CLEVELAND COUNTY, N.C. — Charlotte company Albemarle Lithium, which mined for lithium in the 1980s in Cleveland County, wants to reopen its Kings Mountain site.
What You Need To Know
Albemarle Lithium used to mine for lithium in the 1980s in Kings Mountain
The Charlotte company wants to reopen its old mine pit site to mine for the resource
Homeowner Clay Bruggeman says company representatives have offered to buy his land, but so far he has refused
Homeowner Clay Bruggeman bought a house in Kings Mountain four years ago, never imagining he would be possibly living next to an active mining site.
"We’re hoping to start a family, trying to get into that, and have a place where the kids would grow up, being able to ride bikes, like I did when I was a kid," Bruggeman said.
Behind his home sits the Kings Mountain Gateway Trail. On the other side of the trail is Albemarle Lithium's old mine pit, which it used to mine for lithium.
The pit has filled with water, but the company is wanting to drill for the resource found underneath Kings Mountain ground.
Lithium is used to power electric cars, laptops and power tools. The resource is rare, but quite a bit of it can be found in North Carolina, specifically the Kings Mountain area.
The company held a town hall meeting in March with community members. In a packed town hall building, community members heard from company leaders regarding the plans, which at this moment are now just exploratory and in the planning stages.
Several neighbors asked questions, including Bruggeman.
Bruggeman says company leaders have offered to buy his home and land next to the Gateway Trail. He asked what the company's intentions were with his land, and they responded with setting up a private meeting with him and company leaders.
Bruggeman says a few months ago his home began shaking whenever the company did any blasting. On his front porch, a large crack now displayed in the foundation.
"The first couple of times we weren’t sure, but it does feel a little bit like an earthquake," he said.
However, the company said by email that no blasting from them has been happening near Bruggeman's home.
"There is no mining activity at the site and no blasting occurring at our Kings Mountain site. ... If this resident has been experiencing blasting, it is from another source in the community," said Kelli Hopp-Michlosky, vice president, head of global communications and corporate marketing with Albemarle Lithium.
So far, Bruggeman has refused the offers to sell his property from Albemarle Lithium, but he hasn't completely disregarded the project.
“I want to make sure they are doing it for the right reasons, or if they are not doing it for the right reasons, that I get enough money that I can do something good for the reason that it got sold," he said.
The company plans to hold town halls quarterly. Plans are also in the works for an information center to open in downtown Kings Mountain.
Editor's note: This article was updated to include the company's statement about blasting at the Kings Mountain site.