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GREAT movie starring Val Kilmer too.
Economy SoCal's Imperial Valley To Become "Lithium Valley" After Massive 18-Million Tons Reserve Found Under The Dying Salton Sea.
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GREAT movie starring Val Kilmer too.
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Such an awesome under the radar movie that most people have never heard of. Vincent Dinofrios character is something else.
GREAT movie starring Val Kilmer too.
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Third world red states yet filled with white privilege?
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Yeah! Pooh-Bear was freaking BONKERS!
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a) You are thinking of Cobalt not Lithium.
b) Only reason Cobalt is mined by children is because a lot of it is located in shitty African countries where industrialization is politically unfeasible
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Imperial County doesn't want to just be a raw-material exporter like Chile and Australia, they want to be part of the lithium batteries supply chain. Quite smart, I'd say.
California’s ‘Lithium Valley’ will incentivise battery value chain investments
By Andy Colthorpe | February 10, 2023
The Board of Supervisors of Imperial County, California, has approved schemes to incentivise investment into the lithium battery value chain, leveraging the region’s abundant brine resources.
The shallow and landlocked Salton Sea is a saline lake between Riverside and Imperial Counties in Southern California. As regular readers of this site will know, the area is being tapped as a source of geothermal energy, and also battery-grade lithium, which is deep underground.
As noted in an April 2022 Editor’s Blog for this site, lithium could be extracted as a run-off from the geothermal facilities, and the geothermal energy could be used as a low-carbon power source for that extraction.
The region has been identified as a potential ‘Lithium Valley’ and dubbed as such by the Biden-Harris Administration, which said in October last year that around 600,000 tonnes of lithium could be supplied from it each year. The California Energy Commission has similarly identified a “unique opportunity” for the area.
There is also thought of hosting capacity for up to 300MW of geothermal energy, and one consortium is already running a pilot project to co-produce low-carbon geothermal power and extract lithium from the brine.
Led by developer Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR), the Hells Kitchen project in Imperial County’s Imperial Valley could run 24/7 with minimal water requirements, owing to an extraction technique developed by technology partner Lilac Resources.
CTR wants to be able to produce nearly 35,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) from the site annually by 2025. Earlier this month, the company said highly efficient recovery of lithium has been established at the site, in what CEO Rod Colwell said are: “impressive results ahead of schedule”.
Construction of the first stage of Hells Kitchen will begin this year, with 49.9MW of geothermal power generation capacity and 25,000 tonnes of annual lithium hydroxide production by 2024. Ultimately, CTR hopes to be producing 300,000 tonnes per year – equivalent to half of Lithium Valley’s total extraction potential.
Colwell said the company is also looking to see if other valuable materials like manganese can be produced at scale from the site.
Incentives for lithium producers and end-users
This week, the local authority for Imperial County hosted a press conference and announced a multi-million-dollar package of incentives to bring further economic activity and much-needed investment into the region, which is one of the poorest in California.
That means more than just extraction of lithium, but also the establishment of businesses and facilities to process it into components or finished products.
Meeting on Tuesday (7 February), the board unanimously approved the County’s Lithium Incentives Program, which includes three incentives for lithium and/or geothermal energy producers. Producers would be eligible for these as part of a negotiated Development Agreement:
- A 75% reduction in property taxes for investments worth US$150 million or more that meet North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Codes. This would be through a state Capital Incentive Improvement Program.
- Lithium producers could get a Lithium Tax Rebate worth US$50 per metric tonne, for lithium sold to any company based in Imperial County that uses it to make makes finished products, such as batteries.
- Lithium end-customers can also get the same level of tax rebate if they purchase lithium from a producer based in Imperial County and use it to create finished products.
As noted in the November publication of BloombergNEF’s annual report into involvement in the lithium battery supply chain by country, being a key supplier of raw materials or components is not enough to capture a significant portion of the battery production value chain.
Countries like Chile, South Africa and Democratic Republic of Congo are resource-rich, but still experience low demand for finished products that use batteries such as electric vehicles, and have little to no battery manufacturing or materials processing capacity.
Imperial County’s latest play appears to be a move to ensure that doesn’t happen in Southern California.
One company recently said it is already looking to make batteries in Imperial Valley. Startup Statevolt said in late January that it has secured a 135-hectare site in the region for a 54GWh battery gigafactory.
Statevolt is already partnered with CTR for lithium and geothermal power supply. The company said the recently-enacted Inflation Reduction Act provided “significant impetus to accelerate its plans” in the region.
https://www.energy-storage.news/cal...-incentivise-battery-value-chain-investments/
California’s ‘Lithium Valley’ will incentivise battery value chain investments
By Andy Colthorpe | February 10, 2023
The Board of Supervisors of Imperial County, California, has approved schemes to incentivise investment into the lithium battery value chain, leveraging the region’s abundant brine resources.
The shallow and landlocked Salton Sea is a saline lake between Riverside and Imperial Counties in Southern California. As regular readers of this site will know, the area is being tapped as a source of geothermal energy, and also battery-grade lithium, which is deep underground.
As noted in an April 2022 Editor’s Blog for this site, lithium could be extracted as a run-off from the geothermal facilities, and the geothermal energy could be used as a low-carbon power source for that extraction.
The region has been identified as a potential ‘Lithium Valley’ and dubbed as such by the Biden-Harris Administration, which said in October last year that around 600,000 tonnes of lithium could be supplied from it each year. The California Energy Commission has similarly identified a “unique opportunity” for the area.
There is also thought of hosting capacity for up to 300MW of geothermal energy, and one consortium is already running a pilot project to co-produce low-carbon geothermal power and extract lithium from the brine.
Led by developer Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR), the Hells Kitchen project in Imperial County’s Imperial Valley could run 24/7 with minimal water requirements, owing to an extraction technique developed by technology partner Lilac Resources.
CTR wants to be able to produce nearly 35,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) from the site annually by 2025. Earlier this month, the company said highly efficient recovery of lithium has been established at the site, in what CEO Rod Colwell said are: “impressive results ahead of schedule”.
Construction of the first stage of Hells Kitchen will begin this year, with 49.9MW of geothermal power generation capacity and 25,000 tonnes of annual lithium hydroxide production by 2024. Ultimately, CTR hopes to be producing 300,000 tonnes per year – equivalent to half of Lithium Valley’s total extraction potential.
Colwell said the company is also looking to see if other valuable materials like manganese can be produced at scale from the site.
Incentives for lithium producers and end-users
This week, the local authority for Imperial County hosted a press conference and announced a multi-million-dollar package of incentives to bring further economic activity and much-needed investment into the region, which is one of the poorest in California.
