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DEP ruling could complicate Newry lithium mining project

The owners of the Newry property asked the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to review the possibility of quarrying at the site.
Credit: AP
FILE - Pieces of lithium sparkle in an ore sample in Prague, Czech Republic, on Tuesday, March 28, 2017. Recent explorations confirmed large deposits of lithium near the village of Cinovec northwest Czech Republic. Lithium — the lightest metal on Earth — was discovered by Swedish chemist Johan August Arfwedson more than 200 years ago. Since then, lithium and its compounds have been used in everything from psychiatric medicine to lubricating grease. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)

NEWRY, Maine — A decision by state regulators could make it difficult for the owners of a potentially rich lithium deposit in western Maine to extract the metal.

The owners of the Newry property asked the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to review the possibility of quarrying at the site. However, regulators decided earlier this month that the site would be viewed as a metallic mineral mine and not a quarry operation, Maine Mining Coordinator Michael Clark said on Monday.

Maine's mineral mining laws are among the strictest mining laws in the country. The Freeman family, which owns the land, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

New sources of lithium are in demand in the U.S. because the metal is critical to the development of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in electric and hybrid cars.

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