20211126_D-Key

From: Debby Key
To: NCMininaProaram
Cc: allenfraley(a0aastongov.com; bobhovis(@gastongov.com; chadbrown(aDgastongov.com;
kimjohnson ,, a�caov.com; ronnieworley(abaastonaov.com; tomkeiaher(a)aastonaov.com;
tracyphilbeck(a)gastongov.com
Subject: [External] Piedmont Lithium
Date: Friday, November 26, 2021 4:47:25 PM
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Please deny the permit to Piedmont Lithium for mining operations.
I own property adjacent to the proposed lithium mine in Gaston County. I am deeply
concerned about how this will affect my property, made even more alarming by the
dishonesty of Piedmont Lithium. As they are now being sued by their shareholders, it is
apparent they will say or do whatever is necessary to move forward with their destructive
mining operations.
While noise, diesel traffic, loss of wildlife and green space are obvious detriments to lithium
mining, below are real issues resulting from existing mining operations.
The common environmental side effects of lithium mining are water loss, ground
destabilisation, biodiversity loss, increased salinity of rivers, contaminated soil and toxic
waste.
In May 2016, hundreds of protestors in the Tibetan town of Tagong covered the streets of
their town with a mass of dead fish. The fish had been found floating on the surface of the
Liqi river, where a chemical leak from a nearby lithium mine had a disastrous effect on the
local ecosystem. Cow and yak carcasses were also found floating downstream, dead from
drinking contaminated water. It was the third incident in seven years due to a sharp
increase in mining activity, including operations run by China's BYD, one of the world'
biggest supplier of lithium -ion batteries. After the second incident in 2013, officials closed
the mine, but fish started dying again when it reopened in April 2016. The protest was
designed to draw attention to one of the world's most pressing environmental problems,
one that is only now beginning to attract some attention.
The lithium extraction process uses a lot of water —approximately 500,000 gallons per
metric ton of lithium. To extract lithium, miners drill a hole in salt flats and pump salty,
mineral -rich brine to the surface. After several months the water evaporates, leaving a
mixture of manganese, potassium, borax and lithium salts which is then filtered and placed
into another evaporation pool. After between 12 and 18 months of this process, the mixture
is filtered sufficiently that lithium carbonate can be extracted.
In Chile's Salar de Atacama, mining activities consumed 65 percent of the region's water,

which is having a large impact on local farmers to the point that some communities have to
get water elsewhere.
As in Tibet, there is the potential for toxic chemicals to leak from the evaporation pools into
the water supply including hydrochloric acid, which is used in the processing of lithium, and
waste products that are filtered out of the brine. In Australia and North America, lithium is
mined from rock using chemicals to extract it into a useful form. In Nevada, researchers
found impacts on fish as far as 150 miles downstream from a lithium processing operation.
Closer to home, the former mining activities at Henry's Knob in Clover, SC, contributed to
groundwater contamination due to acidic generation pyritic rock, increasing the leaching of
metals into groundwater.
Lithium extraction harms the soil and causes air contamination. In Argentina's Salar de
Hombre Muerto, residents believe that lithium operations contaminated streams used by
humans and livestock and for crop irrigation. In Chile, the landscape is marred by
mountains of discarded salt and canals filled with contaminated water with an unnatural
blue hue. According to Guillermo Gonzalez, a lithium battery expert from the University of
Chile, "This isn't a green solution — it's not a solution at all."
Lithium is the 33rd most abundant element, however, it does not naturally occur in its pure
form due to its high reactivity. Lithium metal, due to its alkaline properties, is corrosive and
reacts with water. Breathing lithium dust or alkaline lithium compounds irritates respiratory
tracts. Prolonged exposure to lithium can cause fluid to build-up in the lungs, leading to
pulmonary edema. Also, prolonged exposure to lithium can cause nervous system
disorders. The metal itself is a handling hazard because of the caustic hydroxide produced
when it is in contact with water causing an explosion.
The sad irony of this is that this increased demand for lithium is the result of advancements
in technology that have mainly been driven by claims of concern for the environment. In
reality, it's driven by greedy profiteers because there is nothing environmentally friendly
about it's extraction or it's disposal.
Please deny the permit to Piedmont Lithium for mining operations.
Sincerely,
Debby Key
218 Aderholdt Road
Bessemer City, NC 28016