Lots of interest in North Carolina lithium mining.. and yes, North Carolina has a history regarding past production of lithium.  North Carolina supplied most of the world's lithium between the 1950's and the 1980's.  It is spodumene mining, just like the mining in Australia.  Just like in Esmeralda County, Nevada there are numerous "Juniors" out for the hunt of spodumene and even so Majors, as you pointed out.   Certainly the U.S. supplies of lithium are not limited to Nevada, but LAC's Thacker Pass is one of the biggest and the only one I know of going with lithium clay extraction so in order to evaluate just how much competition they place on LAC you have to go back to comparing Lithium extraction techniques:  brine extraction vs clay extraction vs hard rock (spodumene) extraction and evaluating cost of production for each one of these diffent methods.  A lot of the competitive advantages LAC hopes to have will depend on 2 separate things:  How much progress the Reno Lab facility for LAC makes in coming up with the lowest cost extraction techniques and how much kick back on expense of extraction LAC is able to acquire with the sale of excess electricity and excess Sulfuric Acid, both required for production of lithium from lithum clay and both calculated to be produced in the processing whereby the excess reduces, after sale, the total cost of production for LAC at Thacker Pass. 

I don't think everyone really fully appreciates just how important the work is that is going on by LAC at their Reno Laboratory... it will be key to making LAC competitive with other lithium mining ventures not only in Nevada, but in North Carolina, California and in Arkansas.    okiedo

https://www.gastongazette.com/news/20190415/company-wants-to-mine-for-lithium-in-gaston#:~:text=This%20area%20of%20North%20Carolina%20has%20a%20history,Mountain%20mines%20were%20global%20giants%20of%20lithium%20production.

https://www.piedmontlithium.com/

https://insideevs.com/news/345667/lithium-mine-to-open-in-north-carolina-only-one-of-its-type-in-us/

Livent also is part of the action in North Carolina:  https://livent.com/company-overview/global-locations/

https://www.mindat.org/loc-3280.html

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=lithium+mining+in+north+carolina&docid=608005843914198667&mid=935E6AD180A13290B7AB935E6AD180A13290B7AB&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

https://smallcaps.com.au/piedmont-lithium-begin-definitive-feasibility-study-healthy-bank-balance/