 ⚒️🧪 because many of you will be reading this on a device powered by lithium and there’s a good chance some of that lithium came from spodumene at the Greenbushes Mine in Western Australia. /1

    mineralcup.org/2024/results/r1

  17. Vote #Spodumene for #MinCup24 ⚒️🧪 because many of you will be reading this on a device powered by lithium and there’s a good chance some of that lithium came from spodumene at the Greenbushes Mine in Western Australia. /1

    mineralcup.org/2024/results/r1

  18. Vote #Spodumene for #MinCup24 ⚒️🧪 because many of you will be reading this on a device powered by lithium and there’s a good chance some of that lithium came from spodumene at the Greenbushes Mine in Western Australia. /1

    mineralcup.org/2024/results/r1

  19. #MinCup24 R1 M16: #Topaz versus #Spodumene

    In a battle of the biggest stones, these minerals are ready to rumble.

    Topaz forms some of the largest gemstone crystals in the world, famous specimens weighing more than a teenager. The largest crystal of Spodumene ever found is the size of a Right Whale.

    Which one will you choose?

    VOTE: mineralcup.org/2024/vote/r1m16

  20. #MinCup24 R1 M16: #Topaz versus #Spodumene

    In a battle of the biggest stones, these minerals are ready to rumble.

    Topaz forms some of the largest gemstone crystals in the world, famous specimens weighing more than a teenager. The largest crystal of Spodumene ever found is the size of a Right Whale.

    Which one will you choose?

    VOTE: mineralcup.org/2024/vote/r1m16

  21. #MinCup24 R1 M16: #Topaz versus #Spodumene

    In a battle of the biggest stones, these minerals are ready to rumble.

    Topaz forms some of the largest gemstone crystals in the world, famous specimens weighing more than a teenager. The largest crystal of Spodumene ever found is the size of a Right Whale.

    Which one will you choose?

    VOTE: mineralcup.org/2024/vote/r1m16

  22. #MinCup24 R1 M16: #Topaz versus #Spodumene

    In a battle of the biggest stones, these minerals are ready to rumble.

    Topaz forms some of the largest gemstone crystals in the world, famous specimens weighing more than a teenager. The largest crystal of Spodumene ever found is the size of a Right Whale.

    Which one will you choose?

    VOTE: mineralcup.org/2024/vote/r1m16

  23. #MinCup24 R1 M16: #Topaz versus #Spodumene

    In a battle of the biggest stones, these minerals are ready to rumble.

    Topaz forms some of the largest gemstone crystals in the world, famous specimens weighing more than a teenager. The largest crystal of Spodumene ever found is the size of a Right Whale.

    Which one will you choose?

    VOTE: mineralcup.org/2024/vote/r1m16

  24. Spodumene from Portland, CT. This has a light lilac color. #spodumene #kunzite

  25. Spodumene from Portland, CT. This has a light lilac color.

  26. Spodumene from Portland, CT. This has a light lilac color. #spodumene #kunzite

  27. A proposed #lithium mine presents a #climate versus #environment conflict

    By David Boraks
    November 12, 2022

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. - “As world leaders meet for another climate summit in Egypt, the U.S. is pushing to mine more lithium for electric vehicle batteries at home. #EVs will help cut pollution from transportation, the nation's largest source of #GreenhouseGas emissions that cause global warming. But there's a tradeoff, as residents have learned near #CharlotteNC, where a big #OpenPit mine is proposed.

    “A company called #PiedmontLithium wants to build a mine and processing operation on 1,500 acres in northern Gaston County, about 30 miles west of Charlotte.

    “Emily Winter, a community relations coordinator and geologist for Piedmont, leads the way to a large rock outcrop near what someday might be the mine's South Pit.

    “'So within this rock, it contains spodumene, the mineral. And that mineral spodumene contains lithium that we can convert to lithium hydroxide that then goes into batteries,' Winter explains.

    “Lithium deposits run through the county in a mile-wide north-south band, known as the Carolina #Tin-#Spodumene Belt. For decades in the 20th century, mines here supplied most of the world's lithium, until cheaper sources were found in #SouthAmerica and #Australia. Now the element is in high demand for electric vehicle #batteries, and #investors see an opportunity.

