Lithium Valley: Near the Salton Sea, residents want the federal government to address health concerns

Residents living near the Salton Sea say they understand the much-hyped potential of the area for lithium extraction, but they want the federal government to understand the existing health concerns plaguing the community caused by the receding sea, and want to make sure the new industry doesn't exacerbate those issues. 

“I’m concerned primarily for the health of our kids because I’m a mom, and my kid suffers from asthma and nosebleeds for no apparent reason," Elizabeth Jaime, a North Shore resident and member of Líderes Campesinas, said in Spanish through a translator. "We know about the opportunities coming with lithium, but we have a lot of concern, especially for the public health of our kids… What assurance do we have as parents that this industry won’t generate more pollution?”

Jaime and other community members voiced their concerns to U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-La Quinta, during a community listening session on Wednesday that was part of the federal government's promised outreach in the region that some are now calling "Lithium Valley." 

Granholm's trip likely marked the first official visit of a presidential cabinet member to the Imperial Valley. Both Ruiz's staff and the Department of Energy are not aware of any previous visits to the region by a presidential cabinet member. 

Granholm made two public stops near the Salton Sea on Wednesday with Ruiz, who had invited federal officials to visit the region amid growing state and federal interest in lithium extraction in Imperial Valley. The two officials led a morning community listening session in North Shore focused on public health near the Salton Sea, then traveled to Calipatria for a wide-ranging discussion with a group of over 30 community leaders and elected officials on public health, the potential economic impacts of lithium development, and workforce development and education. 

In February, President Joe Biden said he’d asked Granholm to visit the region "and hear directly from local residents about how this will impact them." Biden has repeatedly stressed the importance of increasing domestic production of critical minerals and materials, such as lithium, to reduce the country’s dependence on importing these materials from other countries. 

“The energy security piece of things is so fundamental, and that this region could play an important role in making the United State’s clean energy independence is so very important,” Granholm said on Wednesday. 

Massive cache of in-demand lithium

An estimated 15 million metric tons of lithium, in addition to other rare minerals, are available for extraction in Imperial County, home to one of the largest lithium deposits in the world. That's enough lithium to satisfy more than one-third of today's global lithium demand. 

Global demand for the mineral used for rechargeable batteries, including for cell phones, battery storage, and electric vehicles, is expected to grow by as much as 4,000% over the next several decades as lithium plays an important role in transitioning to electric vehicles and the clean energy economy. 

The booming demand is bringing frequent announcements from companies staking a claim in Lithium Valley, and efforts from elected officials to ensure local benefits directly benefit from the industry.

On Tuesday, the founder and CEO of Italian battery manufacturer Italvolt announced he's formed a new company, Statevolt, that will build a new $4 billion, 54-gigawatt-hour facility in Imperial Valley. The "gigafactory" would be among the largest in North America, producing enough batteries to serve around 650,000 electric vehicles a year and creating up to 2,500 jobs. The specific location of the facility has yet to be determined. 

Under a signed letter of intent with Controlled Thermal Resources, Controlled Thermal Resources will deliver lithium and geothermal power from CTR's to-be constructed Hell's Kitchen lithium and power project to Statevolt. CTR began drilling its first lithium and power production well in November, and the company expects to begin delivering power in late 2023 and lithium hydroxide in 2024. 

Also this week, Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, D-Coachella, advanced three bills related to Lithium Valley from key Assembly committees. The bills would respectively establish the Lithium Valley Office of Development within the state Natural Resources Agency; require the state Legislative Analyst's Office to annually submit a report to the legislature on the health, environmental, and economic impacts and benefits of lithium production in Lithium Valley; and establish a program that would prioritize employment opportunities created by lithium production for local residents. The proposals will still need to go before the full Assembly for consideration. 

Granholm said the federal government will be issuing funding opportunities related to batteries soon, and part of those announcements will “require anybody who is getting funding from the federal government to consult with the local community to make sure that your voices are heard.”

