美国国家公共电台 NPR--A proposed lithium mine presents a climate versus environment conflict

A proposed lithium mine presents a climate versus¹ environment conflict

Transcript²

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 greenhouse gas emissions³ that cause global warming. But there's a tradeoff, as residents have learned near Charlotte, where a big open-pit mine is proposed.

A company called Piedmont Lithium 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 coordinator⁴ and geologist⁵ 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 South America and Australia. Now the element is in high demand for electric vehicle batteries, and investors⁶ 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 dedicated⁷ 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 tentacles⁸ around the globe, economically," Tillis said. "They intend to make sure that the western world is dependent upon them for lithium, for tantalum, for rare earth minerals, so that they can literally⁹ 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 environmentally responsible way. But that's the catch.

When climate goals lead to environmental problems

Piedmont's plans call for four open-pit mines 500 feet deep. That means demolishing¹⁰ 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 detailed¹¹ map of the proposed mine.

"Suddenly, I saw these massive mines - open pits... We have enough of that around here that's toxic¹² already,'" he says.

He's talking about old lithium mines nearby that closed in the 1980s and 1990s and are now contaminated with arsenic¹³, 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 East Pit. He's helping¹⁴ to lead an opposition¹⁵ group called Stop Piedmont Lithium.

"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 air quality, water quality, different things like that."

Last year, the commission adopted a 60-day moratorium¹⁶ so it could update its zoning rules to allow a mine. The ordinance¹⁷ 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 fully¹⁸ 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.

1 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

4 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

5 geologist   

n.地质学家

参考例句：

• The geologist found many uncovered fossils in the valley.在那山谷里，地质学家发现了许多裸露的化石。
• He was a geologist,rated by his cronies as the best in the business.他是一位地质学家，被他的老朋友们看做是这门行当中最好的一位。

6 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

7 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

8 tentacles   

n.触手( tentacle的名词复数 )；触角；触须；触毛

参考例句：

• Tentacles of fear closed around her body. 恐惧的阴影笼罩着她。
• Many molluscs have tentacles. 很多软体动物有触角。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

10 demolishing   

v.摧毁( demolish的现在分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光

参考例句：

• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings. 这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。 来自《用法词典》
• Conventional demolishing work would have caused considerable interruptions in traffic. 如果采用一般的拆除方法就要引起交通的严重中断。 来自辞典例句

11 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

12 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

13 arsenic   

n.砒霜，砷；adj.砷的

参考例句：

• His wife poisoned him with arsenic.他的妻子用砒霜把他毒死了。
• Arsenic is a poison.砒霜是毒药。

14 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

15 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

16 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

17 ordinance   

n.法令；条令；条例

参考例句：

• The Ordinance of 1785 provided the first land grants for educational purposes.1785年法案为教育目的提供了第一批土地。
• The city passed an ordinance compelling all outdoor lighting to be switched off at 9.00 PM.该市通过一条法令强令晚上九点关闭一切室外照明。

18 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。