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"We will not rush into anything. We'll listen to Piedmont, and we'll see what happens," Brown told Reuters. "This mine would have a big economic impact on the county, but it also could have tremendous environmental impacts."
Despite spending years buying acreage, hiring investment bankers and inking a supply deal with Tesla, Piedmont did not approach county commissioners until July 2021 with its plans.
The company also did not apply for a state mining permit until the following month. Those strategic missteps have fueled mistrust across the county of roughly 220,000. Brown said he has not spoken to Phillips since that 2021 meeting.
Low lithium prices may also hobble Piedmont's financing attempts, analysts said.
"Finding external capital for a new lithium project could prove difficult at current lithium prices, though it will help that Carolina Lithium is very low on the cost curve," said brokerage TD Cowen on Monday.
Meanwhile Albemarle, the world's biggest lithium miner, is hiring staff and buying land in a neighboring North Carolina county amid plans to re-open a mothballed spodumene lithium mine that would compete directly with Piedmont.

Ernest Scheyder is a senior correspondent covering the clean energy transition and critical minerals, as well as the author of "The War Below: Lithium, Copper, and the Global Battle to Power our Lives." He previously covered the U.S. shale oil revolution, politics, and the environment.

[pic]
A rock stamped with a logo is displayed at Piedmont Lithium's headquarters in Belmont, Gaston County, North Carolina, U.S., July 16, 2021. Picture taken July 16, 2021. REUTERS/Ernest
https://www.reuters.com/business/piedmont-lithium-gets-mining-permit-north-carolina-project-2024-04-15/