That means more than just extraction of lithium, but also the establishment of businesses and facilities to process it into components or finished products.
Meeting on Tuesday (7 February), the board unanimously approved the County’s Lithium Incentives Program, which includes three incentives for lithium and/or geothermal energy producers. Producers would be eligible for these as part of a negotiated Development Agreement:
- A 75% reduction in property taxes for investments worth US$150 million or more that meet North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Codes. This would be through a state Capital Incentive Improvement Program.
- Lithium producers could get a Lithium Tax Rebate worth US$50 per metric tonne, for lithium sold to any company based in Imperial County that uses it to make makes finished products, such as batteries.
- Lithium end-customers can also get the same level of tax rebate if they purchase lithium from a producer based in Imperial County and use it to create finished products.
As noted in the November publication of BloombergNEF’s annual report into involvement in the lithium battery supply chain by country, being a key supplier of raw materials or components is not enough to capture a significant portion of the battery production value chain.
Countries like Chile, South Africa and Democratic Republic of Congo are resource-rich, but still experience low demand for finished products that use batteries such as electric vehicles, and have little to no battery manufacturing or materials processing capacity.
Imperial County’s latest play appears to be a move to ensure that doesn’t happen in Southern California.
One company recently said it is already looking to make batteries in Imperial Valley. Startup Statevolt said in late January that it has secured a 135-hectare site in the region for a 54GWh battery gigafactory.
Statevolt is already partnered with CTR for lithium and geothermal power supply. The company said the recently-enacted Inflation Reduction Act provided “significant impetus to accelerate its plans” in the region.
https://www.energy-storage.news/cal...-incentivise-battery-value-chain-investments/
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Imperial County doesn't want to just be a raw-material exporter like Chile and Australia, they want to be part of the lithium batteries supply chain. Quite smart, I'd say.
California’s ‘Lithium Valley’ will incentivise battery value chain investments
By Andy Colthorpe | February 10, 2023
The Board of Supervisors of Imperial County, California, has approved schemes to incentivise investment into the lithium battery value chain, leveraging the region’s abundant brine resources.
The shallow and landlocked Salton Sea is a saline lake between Riverside and Imperial Counties in Southern California. As regular readers of this site will know, the area is being tapped as a source of geothermal energy, and also battery-grade lithium, which is deep underground.
As noted in an April 2022 Editor’s Blog for this site, lithium could be extracted as a run-off from the geothermal facilities, and the geothermal energy could be used as a low-carbon power source for that extraction.
The region has been identified as a potential ‘Lithium Valley’ and dubbed as such by the Biden-Harris Administration, which said in October last year that around 600,000 tonnes of lithium could be supplied from it each year. The California Energy Commission has similarly identified a “unique opportunity” for the area.
There is also thought of hosting capacity for up to 300MW of geothermal energy, and one consortium is already running a pilot project to co-produce low-carbon geothermal power and extract lithium from the brine.
Led by developer Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR), the Hells Kitchen project in Imperial County’s Imperial Valley could run 24/7 with minimal water requirements, owing to an extraction technique developed by technology partner Lilac Resources.
CTR wants to be able to produce nearly 35,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) from the site annually by 2025. Earlier this month, the company said highly efficient recovery of lithium has been established at the site, in what CEO Rod Colwell said are: “impressive results ahead of schedule”.
Construction of the first stage of Hells Kitchen will begin this year, with 49.9MW of geothermal power generation capacity and 25,000 tonnes of annual lithium hydroxide production by 2024. Ultimately, CTR hopes to be producing 300,000 tonnes per year – equivalent to half of Lithium Valley’s total extraction potential.
Colwell said the company is also looking to see if other valuable materials like manganese can be produced at scale from the site.
Incentives for lithium producers and end-users
This week, the local authority for Imperial County hosted a press conference and announced a multi-million-dollar package of incentives to bring further economic activity and much-needed investment into the region, which is one of the poorest in California.
That means more than just extraction of lithium, but also the establishment of businesses and facilities to process it into components or finished products.
Meeting on Tuesday (7 February), the board unanimously approved the County’s Lithium Incentives Program, which includes three incentives for lithium and/or geothermal energy producers. Producers would be eligible for these as part of a negotiated Development Agreement:
- A 75% reduction in property taxes for investments worth US$150 million or more that meet North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Codes. This would be through a state Capital Incentive Improvement Program.
- Lithium producers could get a Lithium Tax Rebate worth US$50 per metric tonne, for lithium sold to any company based in Imperial County that uses it to make makes finished products, such as batteries.
- Lithium end-customers can also get the same level of tax rebate if they purchase lithium from a producer based in Imperial County and use it to create finished products.
As noted in the November publication of BloombergNEF’s annual report into involvement in the lithium battery supply chain by country, being a key supplier of raw materials or components is not enough to capture a significant portion of the battery production value chain.
Countries like Chile, South Africa and Democratic Republic of Congo are resource-rich, but still experience low demand for finished products that use batteries such as electric vehicles, and have little to no battery manufacturing or materials processing capacity.
Imperial County’s latest play appears to be a move to ensure that doesn’t happen in Southern California.
One company recently said it is already looking to make batteries in Imperial Valley. Startup Statevolt said in late January that it has secured a 135-hectare site in the region for a 54GWh battery gigafactory.
Statevolt is already partnered with CTR for lithium and geothermal power supply. The company said the recently-enacted Inflation Reduction Act provided “significant impetus to accelerate its plans” in the region.
https://www.energy-storage.news/cal...-incentivise-battery-value-chain-investments/
Smart thing to do.
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Oh no, private companies can’t rape, pillage, and destroy our national landmarks for profit.
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With this $80 Million investment from the State government, the highly-skilled workforce needed for this industry in the future will be home-grown on the SDSU Imperial Valley campus.
San Diego State University President Joins California Governor Newsom for Lithium Valley Progress Update
The visit comes on the heels of Gov. Newsom’s $80 million allocation of state funds for a new STEM facility on SDSU Imperial Valley’s Brawley campus.
By John Chier | April 4, 2023
San Diego State University President Adela de la Torre joined California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Imperial County officials Monday to give an update on progress toward the state and country’s ambitious goals for Lithium Valley.
The group spoke at Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR) U.S. headquarters at a lithium-extraction plant in Calipatria near the Salton Sea, 130 miles east of San Diego. The region was coined “Lithium Valley” following the discovery of one of the world’s largest underground reserves of the light metal, an element key for the creation of batteries and other renewable-energy technologies. Estimates place the amount of lithium available for sustainable extraction at up to 15 million metric tons, enough to supply one-third of global demand. The lithium has a potential value of $500 billion to $1 trillion.
