As part of Albemarle’s commitment to responsible mining operations and to better understand and manage potential impacts from the proposed mine, Albemarle is conducting an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA). The ESIA process is an integrated and holistic approach to identify and assess the potential environmental, social, health and safety impacts that could occur because of the project.
The first step of the ESIA is the scoping phase which defines the area affected by the mine and undertakes identification of potential environmental and social impacts. In late December, Albemarle released the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Scoping Report (Scoping Report).
Community engagement is an important part of the ESIA process and as part of Albemarle’s ongoing effort to gather feedback from the community on what should be studied in the ESIA, this past summer the company conducted a 60-day public comment period to receive input on the draft Scoping Report.
During the comment period, Albemarle held six community meetings to share information about the project and the ESIA process. The draft Scoping Report was available for review electronically and Albemarle placed printed copies at kiosks in six locations around Kings Mountain, and one in Shelby. Albemarle distributed flyers throughout the community and ran ads in the Kings Mountain Herald and on social media informing residents how they could provide feedback about the project.
