/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/VXJG5I2W65K4ZDJILK3JMVGNN4.jpg "Piedmont Lithium’s plans to supply Tesla face skeptical North Carolina officials")
Piedmont Lithium’s headquarters is seen in Belmont, Gaston County, North Carolina, U.S., July 16, 2021. REUTERS/Ernest Scheyder
Aug 8 (Reuters) – Piedmont Lithium (PLL.O) on Tuesday drew skepticism and anger at a key meeting with local North Carolina officials about its plans for a lithium mine that would supply the electric vehicle battery metal to Tesla (TSLA.O).
The open-pit mine, if approved, would be one of the few lithium-producing sites in the United States, but there has been little progress in gaining approvals for the project, which the company has been trying to get up and running for more than two years.
At the public meeting with the Gaston County Board of Commissioners, which controls zoning changes, officials were irked that Piedmont CEO Keith Phillips did not attend and expressed concern that the mine could cause wells in the area, which many residents rely on, to run dry.
Piedmont said it does not expect “widespread drying up of wells,” although it admitted at least 10 of its neighbors could run out of water.
“I don’t want to see any of our citizens ever be put in that position,” Commissioner Allen Fraley said at the meeting, which was webcast. “How would you like to wake up one morning and your well’s dry?”
Piedmont said it would be open to helping its neighbors in those situations dig deeper wells or connect to municipal water supplies.
Piedmont said Phillips did not attend because its technical experts did instead. The company brought staff focused on environmental and legal issues, as well as experts on blasting, water and other technical areas.
The project, which has divided the county of roughly 230,000 just east of Charlotte, underscores broader tension in the U.S. as those who are resistant to living near a mine clash with those who believe the United States must lessen its dependence on China for lithium and other strategic minerals to cope with climate change.
Piedmont first signed a deal to supply lithium to Tesla in 2021 from North Carolina. That deal was paused before being renegotiated in January after Piedmont found a temporary source for the metal from a Quebec lithium mine in which it has an investment.
Piedmont will need the board to approve a zoning variance before it can build the project, which would include an open-air pit more than 500 feet (152 m) deep and production facilities.
The board has said it will not consider such a change until the company receives a state mining permit. Piedmont has been seeking a permit for nearly two years and in May asked for a third extension to file the necessary paperwork.
Piedmont officials said they were open to financially assisting homeowners not able to sell their land because of the mine project and that the company would aim to not discharge processed water into local waterways.
In response to concerns from commissioners that the company could be sold amid rampant global demand for lithium, they said that steps had been taken to “make it difficult” for the company to be sold, without elaborating.
They added that Piedmont was also open to funding a surety bond for mine reclamation “much larger” than the $1 million required by state regulations in case the company failed, though they did not provide a specific amount.
Multiple residents spoke against the proposed mine. None spoke for it. Some said Piedmont, which moved its headquarters to Gaston County in 2021 from Australia, has done little to share project details with them.
“We’ve not heard from Piedmont Lithium in over two years,” said Warren Snowdon, whose land shares an 8,000-foot-border with the proposed site. “So I don’t know if they don’t care and I don’t know if they’re concerned about us.”
Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; Editing by Edwina Gibbs
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
In unsurprising news, CBS Sports reported that Washington defensive coordinator Steve Belichick is set to follow his father, Bill, to North Carolina. It is the second lost to UNC for the Huskies after linebacker Khmori House pledged to the Tar Heels earlier this week.
Belichick’s defense was often the highlight for the Huskies throughout the regular season. Washington had the fifth-best pass defense in the nation, allowing just 166.8 yards per outing and 13 touchdowns on the year. It was an obvious strength for the Dawgs leading into the season and was pivotal in all six wins.
Belichick spent just one season on Montlake. He joined Jedd Fisch’s highly touted NFL experience-rich staff. He’ll continue that trend, once again joining forces with a man many consider the greatest NFL head coach of all time. Bill will lead a college program for the first time in his career.
Suddenly, North Carolina is an intriguing destination that the Huskies must be wary of after already losing House. USA Today college football reporter Matt Hayes said on X that UNC would increase its NIL package for football “from 4 million to $20 million in effort to land Belichick.”
