Salton Sea Communities want the word in their Lithium future

From Deborah BrennanCalmness

This story was originally published by CalmattersS Register about their ballots.

Salton Sea is a refuge for the wild, a storage of critical minerals and the site of some of the oldest environmental and economic conditions in California.

The contrast between its natural wealth and its impoverished population has exacerbated as Companies seek to get huge lithium depositsMineral used to make batteries for electric cars, computers and mobile phones.

“Today, the Salton Sea region is a critical moment with a chance to become a major home supplier of Lithium,” State Sen. Steve Padilawhich represents parts of the Counts Riverside, Imperial and San Diego, recently said The Senate Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development.

Democrat Chula Vista wants to give the region a bigger way in how it grows against the background of the predicted lithium boom. His account, SB 534It would create a “green space for empowerment” around the sea that would manage how to use public money, invest in local communities and support the transition to a renewable energy economy.

He will be led by a board of directors with representatives of the Counts Imperial and Riverside, local cities, tribes members, energy experts at the University of California and large, private employers.

The Padila’s proposal is modeled after a similar program for the CONTRA Costa coastal coast, which aims to upgrade existing labor in the renewable energy sector. This program was due to expire in 2028, but two Northern California MPs are Offering to extend it to 2040In order to darken the economic impact of Closure of Marathon Refinery in MartinezS

In contrast, Salton Sea’s proposal in Southern California aims to position the new renewable energy industry for rapid growth and to ensure that locals will receive a piece of Paya.

The development of lithium yield and other energy projects “can stimulate regional prosperity, create high -paying jobs, support a well -articulated workforce, and strengthen the desert industry, Padila said.

But local defenders say there is a risk that Neighboring communities can be left behindS The bigger part of the region faces poor air quality, high unemployment, untrained workforce and limited access to healthcare.

150,000 residents in the region are also divided by jurisdiction lines. Imperial County communities were gathered in San Diego, while the Valley of the Coachela and the areas of the East Riverside County are attached to the Internal Empire. But these southeastern desert regions-with low incomes, rural, largely Spanish-speaking communities-have more in common than with their respective city counterparts, the bill notes. Governor Gavin Newsom last year Impose a veto bill This would create an economic center similar to the SB 534 to help sew these areas together.

Padila acknowledged that the region has often been disappointed through “big boom and bust cycles, economic promises that often fail to ensure a sustainable improvement in the quality of life of residents and local communities.”

Residents of Salton Sea and local organizations want to make sure they do not miss the benefits of what state leaders welcome as “white gold” in the region.

“The development of a California -based pure energy supply chain in the Salton Marine region, which facilitates professional and higher education for locals, in their pursuit of high quality jobs in the Imperial Valley sector, is a priority,” says Christian Tress.

The organization has already disputed a The Salton Sea project called Hell’s KitchenWhich promised to be one of the largest lithium mines in the world.

Comite Civico del Valle and non -profit work claim that the company offering the mine, controlled thermal resources do not completely cope with the effects of the project on water supply and air quality and do not consult the local US tribes properly. Judge cleared the project to start in January but The groups filed a complaint In March.

Aydee Palomino, the head of the Ecological Justice Project with the Non -Profit Organization Alianza Coachella Valley, a sponsor of the Padilla bill, said the Green Employment Zone will help local agencies to cooperate with applications and to provide “Structures and to provide” It raises regional priorities, “she said.

This is part of the wider efforts of Padila to strengthen the area of ​​Salton Sea. Last year he introduced legislation to create Salton Sea ConservancyWhich will improve the habitat around the inner sea, with water characteristics for coastal birds and rejection projects along its shores. Nearly half a billion dollars of state and federal funds are dedicated to these efforts.

This article was Originally Published on CalMatters and was reissued under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivatives License.