Government, industry and community leaders at the event all spoke to a strong partnership at the local, state and federal levels, not only economically, but also with respect to the environment and the ideals of equity and inclusion for local residents.
“There’s a sense of urgency to meet this moment and meet the needs of this community. It’s about people and the lived experience,” said Newsom. “When we talk about equity, we’re not just talking about righting past wrongs, we’re talking about creating new opportunities and partnerships. There has never been a commitment of this scale and opportunity in this state.”
SDSU and state officials are aligned in believing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education is a vital pathway to unlocking career and economic development opportunities for the region.
“We’re going to be able to have homegrown highly skilled individuals not only with bachelor’s degrees but, with the new legislation moving forward, with doctoral degrees in manufacturing engineering and chemistry,” said de la Torre. “This is important because we need to produce jobs for people who are here and we have to create wealth that stays here.”
Following an investment by SDSU for new faculty, student centers, counselors, research programs, and academic and student-life infrastructure at SDSU Imperial Valley, Newsom championed an additional $80 million investment from the state in its 2022-23 budget to create a new STEM building on the SDSU Imperial Valley Brawley campus. It will include state-of-the-art classrooms, labs, offices, core facilities and collaborative spaces for public and private partners to work side by side with faculty and students. It will also give SDSU Imperial Valley the capacity to double enrollment, from 1,000 to 2,000 students.
“Our plans for more educational opportunities, more degree access, and more economic development align perfectly with the local, state and federal excitement over Lithium Valley,” said de la Torre. “Our graduates will go on to become the highly skilled workforce that Lithium Valley needs to thrive. And this historic initiative will drive not just the Valley’s economy, but the energy needs of our nation.”
The SDSU STEM building is expected to open in the fall of 2025. With campuses in Brawley and Calexico, SDSU is the only four-year public university in the region and is making affordable four-year STEM degrees available in Imperial Valley for the first time. Along with chemists and engineers needed for lithium extraction, SDSU will train graduates for other high-quality careers that will come with the region’s economic development and growing population, including health care workers, teachers, business leaders and public-service experts.
de la Torre emphasized the importance of the public-private partnership in the expansion of the SDSU Brawley campus, which will create opportunities not only for classroom education but also for student internships and high-paying careers. She earned cheers from attendees when she drew parallels between the progress in Lithium Valley and the success of the campus’s beloved basketball team.
“Friday, we will be playing Alabama and I want you to know that many pundits said we would not reach that point,” she said about the Aztecs reaching its third NCAA Sweet 16 in school history. “Five years ago, people said we’re not going to reach this point in Imperial Valley, and look at us today…this a great day for Lithium Valley and it’s a great day for San Diego State.”
Imperial Valley is a historically underserved region with a poverty rate of approximately 40 percent higher and an unemployment rate four times higher than the State of California overall.
According to CTR CEO Rod Colwell, his company’s plant is already extracting enough lithium, in a clean closed-loop system, to supply 5 million electric-vehicle (EV) batteries per year. Five million EVs on the road, he said, replaces the use of 1.95 billion gallons of gasoline per year and eliminates the creation of 23 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from exhaust emissions. CTR has long-term agreements in place to supply EV products and technologies to major automakers and foresees the creation of up to 12,000 local green jobs.
California Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella) praised Newsom in his remarks. “You said Imperial County would be a large part of your climate and environmental goals and they are, so thank you for living up to that commitment,” he said. “The state has already committed $1.5 billion to the region and we’re talking about doing more to reinforce the vision that’s been laid. This is only the beginning.”
U.S. Congressman Raul Ruiz (D-Indio) echoed de la Torre’s commitment to ensuring that, with an eye toward sustainability, Lithium Valley creates opportunity and prosperity for the residents of Imperial Valley.
“All of this is about people and about the human faces here who have been left out and left behind,” he said. “It’s the people who live here who rely on these jobs and who breathe this air. Lithium Valley will protect our community’s health while advancing their opportunity to advance and grow.”
https://newscenter.sdsu.edu/sdsu_newscenter/news_story.aspx?sid=79134
San Diego State University President Joins California Governor Newsom for Lithium Valley Progress Update
The visit comes on the heels of Gov. Newsom’s $80 million allocation of state funds for a new STEM facility on SDSU Imperial Valley’s Brawley campus.
By John Chier | April 4, 2023
San Diego State University President Adela de la Torre joined California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Imperial County officials Monday to give an update on progress toward the state and country’s ambitious goals for Lithium Valley.
The group spoke at Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR) U.S. headquarters at a lithium-extraction plant in Calipatria near the Salton Sea, 130 miles east of San Diego. The region was coined “Lithium Valley” following the discovery of one of the world’s largest underground reserves of the light metal, an element key for the creation of batteries and other renewable-energy technologies. Estimates place the amount of lithium available for sustainable extraction at up to 15 million metric tons, enough to supply one-third of global demand. The lithium has a potential value of $500 billion to $1 trillion.
Government, industry and community leaders at the event all spoke to a strong partnership at the local, state and federal levels, not only economically, but also with respect to the environment and the ideals of equity and inclusion for local residents.
“There’s a sense of urgency to meet this moment and meet the needs of this community. It’s about people and the lived experience,” said Newsom. “When we talk about equity, we’re not just talking about righting past wrongs, we’re talking about creating new opportunities and partnerships. There has never been a commitment of this scale and opportunity in this state.”
SDSU and state officials are aligned in believing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education is a vital pathway to unlocking career and economic development opportunities for the region.
“We’re going to be able to have homegrown highly skilled individuals not only with bachelor’s degrees but, with the new legislation moving forward, with doctoral degrees in manufacturing engineering and chemistry,” said de la Torre. “This is important because we need to produce jobs for people who are here and we have to create wealth that stays here.”
Following an investment by SDSU for new faculty, student centers, counselors, research programs, and academic and student-life infrastructure at SDSU Imperial Valley, Newsom championed an additional $80 million investment from the state in its 2022-23 budget to create a new STEM building on the SDSU Imperial Valley Brawley campus. It will include state-of-the-art classrooms, labs, offices, core facilities and collaborative spaces for public and private partners to work side by side with faculty and students. It will also give SDSU Imperial Valley the capacity to double enrollment, from 1,000 to 2,000 students.
“Our plans for more educational opportunities, more degree access, and more economic development align perfectly with the local, state and federal excitement over Lithium Valley,” said de la Torre. “Our graduates will go on to become the highly skilled workforce that Lithium Valley needs to thrive. And this historic initiative will drive not just the Valley’s economy, but the energy needs of our nation.”
