Transition to Nowhere
“There are no solutions; there are only trade-offs.” – Thomas Sowell
The Sunday River ski resort near Newry, Maine is a sprawling 870-acre complex of 135 trails spread over eight mountain peaks. Known for its consistent, high-quality snow conditions, the resort is a popular destination for skiers of all skill levels. Like much of sparsely populated Maine, Sunday River is characterized by stunning landscapes of unblemished natural beauty. During the summer months, tourists can enjoy a round of golf, partake in a day hike, learn archery, plan a float trip down the nearby Androscoggin River, or spend a pleasant afternoon riding on horseback. In short, for the lucky and relative few who get to enjoy the undeniable benefits on offer in the state of ME, Sunday River is a precious slice of heaven on Earth.
Less than 10 miles Northeast of the resort, geological enthusiasts Mary and Gary Freeman recently made a truly remarkable discovery. So remarkable, in fact, that one might be excused for thinking it would equally excite Maine’s environmentalists who believe electric vehicles (EVs) to be a cornerstone of the strategy to wean ourselves off fossil fuels. We turn to a story from Maine Public Radio for details (emphasis added throughout):
“The richest known hard rock lithium deposit in the world lies a few miles northeast of the ski slopes of Sunday River and not far from Step Falls, where swimmers can wade in shallow pools formed by hundreds of feet of cascading granite ledge.
Smaller deposits have been known in Maine for decades, but this recent discovery, just north of Plumbago Mountain in Newry, is the first to have a major resource potential.
And that potential is staggering: At current market prices, the deposit, thought to contain 11 million tons of ore, is valued at roughly $1.5 billion. Measuring up to 36 feet in length, some of the lithium-bearing crystals are among the largest ever found.
Formed three miles underground during the cooling of granite magma, the crystals rose to the surface over hundreds of millions of years as the mountains above them crumbled and eroded. Now partially exposed, the deposit is estimated to have a higher percentage lithium content by weight than any other in the world.”
You can probably guess what happened next….