    “'There is very little production of lithium raw materials, or any battery raw materials, in the US. The potential's there, but it'll take time to bring it online,' says Piedmont Lithium CEO Keith Phillips.

    “When Piedmont Lithium dedicated its new headquarters in the nearby town of Belmont this summer, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis was there. The North Carolina Republican said the U.S. needs its own sources of lithium and lithium processing to counter #China.

    “'The Chinese have a stated strategy of being the world's economic and military superpower by 2050. And they don't intend to do that through a great war. They intend to do it by putting their tentacles around the globe, economically,' Tillis said. 'They intend to make sure that the western world is dependent upon them for lithium, for tantalum, for #RareEarthMinerals, so that they can literally beat us by never firing a shot.'

    “Tillis said that's why he supports Piedmont Lithium's efforts to open a new mine - as long as it's done in an #EnvironmentallyResponsible way. But that's the catch.

    “Piedmont's plans call for four open-pit mines 500 feet deep. That means demolishing houses, digging up #farm #fields and #woods, and disrupting #streams. Some neighbors have sold their land to the company. But others whose property borders the site aren't happy.

    “Locke Bell owns 120 acres backing up to the planned South Pit. 'Relative to the proposed mine, I have 4,160 feet of common boundary,' he says.

    “Bell is a former district attorney and has been following Piedmont's plans since 2017, when the company approached him about mining on his land. He declined the offer after seeing a detailed map of the proposed mine.

    “'Suddenly, I saw these massive mines - open pits... We have enough of that around here that's #toxic already,'' he says.

    “He's talking about old lithium mines nearby that closed in the 1980s and 1990s and are now contaminated with arsenic, which occurs naturally in the area's soil and rocks.

    “A few miles away on the other side of the mine site, Warren Snowdon has similar concerns. His family's old farm is just across a stream, about 600 yards, from the planned #EastPit. He's helping to lead an opposition group called #StopPiedmontLithium.

    “'Our issue is on every front: It's water. It's air. It's light pollution. It's noise. It's traffic. Get us a solar farm. Get us a wind farm,' says Snowdon, who is quick to say he's not opposed to the country's transition to #renewable energy.

    “State and local officials still must approve the mine

    “Piedmont Lithium still needs key approvals, including state air and mining permits. Both are delayed while the company responds to requests for more information from North Carolina agencies. Piedmont also faces local political opposition.

    “Chad Brown chairs the Gaston County Commission, which will have to approve a rezoning for the mine.

    “'With the information I have right now, I probably would not call for a vote on this,' Brown says. 'I would have to have tons of more information just for the environmental side, and as far as #AirQuality, #WaterQuality, different things like that.'

    “Last year, the commission adopted a 60-day moratorium so it could update its zoning rules to allow a mine. The ordinance has some teeth - it limits blasting and truck traffic, Brown says. But he's not sure Piedmont will be able to get the electricity and water it needs for mining and processing.

    “Asked if he thinks the mining project will happen, he says, 'I think right now, you're still at 50-50, just for the simple fact of it's a long way out.'

    “Still, Piedmont Lithium's CEO Keith Phillips is optimistic.

    “'So the permitting process is more involved, and it will take longer. And our plan, our hope, is that we'll be in production in Carolina in 2026, and will be fully permitted and approved and funded sometime in 2024,' he says.

    “While it pursues that goal, the company has a backup plan: It's building a processing plant in #Tennessee with help from a $141.7 million federal grant. And it's counting on mines in #Quebec and #Ghana to supply lithium ore.

    “Piedmont's North Carolina neighbors are rooting for that backup plan instead of the open-pit lithium mine in their community."

    npr.org/2022/11/12/1131365516/

    #ExtractiveMining #WaterIsLife

  28. A proposed #lithium mine presents a #climate versus #environment conflict

    By David Boraks
    November 12, 2022

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. - “As world leaders meet for another climate summit in Egypt, the U.S. is pushing to mine more lithium for electric vehicle batteries at home. #EVs will help cut pollution from transportation, the nation's largest source of #GreenhouseGas emissions that cause global warming. But there's a tradeoff, as residents have learned near #CharlotteNC, where a big #OpenPit mine is proposed.

