Sustainability / Our Planet
Biodiversity
Operating to minimize impacts
Through our permitting process for the Tennessee Lithium and Carolina Lithium operations, several assessments have been conducted to understand native flora and fauna populations. Based on these assessments, we have planned to maximize use of our land footprint in order to minimize impact to important habitats, such as wetlands.
Threatened and Endangered Species
To support planning efforts for the Carolina Lithium project, Piedmont conducted an assessment through an independent, third-party environmental consultancy to identify any threatened or endangered species occupying the site and surrounding areas. The study considered field surveys, federally-listed species in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Information for Planning and Consultation database, and federally protected species in the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program Data Explorer database.
The findings demonstrated that there are no federal- or state-protected species or U.S. Fish and Wildlife-designated critical habitats on this project site. While there were no critical habitats or protected species observed on the proposed project site, the development of this project is not expected to have adverse effects on any listed species. We will, however, continue to monitor for the presence of any federal- or state-protected species and manage our construction and operational activities to mitigate any potential adverse effects.
Conventional Quarrying and Processing
While several methods exist for producing lithium hydroxide, Piedmont has chosen to produce from hard rock assets – or spodumene ore. This type of production requires less land area and has a lesser impact on native bird populations than other production techniques, such as brine evaporation. Production from spodumene ore is one of the most commercially scalable and lowest-risk conversion methods on the market today.