The SDSU STEM building is expected to open in the fall of 2025. With campuses in Brawley and Calexico, SDSU is the only four-year public university in the region and is making affordable four-year STEM degrees available in Imperial Valley for the first time. Along with chemists and engineers needed for lithium extraction, SDSU will train graduates for other high-quality careers that will come with the region’s economic development and growing population, including health care workers, teachers, business leaders and public-service experts.
de la Torre emphasized the importance of the public-private partnership in the expansion of the SDSU Brawley campus, which will create opportunities not only for classroom education but also for student internships and high-paying careers. She earned cheers from attendees when she drew parallels between the progress in Lithium Valley and the success of the campus’s beloved basketball team.
“Friday, we will be playing Alabama and I want you to know that many pundits said we would not reach that point,” she said about the Aztecs reaching its third NCAA Sweet 16 in school history. “Five years ago, people said we’re not going to reach this point in Imperial Valley, and look at us today…this a great day for Lithium Valley and it’s a great day for San Diego State.”
Imperial Valley is a historically underserved region with a poverty rate of approximately 40 percent higher and an unemployment rate four times higher than the State of California overall.
According to CTR CEO Rod Colwell, his company’s plant is already extracting enough lithium, in a clean closed-loop system, to supply 5 million electric-vehicle (EV) batteries per year. Five million EVs on the road, he said, replaces the use of 1.95 billion gallons of gasoline per year and eliminates the creation of 23 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from exhaust emissions. CTR has long-term agreements in place to supply EV products and technologies to major automakers and foresees the creation of up to 12,000 local green jobs.
California Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella) praised Newsom in his remarks. “You said Imperial County would be a large part of your climate and environmental goals and they are, so thank you for living up to that commitment,” he said. “The state has already committed $1.5 billion to the region and we’re talking about doing more to reinforce the vision that’s been laid. This is only the beginning.”
U.S. Congressman Raul Ruiz (D-Indio) echoed de la Torre’s commitment to ensuring that, with an eye toward sustainability, Lithium Valley creates opportunity and prosperity for the residents of Imperial Valley.
“All of this is about people and about the human faces here who have been left out and left behind,” he said. “It’s the people who live here who rely on these jobs and who breathe this air. Lithium Valley will protect our community’s health while advancing their opportunity to advance and grow.”
https://newscenter.sdsu.edu/sdsu_newscenter/news_story.aspx?sid=79134
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15 million tons is quite the find. Estimates are we would need up 450,000 tons to convert our cars in just the US to electric.
This solves part of that problem at least depending how long it will take to exploit. We still need lots of nickel, cobalt, manganese and platinum.
This solves part of that problem at least depending how long it will take to exploit. We still need lots of nickel, cobalt, manganese and platinum.
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The promise of lithium sparks a gold rush in Imperial Valley
By Thomas Fudge / Science and Technology Reporter | October 13, 2022
The geothermal plant established by San Diego-based EnergySource looks like a refinery, sitting on the flat desert land of the Imperial Valley. It was built in the township of Calipatria in 2006, and since then, it has produced geothermal energy by extracting searing, hot water that is found underground.
But that underground lake has something more than just heat.
The water is loaded with minerals ready to be mined, including manganese, zinc and lithium. It’s lithium that has spawned a flurry of construction and speculation as the demand for lithium car batteries rockets into the stratosphere.
“We started out looking at manganese, zinc and lithium,” said Eric Spomer, the CEO of what they now call EnergySource Minerals. “But it became clear pretty quickly that all anybody wanted to talk about was lithium.”
Spomer said the business plan of EnergySource always envisioned a mining operation. Now that the focus is lithium, they are planning to build a $1 billion expansion to pull that now-precious metal from the same salty brine water that has been generating geothermal energy.
“When you ask: How do you finance a billion-dollar project? Given everything we’ve done here, that it’s fully permitted, that we have a definitive feasibility study done, it’s not about whether we can raise the money. It’s about what (the financing) is going to look like,” Spomer said.
EnergySource Minerals isn’t the only game in town. Berkshire Hathaway Energy and Australia-based Controlled Thermal Resources are also planning to mine lithium in Imperial County, using a new technical process called Direct Lithium Extraction.
People have started calling the area “Lithium Valley.” Governor Newsom has signed a bill to tax future lithium extraction, and to start splitting up the revenues between Imperial County and the effort to restore the Salton Sea.
This is happening in one of California’s most impoverished counties, where the unemployment rate has historically exceeded 20%. Local advocates say they want to be sure the “lithium gold rush” isn’t just something that benefits outside industry.
“Every time there’s an opportunity, we’ve been exploited,” said Luis Olmedo, executive director of the Comite Civico del Valle, an organization that serves farm workers and other disadvantaged communities.
“We’re going to pull together because if we don’t work together in unity, every interested party that sees a financial opportunity is going to tear us apart. And we’re going to end up with nothing but extraction, and no benefits in our own community.”
Direct Lithium Extraction: A new tool in mining.
You’ll find lithium near the top of the Table of Periodic Elements, just below Hydrogen. It’s a lightweight metal that is very efficient at storing energy. More than three decades ago, Sony began using lithium batteries in their mobile Walkman players.
Soon came smartphones and then the electric car.
Lithium mining has taken place in China and South America. It is typically done in open pit mines or through use of evaporation ponds, where lithium-rich brine water is left to dry up before the metal is taken.
Neither method is environmentally friendly. But the lithium mining that is planned for Imperial County promises to be different, using Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE).
Wearing jeans and a hardhat, Spomer shows me a shaded lot near his company’s geothermal plant where they pilot tested their own DLE technology, called ILiAD.
“It’s the cleanest lithium source in the world, and that’s not hyperbole,” he said, “compared to evaporation ponds and hard-rock mining. The carbon footprint is almost zero. The physical footprint is very small, in comparison, and the water use is very low,” he said.
At the EnergySource plant, that hot brine water that’s also used for geothermal energy will be funneled to the surface where it will be run through the ILiAD device. There, the water is pushed through a filter, also called a media.
“The media attracts the lithium ion and lets everything else pass through,” he said. “So it goes in, gets attracted to the absorbent, everything else washes through and then we come back with a lithium-spiked solution that causes all those lithium ions to be released from the absorbent.”
People in the business say the beauty of mining lithium at a geothermal plant is that the brine water is ultimately pumped back below ground, returning to the water table. Energy use is also efficient, due to the abundant supply of geothermal power.
EnergySource turned over operation of the plant to Cyrq Energy in July of this year. But EnergySource Minerals has exclusive rights to take the brine water and extract minerals from it, before Cyrq injects it back underground.