    “A company called #PiedmontLithium wants to build a mine and processing operation on 1,500 acres in northern Gaston County, about 30 miles west of Charlotte.

    “Emily Winter, a community relations coordinator and geologist for Piedmont, leads the way to a large rock outcrop near what someday might be the mine's South Pit.

    “'So within this rock, it contains spodumene, the mineral. And that mineral spodumene contains lithium that we can convert to lithium hydroxide that then goes into batteries,' Winter explains.

    “Lithium deposits run through the county in a mile-wide north-south band, known as the Carolina #Tin-#Spodumene Belt. For decades in the 20th century, mines here supplied most of the world's lithium, until cheaper sources were found in #SouthAmerica and #Australia. Now the element is in high demand for electric vehicle #batteries, and #investors see an opportunity.

    “'There is very little production of lithium raw materials, or any battery raw materials, in the US. The potential's there, but it'll take time to bring it online,' says Piedmont Lithium CEO Keith Phillips.

    “When Piedmont Lithium dedicated its new headquarters in the nearby town of Belmont this summer, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis was there. The North Carolina Republican said the U.S. needs its own sources of lithium and lithium processing to counter #China.

    “'The Chinese have a stated strategy of being the world's economic and military superpower by 2050. And they don't intend to do that through a great war. They intend to do it by putting their tentacles around the globe, economically,' Tillis said. 'They intend to make sure that the western world is dependent upon them for lithium, for tantalum, for #RareEarthMinerals, so that they can literally beat us by never firing a shot.'

    “Tillis said that's why he supports Piedmont Lithium's efforts to open a new mine - as long as it's done in an #EnvironmentallyResponsible way. But that's the catch.

    “Piedmont's plans call for four open-pit mines 500 feet deep. That means demolishing houses, digging up #farm #fields and #woods, and disrupting #streams. Some neighbors have sold their land to the company. But others whose property borders the site aren't happy.

    “Locke Bell owns 120 acres backing up to the planned South Pit. 'Relative to the proposed mine, I have 4,160 feet of common boundary,' he says.

    “Bell is a former district attorney and has been following Piedmont's plans since 2017, when the company approached him about mining on his land. He declined the offer after seeing a detailed map of the proposed mine.

    “'Suddenly, I saw these massive mines - open pits... We have enough of that around here that's #toxic already,'' he says.

    “He's talking about old lithium mines nearby that closed in the 1980s and 1990s and are now contaminated with arsenic, which occurs naturally in the area's soil and rocks.

    “A few miles away on the other side of the mine site, Warren Snowdon has similar concerns. His family's old farm is just across a stream, about 600 yards, from the planned #EastPit. He's helping to lead an opposition group called #StopPiedmontLithium.

    “'Our issue is on every front: It's water. It's air. It's light pollution. It's noise. It's traffic. Get us a solar farm. Get us a wind farm,' says Snowdon, who is quick to say he's not opposed to the country's transition to #renewable energy.

    “State and local officials still must approve the mine

    “Piedmont Lithium still needs key approvals, including state air and mining permits. Both are delayed while the company responds to requests for more information from North Carolina agencies. Piedmont also faces local political opposition.

    “Chad Brown chairs the Gaston County Commission, which will have to approve a rezoning for the mine.

    “'With the information I have right now, I probably would not call for a vote on this,' Brown says. 'I would have to have tons of more information just for the environmental side, and as far as #AirQuality, #WaterQuality, different things like that.'

    “Last year, the commission adopted a 60-day moratorium so it could update its zoning rules to allow a mine. The ordinance has some teeth - it limits blasting and truck traffic, Brown says. But he's not sure Piedmont will be able to get the electricity and water it needs for mining and processing.

    “Asked if he thinks the mining project will happen, he says, 'I think right now, you're still at 50-50, just for the simple fact of it's a long way out.'

    “Still, Piedmont Lithium's CEO Keith Phillips is optimistic.

    “'So the permitting process is more involved, and it will take longer. And our plan, our hope, is that we'll be in production in Carolina in 2026, and will be fully permitted and approved and funded sometime in 2024,' he says.

    “While it pursues that goal, the company has a backup plan: It's building a processing plant in #Tennessee with help from a $141.7 million federal grant. And it's counting on mines in #Quebec and #Ghana to supply lithium ore.