Ruiz said Biden’s focus on domestic lithium production “opened up a plethora of opportunity for us here,” but that residents “have been very clear, since the beginning that any decisions or big plans around the Salton Sea that will primarily affect your lives should not happen without the direct and meaningful consultation of the communities who live here.”

Ruiz said Wednesday’s meetings demonstrated this, and that he wants to see the nation’s energy independence goals tied into local public health and community benefits. 

During the morning community listening session, Granholm and Ruiz were joined by Silvia Paz, chair of the state’s Lithium Valley Commission and executive director of community group Alianza Coachella Valley; Frank Ruiz, Salton Sea program director of Audubon California and member of the Lithium Valley Commission; and Joseph Mirelez, vice chairman of Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians. Members of the White House National Economic Council and Gov. Gavin Newsom's office were also in attendance. 

But most of the meeting was dedicated to hearing from residents, who expressed concerns over the public health issues plaguing the region, as toxic dust from the shore of the receding Salton Sea contributes to some of the worst air pollution in the country, causing high rates of asthma, nose bleeds, and other health issues. 

Historic lack of investment from federal government in region

Patricia Leal-Gutierrez, who lives in North Shore, said she thinks there’s been a historic lack of investment from the federal government in the regional, although she was hopeful about Granholm’s visit. 

“Even though there's excitement around lithium, we cannot oversee the fact that there's already underlying public health issues here,” Leal-Gutierrez said. "I understand that there's a bigger issue around climate change and wanting to tackle that bigger issue. But in that process, we cannot ignore the people that live here and ignore the fact that if  this is not done in the right way, it could have irreversible negative impacts to the people that live here. And when talking about lithium and the cleanup of the Salton Sea, these issues cannot be cannot be seen in silos, these are issues that go hand in hand.”

Some community members also noted the years of unfulfilled promises from government entities about fixing the Salton Sea, but said Granholm’s presence in the community marked a difference. Líderes Campesinas is an organization focused on women farmworkers. 

“I’ve been here for 25 years, throughout these years there’s been a lot of promises and projects but nothing really happens… Your presence makes a difference,” said North Shore resident Maria Ortega in Spanish through a translator. 

Granholm said comments from community members will "help us develop a plan that makes sure we're doing this in partnership with the community."

"I feel badly that I'm not coming with the solutions right now. I'm coming as listen, and to be able to understand what the concerns are. And that's the first step to making sure that (those concerns) don't perpetuate," said Granholm. 

After touring geothermal facilities, Granholm and Ruiz held another discussion in Calipatria with about 30 different community leaders and elected officials, including members of the Imperial County Board of Supervisors, local city councilmembers, representatives of local school districts and colleges, and several community organizations. 

Leaders of groups like Comite Civico de Valle, Los Amigos de la Comunidad and Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition called for investments to address historic issues in the region, such as infrastructure needs and a lack of medical facilities.

"Our medical facilities are way underfunded and understaffed, we have to send people out (of the area) for serious medical conditions because we don't have the capacity," said Eric Reyes, executive director of Los Amigos de la Comunidad. "So we have to develop our access to healthcare and prioritize environmental injustice and mitigation."

Daniela Flores, founder of the Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition, said the region was founded on health and wealth inequities that continue to persist as "certain families are able to benefit from the production that comes from this land, and people like farmworkers get paid $26,000 on average."

Flores said she'd like to see the Biden administration similarly invest in environmental justice issues in the Imperial Valley as it plans to create funding opportunities for lithium development. 

Other community leaders stressed the potential economic benefits of lithium production, and the need for educational opportunities and workforce development programs for local residents to work in the industry. 

"There's great opportunities for jobs and the companies we're talking to are committed to hiring as many local people as possible," said Tim Kelley, President and CEO of the Imperial Valley Economic Development Corporation, noting that both SDSU's Imperial Valley campus and Calipatria High School are adding programs to support lithium workforce development. 

"This is happening so fast that target dates of 2024 and 2025 are right around the corner. And we need to start today and have finances brought into this community to be able to educate the local workforce. And there's many long-term jobs that are going to benefit everybody, but it'd be a shame if we don't have the workforce to run and build these operations," he said.