On the surface, there isn’t much to fear about UNC on the gridiron. However, the sweet selection of uniforms, a sudden surplus of NIL funds, Power 4 residency and the opportunity to play under the Belichick duo could be very attractive to NFL hopefuls.
Fisch addressed the potential of having to replace Belichick earlier this month.
“If (Steve) joins (Bill) then we’ll have to hire a new defensive coordinator,” Fisch said. “If he stays here then we won’t have to hire a new defensive coordinator. I think they’re separate. Bill Belichick is not on our staff. Steve Belichick is on our staff. So, Bill will determine whether or not he wants to continue. He’s the greatest coach of all time. So, if he goes and coaches somewhere, then he’ll make a decision, and then Steve will make a decision and we’ll figure it out from there.”
As for what’s next on Montlake, our Luke Kemper has you covered.
A stunning aerial of the 3rd hole at Pinehurst No. 2.
USGA/Fred Vuich
As part of GOLF’s rigorous ratings process for our newly released Top 100 Courses in the U.S. and Top 100 Courses You Can Play rankings, our fleet of 100-plus expert panelists identified the best golf courses in every state.
You can check out the links below to browse all of our course rankings, or scroll down to see the best courses in North Carolina. And if you’re looking to create your own trip in the future, you’d be wise to let GOLF’s new Course Finder tool assist you. Here, you can toggle all of our lists — Top 100 public, best munis, best short courses, best par-3s and more — or filter by price to create the perfect itinerary for your next trip.
GOLF’s other course rankings: Top 100 Courses in the World | Top 100 Courses in the U.S. | Top 100 Courses You Can Play | Top 100 Value Courses in the U.S. | America’s Best Municipal Courses | The 100 Best Short Courses in the World
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Explore our all-new Course Finder
Begin Browsing
SYMBOL GUIDE
# = Top 100 Course in the U.S.
Y = Top 100 You Can Play in the U.S.
V = Top 100 Value Course in the U.S.
P = Public/Resort
Ed. note: Some courses were omitted from our rankings because they did not receive enough votes.
1. Pinehurst No. 2 (Pinehurst) [#, Y, P]
Donald Ross’ chef d’oeuvre rolls spaciously through tall longleaf pines in the Carolina Sandhills with holes culminating with legendary inverted-saucer greens. For the 2014 U.S. Open, a Coore-Crenshaw restoration brought back the tawny-edged fairways and native areas last seen in the 1940s. Even with no rough, the runner-up could muster only one under par over four rounds. After the Women’s U.S. Open was played the following week, a powerful message had been broadcast around the world from the home of American golf about the virtues of width, short grass and great greens. This is one of a handful of courses that presents resort guests with a fun test on which they won’t lose a single ball, and a week later can be ready to host a U.S. Open. That’s the flexibility of short grass — and Ross’ design genius. The world will get another look at No. 2 in June 2024 when the course stages its fourth U.S. Open.
2. Old Town Club (Winston Salem) [#]
With sweeping, cross-course vistas punctuated by tawny native grasses and an exemplary routing that twists around miles of creek beds, side-slopes and artistic bunkering, Old Town’s restoration portrays the enduring spirit of classic golf architecture. Perry Maxwell built this inspired North Carolina layout on a former R.J. Reynolds horse farm. The manner by which Maxwell draped the fairways across the rolling landscape resulted in few level lies. No wonder former Demon Deacon Lanny Wadkins called it the best course for training serious young players. Wake Forest’s golf teams practice at Old Town, which gives them a huge home-field advantage as few collegiate golfers are accustomed to putting on undulating Maxwell greens or consistently hitting approach shots from uneven stances. The club’s longtime green chair analyzes every minute detail of the design during his annual walks around the property with former Wake grad, Bill Coore. A 2023 bunker restoration project and the conversion of the greens from bent to Bermuda has the course climbing even higher.
Patrick Koenig
3. Wade Hampton (Cashiers) [#]
Tom Fazio has a well-established knack for building waterfalls. But at this exclusive redoubt, threaded through the folds of the Blue Ridge Mountains, he didn’t have to. Take the par-3 third hole, which plays through a valley, up a gentle rise, to a large green backed by a steep rock face where a natural cascade spills down it. It’s a setting worthy of a national park, and one of countless photo-ready moments on a course that unspools gracefully at modest elevation, ornamented by creeks and ponds. Fazio did not forgo earth-moving altogether. But the beauty of his work here is the deference he showed to the grandeur of the land.