In fact, lithium mining could be the factor that makes geothermal power financially feasible. Geothermal plants are expensive to build and operate, and the energy source is being undercut by increasingly inexpensive wind and solar power.
But add lithium mining to the equation, and suddenly geothermal makes a lot more financial sense.
“If we can open up the economic viability of developing more geothermal power in this region, we can take a lot of load off the western grid because we can continue to produce very clean energy, using geothermal power,” said Carmen Rene, chief financial officer for EnergySource Minerals.
EnergySource expects their Imperial Valley plant will produce 20,000 tons of battery-specified lithium a year. But for all the promise of Direct Lithium Extraction technology, Spomer admits what they plan to do has never been done before.
“On a real commercial scale, doing pure DLE, this will be groundbreaking,” said Spomer.
Others might say it's not fully tested.
Who will profit from Lithium Valley?
Maria Nava Froelich has a comfortable, lived-in office where she works at the Calipatria school district. She is also the Mayor Pro Tem of Calipatria. She said there is a lot that is missing from her town.
“Visit our communities and see for yourself how rural and how impoverished we are. We want to thrive like other municipalities, like other communities,” Nava said.
The realities of high unemployment, lack of retail businesses and few career opportunities have been as stifling here as the triple digit temperatures. And some people in Imperial County say distribution of what money there is, has not been equitable.
Luis Olmedo, with Comite Civico del Valle, mentioned the example of the solar power development on land that used to be farms.
“The landowners get to negotiate their leases, so they get taken care of,” Olmedo said. “But because the farmworkers often aren’t organized and don’t have a very strong voice, they get sort of lost in the conversation.”
Olmedo said this time things were different.
Thanks to political pressure from the Imperial Valley the California legislature passed a law, signed by Governor Newsom, that will levy an excise tax on every ton of lithium that is recovered in the valley. That tax revenue, every cent, is staying in the county.
California assemblyman, Democrat Eduardo Garcia, who represents the Imperial Valley, tells where the money’s going to go.
“Eighty percent will go to the County for purposes of reinvestment into the community. Thirty percent of the 80% will be directed to communities closest to the lithium recovery activities,” Garcia said. “The remaining 20% will be reinvested back into Salton Sea management efforts.”
What kind of reinvestment could take place in the community?
“We heard from community residents that if you live in the North End, there are issues related to water and sewer infrastructure, “ Garcia said, referring to communities that lie close to the lithium mining projects.
“We’ve heard from community members that they’re looking for investments that will lead to economic development opportunities. There’s a town on the North End that doesn’t have a grocery store.”
Members of industry were not excited about the tax, which will ultimately reach $800 per ton of lithium recovered.
“When the governor’s office indicated they were going to support this industry, we were thankful. That’s great,” EnergySouce CEO Spomer said. “But the first thing that happened is they put a $800 a ton lithium tax on us. And I was kind of shocked that was how they were going to help this industry take off.”
But Spomer adds that his company has come to terms with the tax, and most people in the Imperial Valley are optimistic about becoming Lithium Valley.
"We think it's a game changer for our community. We think it's going to bring a lot of jobs, community benefits. We do support the excise tax," Nava Froelich said.
In a related development, San Diego State University received an $80 million check from the state to build a STEM research and education facility at its Imperial Valley campus in Brawley. Vice Provost Tong said they want to focus on science and technology subjects, and hopefully add to a growing technical industry related to mining and making lithium products.
“This is a moment in history and time when we really can transform the valley,” said SDSU President Adela de la Torre at a recent community forum.
“It’s a moment where the stars have aligned if you will, so that we can create a vision that allows our students to stay in the valley, have opportunities in the valley, and become the leader in the valley in so many different ways.”
We don’t know when that kind of future may arrive. We do know that EnergySource Minerals hopes to begin construction of their lithium mining facility by the end of this year, and start extracting the metal in 2025.
https://www.kpbs.org/news/local/202...lithium-sparks-a-gold-rush-in-imperial-valley
Man, the USA is a massive, huge, enormous area.
It's hard to imagine there aren't abundant fields of most precious minerals and metals somewhere.
The fact the US hasn't pillaged it's own reserves already is a good thing going forward.
Good find!
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Getting in the lithium battery supply chain is a 5heads move, but if they're REALLY smart, they should also look into refining medical-grade lithium, which remains the gold standard in medication against bi-polar and depression disorders. That's a multi-billion dollars industry ripe for the taking.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2755168/
https://journalbipolardisorders.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40345-020-00215-z
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24825489/
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GM upping its investment with another $50 Million:
Exclusive: General Motors moves deeper into mining with EnergyX lithium investment
By Ernest Scheyder | April 11, 2023
/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/O3IBVBJIRVMODC7XIIWRTWDPNU.jpg)
(Reuters) - General Motors Co (GM.N) on Tuesday said it will invest in lithium technology startup EnergyX as it expands further into the mining industry, the latest deal by the car maker to ensure long-term supplies of the metal used to make electric vehicle batteries.
The global push by automakers to electrify their fleets has sparked a rush for stable supplies of lithium, copper, nickel and other critical minerals. Demand is expected to exceed supply by the end of the decade, fueling interest in novel production methods.
Privately-held EnergyX is one of several companies developing so-far unproven direct lithium extraction technologies (DLE) that could help GM filter the metal for its Ultium battery packs from some types of brine that have been largely ignored by the mining industry in favor of evaporation ponds and open-pit mines.
Brine deposits are essentially salt-infused waters found throughout the globe. Many teem with lithium, calcium and other minerals, and DLE technologies aim to separate out the lithium and leave the rest.
As part of the investment, GM's scientists will work to help EnergyX commercialize the DLE technology, trying to succeed where it, rivals Rio Tinto Ltd (RIO.AX), BMW (BMWG.DE)-backed Lilac Solutions Inc and others have so far failed. GM told Reuters it believes DLE "could be the most efficient method to extract lithium from brine sources."
The automaker plans to lead a Series B round of financing for EnergyX worth $50 million and to help finance EnergyX's future expansion across North and South America. Reuters first reported GM's investment earlier on Tuesday.
GM, which declined to say how much of the Series B round it was funding, will have the right of first refusal to buy lithium from any projects that EnergyX develops.
"We are committed to securing EV-critical minerals that are sustainable and cost competitive," said Jeff Morrison, GM's vice president of global purchasing and supply.
EnergyX, also known as Energy Exploration Technologies Inc, has said it aims to launch an initial public offering by 2024. As part of any IPO, private equity firm Global Emerging Markets Group plans to invest $450 million in EnergyX once shares begin trading.