    “Piedmont's North Carolina neighbors are rooting for that backup plan instead of the open-pit lithium mine in their community."

    npr.org/2022/11/12/1131365516/

    #ExtractiveMining #WaterIsLife

  29. A proposed #lithium mine presents a #climate versus #environment conflict

    By David Boraks
    November 12, 2022

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. - “As world leaders meet for another climate summit in Egypt, the U.S. is pushing to mine more lithium for electric vehicle batteries at home. #EVs will help cut pollution from transportation, the nation's largest source of #GreenhouseGas emissions that cause global warming. But there's a tradeoff, as residents have learned near #CharlotteNC, where a big #OpenPit mine is proposed.

    “A company called #PiedmontLithium wants to build a mine and processing operation on 1,500 acres in northern Gaston County, about 30 miles west of Charlotte.

    “Emily Winter, a community relations coordinator and geologist for Piedmont, leads the way to a large rock outcrop near what someday might be the mine's South Pit.

    “'So within this rock, it contains spodumene, the mineral. And that mineral spodumene contains lithium that we can convert to lithium hydroxide that then goes into batteries,' Winter explains.

    “Lithium deposits run through the county in a mile-wide north-south band, known as the Carolina #Tin-#Spodumene Belt. For decades in the 20th century, mines here supplied most of the world's lithium, until cheaper sources were found in #SouthAmerica and #Australia. Now the element is in high demand for electric vehicle #batteries, and #investors see an opportunity.

    “'There is very little production of lithium raw materials, or any battery raw materials, in the US. The potential's there, but it'll take time to bring it online,' says Piedmont Lithium CEO Keith Phillips.

    “When Piedmont Lithium dedicated its new headquarters in the nearby town of Belmont this summer, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis was there. The North Carolina Republican said the U.S. needs its own sources of lithium and lithium processing to counter #China.

    “'The Chinese have a stated strategy of being the world's economic and military superpower by 2050. And they don't intend to do that through a great war. They intend to do it by putting their tentacles around the globe, economically,' Tillis said. 'They intend to make sure that the western world is dependent upon them for lithium, for tantalum, for #RareEarthMinerals, so that they can literally beat us by never firing a shot.'

    “Tillis said that's why he supports Piedmont Lithium's efforts to open a new mine - as long as it's done in an #EnvironmentallyResponsible way. But that's the catch.

    “Piedmont's plans call for four open-pit mines 500 feet deep. That means demolishing houses, digging up #farm #fields and #woods, and disrupting #streams. Some neighbors have sold their land to the company. But others whose property borders the site aren't happy.

    “Locke Bell owns 120 acres backing up to the planned South Pit. 'Relative to the proposed mine, I have 4,160 feet of common boundary,' he says.

    “Bell is a former district attorney and has been following Piedmont's plans since 2017, when the company approached him about mining on his land. He declined the offer after seeing a detailed map of the proposed mine.

    “'Suddenly, I saw these massive mines - open pits... We have enough of that around here that's #toxic already,'' he says.

    “He's talking about old lithium mines nearby that closed in the 1980s and 1990s and are now contaminated with arsenic, which occurs naturally in the area's soil and rocks.

    “A few miles away on the other side of the mine site, Warren Snowdon has similar concerns. His family's old farm is just across a stream, about 600 yards, from the planned #EastPit. He's helping to lead an opposition group called #StopPiedmontLithium.

    “'Our issue is on every front: It's water. It's air. It's light pollution. It's noise. It's traffic. Get us a solar farm. Get us a wind farm,' says Snowdon, who is quick to say he's not opposed to the country's transition to #renewable energy.

    “State and local officials still must approve the mine

    “Piedmont Lithium still needs key approvals, including state air and mining permits. Both are delayed while the company responds to requests for more information from North Carolina agencies. Piedmont also faces local political opposition.

    “Chad Brown chairs the Gaston County Commission, which will have to approve a rezoning for the mine.

    “'With the information I have right now, I probably would not call for a vote on this,' Brown says. 'I would have to have tons of more information just for the environmental side, and as far as #AirQuality, #WaterQuality, different things like that.'