4. Pinehurst No. 10 (Pinehurst) [#, Y, P]
Give a talented architect a sandy, rolling piece of land and place few restrictions on him or her, and it’s amazing what can be produced. Donald Ross did so with a flourish at this resort, and this time, it was Tom Doak’s turn — and he was bonused with not having to make an allowance for where homes might go or having the nines return. The result is a meandering tour that enjoys its own pacing. The first eight holes feature three par-4s — the drivable 4th, the burly dogleg-right 6th and the intermediate length 8th that plays into old mining spoils — that highlight the property’s diversity. Meanwhile, the run from the bruising uphill 468-yard 9th to the 264-yard 14th is one of Doak’s sternest stretches. Natural wetlands feature at two of the final four holes. This variety of obstacles ultimately make No. 10 an immediate stalwart among the resort’s offerings.
5. Pinehurst No. 4 (Pinehurst) [Y,P]
6. Tobacco Road (Sanford) [Y, P]
7. Mid Pines (Southern Pines) [Y, P]
8. Southern Pines GC (Southern Pines) [Y, P]
9. Pine Needles (Southern Pines) [Y, P]
10. Quail Hollow (Charlotte)
11. Roaring Gap (Roaring Gap)
12. Dormie Club (West End)
13. Tot Hill Farm (Asheboro) [Y, P]
Courtesy of Tot Hill Farm
14. Charlotte CC (Charlotte)
15. Diamond Creek (Banner Elk)
16. Woodlake – Maples (Vass)
17. Grandfather (Linville)
18. Eagle Point (Wilmington)
19. CC of NC – Dogwood (Pinehurst)
20. Biltmore Forest (Asheville)
21. Linville (Linville)
22. Carolina GC (Charlotte)
23. Forest Creek – North (Pinehurst)
24. Pinehurst No. 8 (Pinehurst) [Y]
25. Sedgefield CC (Greensboro)
For our newly released Top 100 U.S. and Top 100 You Can Play lists — a process that helped us create 50 best-in-state rankings — each panelist was provided a ballot that consisted of 609 courses. Beside the list of courses were 11 “buckets,” or groupings. If our panelists considered a course to be among the top three in the U.S., they ticked that first column. If they believed the course to be among Nos. 4-10, they checked that column, followed by 11-25, 26-50, and so on out to 250+ and even a column for “remove.” Panelists were also free to write in courses that they felt should have been included on the ballot.
Points were assigned to each bucket; to arrive at an average score for each course, we divide its aggregate score by the number of votes. From those point tallies, the courses are then ranked accordingly. It is an intentionally simple and straightforward process. Why? Because it historically has produced results that are widely lauded. Like the game itself, there’s no need to unnecessarily complicate things or try to fix something that already works so well.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Jonas Aidoo had a double-double, and his 17 points led seven in double figures as Arkansas rolled past North Carolina A&T 95-67 on Saturday for the Razorbacks’ fifth straight win.
Aidoo made 7 of 13 shots and grabbed 11 rebounds. Boogie Fland also had a double-double with 12 points and 11 assists. Adou Thiero scored 14 points, Karter Knox 11 and D.J. Wagner 10 as all five starters reached double figures. Off the bench, Trevon Brazile had 11 points and Billy Richmond III scored 10. Brazile had nine rebounds.
Aidoo scored the first five points of the game and Arkansas (10-2) led 12-3 in the early going. Later in the half, Richmond scored seven consecutive Arkansas points and the Razorbacks were out front 28-17. They went on to lead 54-31 at the break.
An 8-0 run midway through the second half put Arkansas ahead by 36 points and the lead peaked at 37 when Aidoo scored in the paint with about 9 minutes remaining.
Ryan Forrest led the Aggies (3-10) with 19 points and eight rebounds. Landon Glasper added 16 points.
It was the Razorbacks’ second game on their home floor this month. Next, they will host Oakland on Dec. 30.
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