LITHIUM METAL FROM BRINE
EnergyX has said its technology can make lithium metal directly from brine, a tantalizing prospect for GM that could let the automaker bypass lithium refining, which is widely seen as a key supply-chain bottleneck.
The EnergyX investment comes after GM in January agreed to pay $650 million to become the largest shareholder in Lithium Americas Corp (LAC.TO), which is developing the Thacker Pass clay lithium project in Nevada.
The automaker in 2021 also invested in privately held Controlled Thermal Resources Ltd (CTR), which is trying to use DLE technology to develop a geothermal brine project in southern California.
GM's investment is a major vote of confidence in EnergyX, which was stung last year when officials in Bolivia - home to the world's largest lithium resource - disqualified the startup from a DLE selection process.
"This GM investment will completely change the trajectory of EnergyX," said Teague Egan, the startup company's founder and chief executive.
EnergyX is building five demonstration facilities that it plans to locate in Argentina, Chile, and in the U.S. states of California, Arkansas and Utah. Potential customers would supply brine from acreage that they own in order to test EnergyX's technology, before signing any development deal.
The sites selected in the United States are near existing lithium brine reserves owned by Standard Lithium Ltd (SLI.V), Compass Minerals International Inc (CMP.N) and CTR, each of whom has selected a DLE technology provider but not yet launched production.
GM said it is working with CTR and EnergyX to find the best technology to extract lithium from California's Salton Sea, where CTR has been trying to use technology from Lilac Solutions, Koch Industries and others to produce the battery metal.
"With CTR we have a great resource and with EnergyX we have a great potential technology," said GM spokesperson Priscilla Zuchowski.
https://www.reuters.com/business/au...g-with-energyx-lithium-investment-2023-04-11/
Exclusive: General Motors moves deeper into mining with EnergyX lithium investment
By Ernest Scheyder | April 11, 2023
(Reuters) - General Motors Co (GM.N) on Tuesday said it will invest in lithium technology startup EnergyX as it expands further into the mining industry, the latest deal by the car maker to ensure long-term supplies of the metal used to make electric vehicle batteries.
The global push by automakers to electrify their fleets has sparked a rush for stable supplies of lithium, copper, nickel and other critical minerals. Demand is expected to exceed supply by the end of the decade, fueling interest in novel production methods.
Privately-held EnergyX is one of several companies developing so-far unproven direct lithium extraction technologies (DLE) that could help GM filter the metal for its Ultium battery packs from some types of brine that have been largely ignored by the mining industry in favor of evaporation ponds and open-pit mines.
Brine deposits are essentially salt-infused waters found throughout the globe. Many teem with lithium, calcium and other minerals, and DLE technologies aim to separate out the lithium and leave the rest.
As part of the investment, GM's scientists will work to help EnergyX commercialize the DLE technology, trying to succeed where it, rivals Rio Tinto Ltd (RIO.AX), BMW (BMWG.DE)-backed Lilac Solutions Inc and others have so far failed. GM told Reuters it believes DLE "could be the most efficient method to extract lithium from brine sources."
The automaker plans to lead a Series B round of financing for EnergyX worth $50 million and to help finance EnergyX's future expansion across North and South America. Reuters first reported GM's investment earlier on Tuesday.
GM, which declined to say how much of the Series B round it was funding, will have the right of first refusal to buy lithium from any projects that EnergyX develops.
"We are committed to securing EV-critical minerals that are sustainable and cost competitive," said Jeff Morrison, GM's vice president of global purchasing and supply.
EnergyX, also known as Energy Exploration Technologies Inc, has said it aims to launch an initial public offering by 2024. As part of any IPO, private equity firm Global Emerging Markets Group plans to invest $450 million in EnergyX once shares begin trading.
LITHIUM METAL FROM BRINE
EnergyX has said its technology can make lithium metal directly from brine, a tantalizing prospect for GM that could let the automaker bypass lithium refining, which is widely seen as a key supply-chain bottleneck.
The EnergyX investment comes after GM in January agreed to pay $650 million to become the largest shareholder in Lithium Americas Corp (LAC.TO), which is developing the Thacker Pass clay lithium project in Nevada.
The automaker in 2021 also invested in privately held Controlled Thermal Resources Ltd (CTR), which is trying to use DLE technology to develop a geothermal brine project in southern California.
GM's investment is a major vote of confidence in EnergyX, which was stung last year when officials in Bolivia - home to the world's largest lithium resource - disqualified the startup from a DLE selection process.
"This GM investment will completely change the trajectory of EnergyX," said Teague Egan, the startup company's founder and chief executive.
EnergyX is building five demonstration facilities that it plans to locate in Argentina, Chile, and in the U.S. states of California, Arkansas and Utah. Potential customers would supply brine from acreage that they own in order to test EnergyX's technology, before signing any development deal.
The sites selected in the United States are near existing lithium brine reserves owned by Standard Lithium Ltd (SLI.V), Compass Minerals International Inc (CMP.N) and CTR, each of whom has selected a DLE technology provider but not yet launched production.
GM said it is working with CTR and EnergyX to find the best technology to extract lithium from California's Salton Sea, where CTR has been trying to use technology from Lilac Solutions, Koch Industries and others to produce the battery metal.
"With CTR we have a great resource and with EnergyX we have a great potential technology," said GM spokesperson Priscilla Zuchowski.
https://www.reuters.com/business/au...g-with-energyx-lithium-investment-2023-04-11/
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- 70,671
GM upping its investment with another $50 Million:
Exclusive: General Motors moves deeper into mining with EnergyX lithium investment
By Ernest Scheyder | April 11, 2023
(Reuters) - General Motors Co (GM.N) on Tuesday said it will invest in lithium technology startup EnergyX as it expands further into the mining industry, the latest deal by the car maker to ensure long-term supplies of the metal used to make electric vehicle batteries.
The global push by automakers to electrify their fleets has sparked a rush for stable supplies of lithium, copper, nickel and other critical minerals. Demand is expected to exceed supply by the end of the decade, fueling interest in novel production methods.
Privately-held EnergyX is one of several companies developing so-far unproven direct lithium extraction technologies (DLE) that could help GM filter the metal for its Ultium battery packs from some types of brine that have been largely ignored by the mining industry in favor of evaporation ponds and open-pit mines.
Brine deposits are essentially salt-infused waters found throughout the globe. Many teem with lithium, calcium and other minerals, and DLE technologies aim to separate out the lithium and leave the rest.
As part of the investment, GM's scientists will work to help EnergyX commercialize the DLE technology, trying to succeed where it, rivals Rio Tinto Ltd (RIO.AX), BMW (BMWG.DE)-backed Lilac Solutions Inc and others have so far failed. GM told Reuters it believes DLE "could be the most efficient method to extract lithium from brine sources."
