San Diego: California’s Next Gold Rush Rests In The Salton Sea
By Rebekah Gonzalez
California’s largest lake, Salton Sea may be the key to the state’s next gold rush.
Its waters have been steadily evaporating, exposing lung-damaging silt into the communities of Imperial Valley, according to the Guardian.
However, many people believe a massive reserve of lithium is sitting beneath the lake.
According to California officials, an estimated 600,000 tons of lithium could be produced every single year in the Imperial Valley. The potential “Lithium Valley” would establish California as a global production hub and employ thousands of workers for generations.
The state has created a Lithium Valley commission to study the potential industry and is pursuing a $206 million lake restoration plan for Salton Sea.
So what makes lithium so valuable?
Lithium is a metal that is vital for things like batteries in electric cars and computer electronics. These batteries are reportedly more efficient than the previously used nickel-metal hybrid batteries.
The U.S. government also has a lithium supply problem. A majority of the world’s raw lithium supply (over 80%) is mined in Australia, Chile, and China reports the Guardian.
However, some residents aren’t as enthusiastic as state officials.
Fernando Leiva, a professor of Latin American and Latino studies at UC Santa Cruz, calls the Lithium Valley commission “disaster capitalism.”
“The private sector now appears – they’re the ones that produced the global climate crisis that destroyed ecosystems, now they’re the ones that are going to save us,” he told the Guardian. “This could be a game changer but we have to have an open mind and not believe the spin. Understand the enthusiasm, but take it with a grain of salt.”
