Quebec residents against graphite mine fear powering Pentagon, environmental ruin ( www.cbc.ca )

In Quebec's Laurentians region, a few kilometres from a wildlife reserve and just outside the town of Duhamel, lies a source of one of the world's most sought after minerals for manufacturing electric vehicle batteries: graphite.

Since Lomiko Metals Inc., a mining company based in Surrey, B.C., announced plans to build a graphite mine in the area, some residents living nearby have protested the project, fearing the potential harm to the environment.

But opposition has only gained steam after locals found out last month that the Pentagon is involved in the project.

In May, Lomiko announced it received a grant of $11.4 million from the U.S. Department of Defence and another $4.9 million from Natural Resources Canada to study the conversion of graphite into battery-grade material for powering electric vehicles.

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In Quebec's Laurentians region, a few kilometres from a wildlife reserve and just outside the town of Duhamel, lies a source of one of the world's most sought after minerals for manufacturing electric vehicle batteries: graphite.

In its own announcement, the Pentagon said Lomiko's graphite will bolster North American energy supply chains and be used for "defence applications," words that make Duhamel resident Louis Saint-Hilaire uneasy.

"They were telling us it was an ecological project for making electric batteries but now we have serious doubts," said Saint-Hilaire, co-spokesperson for environmental activist group Coalition québécoise des lacs incompatibles à l'activité minière.

Quebec Minister of Natural Resources Maïté Blanchette Vézina didn't say whether she approves of the Pentagon funding but says mining proposals have to be accepted by locals to go forward.

A 2023 report by the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies, a defence and security think tank based in the Netherlands, lists graphite as a critical mineral whose supply chain is under threat.

In a statement, Natural Resources Canada said the funding doesn't mean Lomiko Metals will have to give the Canadian  and American governments privileged access to the material produced.

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