The automaker plans to lead a Series B round of financing for EnergyX worth $50 million and to help finance EnergyX's future expansion across North and South America. Reuters first reported GM's investment earlier on Tuesday.
GM, which declined to say how much of the Series B round it was funding, will have the right of first refusal to buy lithium from any projects that EnergyX develops.
"We are committed to securing EV-critical minerals that are sustainable and cost competitive," said Jeff Morrison, GM's vice president of global purchasing and supply.
EnergyX, also known as Energy Exploration Technologies Inc, has said it aims to launch an initial public offering by 2024. As part of any IPO, private equity firm Global Emerging Markets Group plans to invest $450 million in EnergyX once shares begin trading.
LITHIUM METAL FROM BRINE
EnergyX has said its technology can make lithium metal directly from brine, a tantalizing prospect for GM that could let the automaker bypass lithium refining, which is widely seen as a key supply-chain bottleneck.
The EnergyX investment comes after GM in January agreed to pay $650 million to become the largest shareholder in Lithium Americas Corp (LAC.TO), which is developing the Thacker Pass clay lithium project in Nevada.
The automaker in 2021 also invested in privately held Controlled Thermal Resources Ltd (CTR), which is trying to use DLE technology to develop a geothermal brine project in southern California.
GM's investment is a major vote of confidence in EnergyX, which was stung last year when officials in Bolivia - home to the world's largest lithium resource - disqualified the startup from a DLE selection process.
"This GM investment will completely change the trajectory of EnergyX," said Teague Egan, the startup company's founder and chief executive.
EnergyX is building five demonstration facilities that it plans to locate in Argentina, Chile, and in the U.S. states of California, Arkansas and Utah. Potential customers would supply brine from acreage that they own in order to test EnergyX's technology, before signing any development deal.
The sites selected in the United States are near existing lithium brine reserves owned by Standard Lithium Ltd (SLI.V), Compass Minerals International Inc (CMP.N) and CTR, each of whom has selected a DLE technology provider but not yet launched production.
GM said it is working with CTR and EnergyX to find the best technology to extract lithium from California's Salton Sea, where CTR has been trying to use technology from Lilac Solutions, Koch Industries and others to produce the battery metal.
"With CTR we have a great resource and with EnergyX we have a great potential technology," said GM spokesperson Priscilla Zuchowski.
https://www.reuters.com/business/au...g-with-energyx-lithium-investment-2023-04-11/
What's better than buying from the source?
Investing in the source and owning part of it.
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Lithium Valley: Imperial County offers rebates, tax breaks to developers
By JANET WILSON | Palm Springs Desert Sun
U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm, center front, U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-La Quinta, left, and Lithium Valley Commission Chairperson Silvia Paz
Aiming to build momentum on "Lithium Valley" development plans, Imperial County supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to offer rebates, tax breaks and other possible incentives to any company seeking to produce and use the mineral in the county.
Lithium is a critical component in electric vehicles and smart phones, and prices have soared along with demand in recent years, as the U.S., China and others step up EV production as part of climate change and clean energy policies. One of the world's largest potential reserves of lithium sits deep underground in a vast, boiling geothermal pool in northern Imperial County.
New incentives approved by the board of supervisors include a $50 per-metric-ton rebate on the state's new lithium severance tax, if local producers sell what they produce to an in-county manufacturer, who could also receive rebates. California legislators voted in June to impose flat taxes on lithium producers, ranging from $400 to $800 per ton depending on amounts produced, over howls of protest from two start-up lithium extraction companies, EnergySource Minerals and Controlled Thermal Resources.
On Tuesday, board chair Ryan Kelley said EnergySource, for instance, could earn $1 million a year in tax rebates if it produced 20,000 metric tons of lithium and sold them to a lithium ion battery manufacturer located in Imperial County. The board also voted to opt into a state capital investment program that provides up to 10 years worth of partial property tax reductions. A $1 billion qualified capital investment could receive as much as $80 million off property taxes over a decade, Kelley said.
Calling the package "a great step in the right direction," Controlled Thermal Resources CEO Rod Colwell said in an email, “The County of Imperial’s incentives announcement today was very encouraging. When selecting a location to invest billions of dollars and generate thousands of jobs, one of the highest priorities for battery manufacturing companies is robust incentive packages."
"This could have great potential," agreed EnergySource President and CEO Eric Spomer in an email. "We are reviewing this in detail right now. The specific details are very important in these types of actions."
On Tuesday, representatives from all three companies were on the dais with Kelley, in an apparent show of support for the new policies and requests.
"I got them all smiling," said Kelley afterward.
More than $1 billion in federal funds sought
County officials now also want hefty federal funds, fresh off winning $400 million in state funds last year to amp up lithium environmental reviews and approvals, to evaluate potential health risks and to construct a STEM campus in Brawley. The new requests include $1 billion for a freight rail terminus and expanded tracks to ship lithium out of the county to the ports of New Orleans, Long Beach and elsewhere if necessary, and $50 million to pave roads and repair bridges and canal crossings in the impoverished, rural area designated for potential lithium development.
They are seeking continued help from U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Indio, who represents Imperial County and has highlighted its potential to transform the area with billions in new industry. They'd like him to convene a a bipartisan tour of the designated "Lithium Valley" development zone, and to help win placement of a qualified federal staffer in Imperial County to serve as a direct liaison to the Energy and Commerce departments and other federal agencies and officials with access to funds.
Ruiz's spokeswoman said late Tuesday that he has already spoken with the Commerce Secretary about the region's potential, and, having helped host Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm early last year, is committed to collaborating with county officials on official visits, staffing and collaborative funding efforts.
In a statement, Ruiz stressed Lithium Valley's location near the polluted, fast-dwindling Salton Sea, and said he would work hard to bring in more federal officials and funds: "Today, the Imperial County Board of Supervisors took an important step forward in realizing the full potential of the lithium at the Salton Sea. I have long envisioned a Salton Sea region that leads the way in renewable energy development in an environmentally conscious manner."
Ruiz, who had his district lines adjusted last year, also said, "As the new federal representative for Imperial County, I commend the Board of Supervisors for their commitment to this same vision, and I am excited for us to collaborate closely to build on the Board’s good work announced today. I look forward to inviting more federal stakeholders — like Energy Secretary Granholm who visited last year — to our region to witness first hand the opportunities we have right here in Imperial Valley to help our nation."
Significant federal infrastructure and Inflation Reduction Act funds have already been doled out to other counties and states for domestic supply chain investments, including EV battery and automobile manufacturers of the type that Imperial County hopes to woo here.