    “Last year, the commission adopted a 60-day moratorium so it could update its zoning rules to allow a mine. The ordinance has some teeth - it limits blasting and truck traffic, Brown says. But he's not sure Piedmont will be able to get the electricity and water it needs for mining and processing.

    “Asked if he thinks the mining project will happen, he says, 'I think right now, you're still at 50-50, just for the simple fact of it's a long way out.'

    “Still, Piedmont Lithium's CEO Keith Phillips is optimistic.

    “'So the permitting process is more involved, and it will take longer. And our plan, our hope, is that we'll be in production in Carolina in 2026, and will be fully permitted and approved and funded sometime in 2024,' he says.

    “While it pursues that goal, the company has a backup plan: It's building a processing plant in #Tennessee with help from a $141.7 million federal grant. And it's counting on mines in #Quebec and #Ghana to supply lithium ore.

    “Piedmont's North Carolina neighbors are rooting for that backup plan instead of the open-pit lithium mine in their community."

    npr.org/2022/11/12/1131365516/

    #ExtractiveMining #WaterIsLife

  30. A proposed #lithium mine presents a #climate versus #environment conflict

    By David Boraks
    November 12, 2022

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. - “As world leaders meet for another climate summit in Egypt, the U.S. is pushing to mine more lithium for electric vehicle batteries at home. #EVs will help cut pollution from transportation, the nation's largest source of #GreenhouseGas emissions that cause global warming. But there's a tradeoff, as residents have learned near #CharlotteNC, where a big #OpenPit mine is proposed.

    “A company called #PiedmontLithium wants to build a mine and processing operation on 1,500 acres in northern Gaston County, about 30 miles west of Charlotte.

    “Emily Winter, a community relations coordinator and geologist for Piedmont, leads the way to a large rock outcrop near what someday might be the mine's South Pit.

    “'So within this rock, it contains spodumene, the mineral. And that mineral spodumene contains lithium that we can convert to lithium hydroxide that then goes into batteries,' Winter explains.

    “Lithium deposits run through the county in a mile-wide north-south band, known as the Carolina #Tin-#Spodumene Belt. For decades in the 20th century, mines here supplied most of the world's lithium, until cheaper sources were found in #SouthAmerica and #Australia. Now the element is in high demand for electric vehicle #batteries, and #investors see an opportunity.

    “'There is very little production of lithium raw materials, or any battery raw materials, in the US. The potential's there, but it'll take time to bring it online,' says Piedmont Lithium CEO Keith Phillips.

    “When Piedmont Lithium dedicated its new headquarters in the nearby town of Belmont this summer, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis was there. The North Carolina Republican said the U.S. needs its own sources of lithium and lithium processing to counter #China.

    “'The Chinese have a stated strategy of being the world's economic and military superpower by 2050. And they don't intend to do that through a great war. They intend to do it by putting their tentacles around the globe, economically,' Tillis said. 'They intend to make sure that the western world is dependent upon them for lithium, for tantalum, for #RareEarthMinerals, so that they can literally beat us by never firing a shot.'

    “Tillis said that's why he supports Piedmont Lithium's efforts to open a new mine - as long as it's done in an #EnvironmentallyResponsible way. But that's the catch.

    “Piedmont's plans call for four open-pit mines 500 feet deep. That means demolishing houses, digging up #farm #fields and #woods, and disrupting #streams. Some neighbors have sold their land to the company. But others whose property borders the site aren't happy.

    “Locke Bell owns 120 acres backing up to the planned South Pit. 'Relative to the proposed mine, I have 4,160 feet of common boundary,' he says.

    “Bell is a former district attorney and has been following Piedmont's plans since 2017, when the company approached him about mining on his land. He declined the offer after seeing a detailed map of the proposed mine.

    “'Suddenly, I saw these massive mines - open pits... We have enough of that around here that's #toxic already,'' he says.

    “He's talking about old lithium mines nearby that closed in the 1980s and 1990s and are now contaminated with arsenic, which occurs naturally in the area's soil and rocks.

    “A few miles away on the other side of the mine site, Warren Snowdon has similar concerns. His family's old farm is just across a stream, about 600 yards, from the planned #EastPit. He's helping to lead an opposition group called #StopPiedmontLithium.

    “'Our issue is on every front: It's water. It's air. It's light pollution. It's noise. It's traffic. Get us a solar farm. Get us a wind farm,' says Snowdon, who is quick to say he's not opposed to the country's transition to #renewable energy.

