20211115_K-Thames

My name is Kelly Thames and I am a Sr. Environmental Project Manager with HDR Engineering,
Inc. of the Carolinas. I have been in the environmental consulting industry for 12 years, with
my region of expertise primarily in the Piedmont ecoregion of the North and South Carolina and
the southeastern US. I am also a Professional Wetland Scientist certified by the Society of
Wetland Scientists. HDR was retained by Piedmont as a consultant in 2017 and I have worked
on the project ever since. I have personally performed and directed multiple field work surveys
for the project over the years and continue to provide direct oversight to the HDR consultant
team and manage various scopes of work for Piedmont.
HDR has documented existing conditions of numerous environmental components within the
project such as: stream and wetland surveys, threatened and endangered species surveys, and
cultural resources surveys (via a subcontractor). Direct impacts to streams and wetlands were
approved by the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Division of Water Resources, which means
that fill material, like a culvert or dirt, was approved to be placed in certain streams and
wetlands. No federally threatened or endangered species have been observed. Two cemeteries
were identified on the Piedmont site during cultural resources surveys and will be avoided by a
buffer larger than what was recommended by the cultural resources contractor — based on
their expertise with the National Historic Preservation Act and the NC State Historic
Preservation Office.
My team has also conducted an analysis of environmental justice populations in the area, which
means we have researched census data to evaluate the percentages of minority and non-
English speaking populations in the area. The result of this evaluation is that the project is not
in an area that would negatively affect minority or non-English speaking populations.
As you heard from my colleague Mark, HDR has collected surface water and groundwater
quality and quantity baseline data to support evaluations of quarry pit operations on water
quality, including the development of a dynamic groundwater model. The tailings produced by
the lithium hydroxide conversion process were tested in an NC -certified lab which determined
that naturally occurring compounds such as arsenic, chromium, lead, and lithium in the tailings
were all below NC groundwater and surface water standard thresholds.
HDR is also currently modeling Air Quality emissions data and preparing an Air Quality permit
for the project in coordination with the NC Department of Air Quality.
Upcoming studies include a traffic impact analysis as required by the Gaston County Unified
Development Ordinance and an evaluation on the abandonment of portions of roads within the
project. These will be conducted in ongoing coordination with the local NC Department of
Transportation staff in Shelby and other various stakeholders like the County and emergency
services.
Lastly, as an environmental consultant with experience in various project types and clients
across the southeast, I can say that Piedmont has been transparent with HDR about their plans
and has worked diligently to comply with federal, state, and local regulations.