Lithium Valley’s Slow Burn | San Diego News

California’s “Lithium Valley” dream is hitting snags three years after Governor Newsom hailed Imperial County’s lithium riches as a clean energy game-changer. Despite promises of powering millions of EVs, extraction remains stalled by lawsuits over water use, air quality, and tribal resources—most recently with an appeals court ordering environmental reviews revised. Companies like Controlled Thermal Resources, now publicly traded, pivot to data center power while CalEnergy and EnergySource Minerals push forward. Imperial County races to streamline approvals, but workforce training programs hang in the balance. Balancing economic boom with environmental and community safeguards remains the critical challenge ahead. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/483c9148af0989ab