So far, a company called Statevolt has announced plans to build a battery plant in Imperial County. But General Motors, major Korean battery manufacturers and others have also expressed interest.
"Samsung, LG, Panasonic, come to Imperial County," said Kelley on Tuesday, in a direct appeal to some of the world's largest battery manufacturers. "We'll give you some carne asada, and we'll show you where it's at."
https://www.desertsun.com/story/new...rebates-tax-breaks-to-developers/69882803007/
By JANET WILSON | Palm Springs Desert Sun
U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm, center front, U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-La Quinta, left, and Lithium Valley Commission Chairperson Silvia Paz
Aiming to build momentum on "Lithium Valley" development plans, Imperial County supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to offer rebates, tax breaks and other possible incentives to any company seeking to produce and use the mineral in the county.
Lithium is a critical component in electric vehicles and smart phones, and prices have soared along with demand in recent years, as the U.S., China and others step up EV production as part of climate change and clean energy policies. One of the world's largest potential reserves of lithium sits deep underground in a vast, boiling geothermal pool in northern Imperial County.
New incentives approved by the board of supervisors include a $50 per-metric-ton rebate on the state's new lithium severance tax, if local producers sell what they produce to an in-county manufacturer, who could also receive rebates. California legislators voted in June to impose flat taxes on lithium producers, ranging from $400 to $800 per ton depending on amounts produced, over howls of protest from two start-up lithium extraction companies, EnergySource Minerals and Controlled Thermal Resources.
On Tuesday, board chair Ryan Kelley said EnergySource, for instance, could earn $1 million a year in tax rebates if it produced 20,000 metric tons of lithium and sold them to a lithium ion battery manufacturer located in Imperial County. The board also voted to opt into a state capital investment program that provides up to 10 years worth of partial property tax reductions. A $1 billion qualified capital investment could receive as much as $80 million off property taxes over a decade, Kelley said.
Calling the package "a great step in the right direction," Controlled Thermal Resources CEO Rod Colwell said in an email, “The County of Imperial’s incentives announcement today was very encouraging. When selecting a location to invest billions of dollars and generate thousands of jobs, one of the highest priorities for battery manufacturing companies is robust incentive packages."
"This could have great potential," agreed EnergySource President and CEO Eric Spomer in an email. "We are reviewing this in detail right now. The specific details are very important in these types of actions."
On Tuesday, representatives from all three companies were on the dais with Kelley, in an apparent show of support for the new policies and requests.
"I got them all smiling," said Kelley afterward.
More than $1 billion in federal funds sought
County officials now also want hefty federal funds, fresh off winning $400 million in state funds last year to amp up lithium environmental reviews and approvals, to evaluate potential health risks and to construct a STEM campus in Brawley. The new requests include $1 billion for a freight rail terminus and expanded tracks to ship lithium out of the county to the ports of New Orleans, Long Beach and elsewhere if necessary, and $50 million to pave roads and repair bridges and canal crossings in the impoverished, rural area designated for potential lithium development.
They are seeking continued help from U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Indio, who represents Imperial County and has highlighted its potential to transform the area with billions in new industry. They'd like him to convene a a bipartisan tour of the designated "Lithium Valley" development zone, and to help win placement of a qualified federal staffer in Imperial County to serve as a direct liaison to the Energy and Commerce departments and other federal agencies and officials with access to funds.
Ruiz's spokeswoman said late Tuesday that he has already spoken with the Commerce Secretary about the region's potential, and, having helped host Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm early last year, is committed to collaborating with county officials on official visits, staffing and collaborative funding efforts.
In a statement, Ruiz stressed Lithium Valley's location near the polluted, fast-dwindling Salton Sea, and said he would work hard to bring in more federal officials and funds: "Today, the Imperial County Board of Supervisors took an important step forward in realizing the full potential of the lithium at the Salton Sea. I have long envisioned a Salton Sea region that leads the way in renewable energy development in an environmentally conscious manner."
Ruiz, who had his district lines adjusted last year, also said, "As the new federal representative for Imperial County, I commend the Board of Supervisors for their commitment to this same vision, and I am excited for us to collaborate closely to build on the Board’s good work announced today. I look forward to inviting more federal stakeholders — like Energy Secretary Granholm who visited last year — to our region to witness first hand the opportunities we have right here in Imperial Valley to help our nation."
Significant federal infrastructure and Inflation Reduction Act funds have already been doled out to other counties and states for domestic supply chain investments, including EV battery and automobile manufacturers of the type that Imperial County hopes to woo here.
So far, a company called Statevolt has announced plans to build a battery plant in Imperial County. But General Motors, major Korean battery manufacturers and others have also expressed interest.
"Samsung, LG, Panasonic, come to Imperial County," said Kelley on Tuesday, in a direct appeal to some of the world's largest battery manufacturers. "We'll give you some carne asada, and we'll show you where it's at."
https://www.desertsun.com/story/new...rebates-tax-breaks-to-developers/69882803007/
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Sound like a good find for the state and a ltof good jobs.
Waiting for the other shoe to drop and the democrats regulate it out of any profit and make it impossible to get.
Waiting for all those die hard leftist the start the protest to stop the fascist industries from raping the land and the workers. "This is the people's and they should have complete control over it".
However al the money will be needed to pay the reparations they owe.
Last edited:
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Oh yeah... because all those blue states are doing SO POORLY thanks to the evil "democrat regulations", while red state economy is SURGING AHEAD thanks to all the deregulations, one train derailment at a time...
Oh wait...
blah blah blah communism, blah blah blah woke, blah blah blah diversity, blah blah blah reparations
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Blah blah, who gets fed money.
"Here are some key points from the data included in the table that gives stats on federal aid by state:
- Virginia receives the highest funding per resident of $19,406.
- Connecticut has the lowest federal funding per resident of $4,152.
- California tops the list of states that receive the most federal aid with funding of $726.51 billion.
- Wyoming gets the least in total funding — $12.46 billion.
- For each US dollar paid in taxes, residents of Kentucky get 3.78 dollars in federal assistance.
- Connecticut receives 1.29 dollars in federal aid for every dollar paid in taxes.
https://balancingeverything.com/most-federally-dependent-states/#:~:text=California tops the list of,3.78 dollars in federal assistance.
Then we can talk about what else California has to depend on other states for.
"Due to high electricity demand, California imports more electricity than any other state, (32% of its consumption in 2018) primarily wind and hydroelectric power from states in the Pacific Northwest (via Path 15 and Path 66) and nuclear, coal, and natural gas-fired production from the desert Southwest via Path 46."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_California