    “State and local officials still must approve the mine

    “Piedmont Lithium still needs key approvals, including state air and mining permits. Both are delayed while the company responds to requests for more information from North Carolina agencies. Piedmont also faces local political opposition.

    “Chad Brown chairs the Gaston County Commission, which will have to approve a rezoning for the mine.

    “'With the information I have right now, I probably would not call for a vote on this,' Brown says. 'I would have to have tons of more information just for the environmental side, and as far as #AirQuality, #WaterQuality, different things like that.'

    “Last year, the commission adopted a 60-day moratorium so it could update its zoning rules to allow a mine. The ordinance has some teeth - it limits blasting and truck traffic, Brown says. But he's not sure Piedmont will be able to get the electricity and water it needs for mining and processing.

    “Asked if he thinks the mining project will happen, he says, 'I think right now, you're still at 50-50, just for the simple fact of it's a long way out.'

    “Still, Piedmont Lithium's CEO Keith Phillips is optimistic.

    “'So the permitting process is more involved, and it will take longer. And our plan, our hope, is that we'll be in production in Carolina in 2026, and will be fully permitted and approved and funded sometime in 2024,' he says.

    “While it pursues that goal, the company has a backup plan: It's building a processing plant in #Tennessee with help from a $141.7 million federal grant. And it's counting on mines in #Quebec and #Ghana to supply lithium ore.

    “Piedmont's North Carolina neighbors are rooting for that backup plan instead of the open-pit lithium mine in their community."

    npr.org/2022/11/12/1131365516/

    #ExtractiveMining #WaterIsLife

  31. A proposed #lithium mine presents a #climate versus #environment conflict

    By David Boraks
    November 12, 2022

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. - “As world leaders meet for another climate summit in Egypt, the U.S. is pushing to mine more lithium for electric vehicle batteries at home. #EVs will help cut pollution from transportation, the nation's largest source of #GreenhouseGas emissions that cause global warming. But there's a tradeoff, as residents have learned near #CharlotteNC, where a big #OpenPit mine is proposed.

    “A company called #PiedmontLithium wants to build a mine and processing operation on 1,500 acres in northern Gaston County, about 30 miles west of Charlotte.

    “Emily Winter, a community relations coordinator and geologist for Piedmont, leads the way to a large rock outcrop near what someday might be the mine's South Pit.

    “'So within this rock, it contains spodumene, the mineral. And that mineral spodumene contains lithium that we can convert to lithium hydroxide that then goes into batteries,' Winter explains.

    “Lithium deposits run through the county in a mile-wide north-south band, known as the Carolina #Tin-#Spodumene Belt. For decades in the 20th century, mines here supplied most of the world's lithium, until cheaper sources were found in #SouthAmerica and #Australia. Now the element is in high demand for electric vehicle #batteries, and #investors see an opportunity.

    “'There is very little production of lithium raw materials, or any battery raw materials, in the US. The potential's there, but it'll take time to bring it online,' says Piedmont Lithium CEO Keith Phillips.

    “When Piedmont Lithium dedicated its new headquarters in the nearby town of Belmont this summer, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis was there. The North Carolina Republican said the U.S. needs its own sources of lithium and lithium processing to counter #China.

    “'The Chinese have a stated strategy of being the world's economic and military superpower by 2050. And they don't intend to do that through a great war. They intend to do it by putting their tentacles around the globe, economically,' Tillis said. 'They intend to make sure that the western world is dependent upon them for lithium, for tantalum, for #RareEarthMinerals, so that they can literally beat us by never firing a shot.'

    “Tillis said that's why he supports Piedmont Lithium's efforts to open a new mine - as long as it's done in an #EnvironmentallyResponsible way. But that's the catch.

    “Piedmont's plans call for four open-pit mines 500 feet deep. That means demolishing houses, digging up #farm #fields and #woods, and disrupting #streams. Some neighbors have sold their land to the company. But others whose property borders the site aren't happy.

    “Locke Bell owns 120 acres backing up to the planned South Pit. 'Relative to the proposed mine, I have 4,160 feet of common boundary,' he says.

