Big hit to PLL (SP down over 17% as of now).

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/push-supply-tesla-piedmont-lithium-110643209.html

In its quest to build one of the largest lithium mines in the United States, Piedmont Lithium Inc has overlooked one crucial constituency: its North Carolina neighbors.

Piedmont last autumn signed a deal https://www.reuters.com/article/us-piedmont-lithium-deal-tesla-idUSKBN26J03H to supply U.S. electric automaker Tesla Inc with lithium sourced from its deposits in North Carolina, sending the company's stock up tenfold.

Piedmont has also hired investment banks to find investors for its $840 million project, which would include an open-air pit more than 500 feet (152 m) deep and facilities to produce lithium-based electric vehicle (EV) battery chemicals.

The company, however, has not applied for a state mining permit or a necessary zoning variance in Gaston County, just west of Charlotte, despite telling investors since 2018 that it was on the verge of doing so.

Five of the seven members of the county's board of commissioners, who control zoning changes, say they may block or delay the project because Piedmont has not told them what levels of dust, noise and vibrations will occur, nor how water and air quality would be affected. "Piedmont has sort of put the proverbial cart before the horse," said Tom Keigher, chair of the board of commissioners. "Why in the world would they make this deal with Tesla before they even have approval for the mine?"