    “Bell is a former district attorney and has been following Piedmont's plans since 2017, when the company approached him about mining on his land. He declined the offer after seeing a detailed map of the proposed mine.

    “'Suddenly, I saw these massive mines - open pits... We have enough of that around here that's #toxic already,'' he says.

    “He's talking about old lithium mines nearby that closed in the 1980s and 1990s and are now contaminated with arsenic, which occurs naturally in the area's soil and rocks.

    “A few miles away on the other side of the mine site, Warren Snowdon has similar concerns. His family's old farm is just across a stream, about 600 yards, from the planned #EastPit. He's helping to lead an opposition group called #StopPiedmontLithium.

    “'Our issue is on every front: It's water. It's air. It's light pollution. It's noise. It's traffic. Get us a solar farm. Get us a wind farm,' says Snowdon, who is quick to say he's not opposed to the country's transition to #renewable energy.

    “State and local officials still must approve the mine

    “Piedmont Lithium still needs key approvals, including state air and mining permits. Both are delayed while the company responds to requests for more information from North Carolina agencies. Piedmont also faces local political opposition.

    “Chad Brown chairs the Gaston County Commission, which will have to approve a rezoning for the mine.

    “'With the information I have right now, I probably would not call for a vote on this,' Brown says. 'I would have to have tons of more information just for the environmental side, and as far as #AirQuality, #WaterQuality, different things like that.'

    “Last year, the commission adopted a 60-day moratorium so it could update its zoning rules to allow a mine. The ordinance has some teeth - it limits blasting and truck traffic, Brown says. But he's not sure Piedmont will be able to get the electricity and water it needs for mining and processing.

    “Asked if he thinks the mining project will happen, he says, 'I think right now, you're still at 50-50, just for the simple fact of it's a long way out.'

    “Still, Piedmont Lithium's CEO Keith Phillips is optimistic.

    “'So the permitting process is more involved, and it will take longer. And our plan, our hope, is that we'll be in production in Carolina in 2026, and will be fully permitted and approved and funded sometime in 2024,' he says.

    “While it pursues that goal, the company has a backup plan: It's building a processing plant in #Tennessee with help from a $141.7 million federal grant. And it's counting on mines in #Quebec and #Ghana to supply lithium ore.

    “Piedmont's North Carolina neighbors are rooting for that backup plan instead of the open-pit lithium mine in their community."

    npr.org/2022/11/12/1131365516/

    #ExtractiveMining #WaterIsLife

  32. Look Not With The Eyes
    ✍️ fic by #Spodumene

    🙈 #TheUntamed
    🙈 #LanWangji / #WeiWuxian
    🙈 28k, rated General, post canon
    🙈 They visit a village where everyone adores HGJ
    🙈 WWX has always adored him
    🙈 Now he has competition

    :ao3: archiveofourown.org/works/2551

    #FicRec

  33. Look Not With The Eyes
    ✍️ fic by #Spodumene

    🙈 #TheUntamed
    🙈 #LanWangji / #WeiWuxian
    🙈 28k, rated General, post canon
    🙈 They visit a village where everyone adores HGJ
    🙈 WWX has always adored him
    🙈 Now he has competition

    :ao3: archiveofourown.org/works/2551

    #FicRec

  34. Look Not With The Eyes
    ✍️ fic by #Spodumene

    🙈 #TheUntamed
    🙈 #LanWangji / #WeiWuxian
    🙈 28k, rated General, post canon
    🙈 They visit a village where everyone adores HGJ
    🙈 WWX has always adored him
    🙈 Now he has competition

    :ao3: archiveofourown.org/works/2551

    #FicRec

  35. Look Not With The Eyes
    ✍️ fic by #Spodumene

    🙈 #TheUntamed
    🙈 #LanWangji / #WeiWuxian
    🙈 28k, rated General, post canon
    🙈 They visit a village where everyone adores HGJ
    🙈 WWX has always adored him
    🙈 Now he has competition

    :ao3: archiveofourown.org/works/2551

    #FicRec

  36. Look Not With The Eyes
    ✍️ fic by #Spodumene

    🙈 #TheUntamed
    🙈 #LanWangji / #WeiWuxian
    🙈 28k, rated General, post canon
    🙈 They visit a village where everyone adores HGJ
    🙈 WWX has always adored him
    🙈 Now he has competition

    :ao3: archiveofourown.org/works/2551

    #FicRec

  37. Tempo Rubato
    ✍️ fic by #Spodumene

    🎼 #TheUntamed #MoDaoZuShi
    🎼 #LanWangji / #WeiWuxian
    🎼 108k, explicit, modern AU, Persuasion AU
    🎼 Beautiful geniuses fall in love at high school
    🎼 separated by interfering relatives
    🎼 eventually find their way back to each other

    :ao3: archiveofourown.org/works/2361

    NSFW #FicRec

  38. Tempo Rubato
    ✍️ fic by #Spodumene

    🎼 #TheUntamed #MoDaoZuShi
    🎼 #LanWangji / #WeiWuxian
    🎼 108k, explicit, modern AU, Persuasion AU
    🎼 Beautiful geniuses fall in love at high school
    🎼 separated by interfering relatives
    🎼 eventually find their way back to each other

    :ao3: archiveofourown.org/works/2361

    NSFW #FicRec

  39. Tempo Rubato
    ✍️ fic by #Spodumene

    🎼 #TheUntamed #MoDaoZuShi
    🎼 #LanWangji / #WeiWuxian
    🎼 108k, explicit, modern AU, Persuasion AU
    🎼 Beautiful geniuses fall in love at high school
    🎼 separated by interfering relatives
    🎼 eventually find their way back to each other

    :ao3: archiveofourown.org/works/2361

    NSFW #FicRec

  40. Tempo Rubato
    ✍️ fic by #Spodumene

    🎼 #TheUntamed #MoDaoZuShi
    🎼 #LanWangji / #WeiWuxian
    🎼 108k, explicit, modern AU, Persuasion AU
    🎼 Beautiful geniuses fall in love at high school
    🎼 separated by interfering relatives
    🎼 eventually find their way back to each other

    :ao3: archiveofourown.org/works/2361

    NSFW #FicRec

  41. Tempo Rubato
    ✍️ fic by #Spodumene

    🎼 #TheUntamed #MoDaoZuShi
    🎼 #LanWangji / #WeiWuxian
    🎼 108k, explicit, modern AU, Persuasion AU
    🎼 Beautiful geniuses fall in love at high school
    🎼 separated by interfering relatives
    🎼 eventually find their way back to each other

    :ao3: archiveofourown.org/works/2361

    NSFW #FicRec

  42. @MineralCup I feel personally assaulted that #tourmaline, #beryl, #barite, and even #spodumene and #selenite the largest crystals in the world, aren't in this bracket. These are badass minerals.
    I don't think #mercury is even a #mineral. It's just an #element.
    And no #hematite or #magnetite? People are just showing off. #bischofite? Girl, please. #shitpostingwithlove

  43. @MineralCup I feel personally assaulted that #tourmaline, #beryl, #barite, and even #spodumene and #selenite the largest crystals in the world, aren't in this bracket. These are badass minerals.
    I don't think #mercury is even a #mineral. It's just an #element.
    And no #hematite or #magnetite? People are just showing off. #bischofite? Girl, please. #shitpostingwithlove

  44. @MineralCup I feel personally assaulted that #tourmaline, #beryl, #barite, and even #spodumene and #selenite the largest crystals in the world, aren't in this bracket. These are badass minerals.
    I don't think #mercury is even a #mineral. It's just an #element.
    And no #hematite or #magnetite? People are just showing off. #bischofite? Girl, please. #shitpostingwithlove

  45. @MineralCup I feel personally assaulted that #tourmaline, #beryl, #barite, and even #spodumene and #selenite the largest crystals in the world, aren't in this bracket. These are badass minerals.
    I don't think #mercury is even a #mineral. It's just an #element.
    And no #hematite or #magnetite? People are just showing off. #bischofite? Girl, please. #shitpostingwithlove

  46. @MineralCup I feel personally assaulted that #tourmaline, #beryl, #barite, and even #spodumene and #selenite the largest crystals in the world, aren't in this bracket. These are badass minerals.
    I don't think #mercury is even a #mineral. It's just an #element.
    And no #hematite or #magnetite? People are just showing off. #bischofite? Girl, please. #shitpostingwithlove