Media Contact:
Brendan McLaughlin, bmclaughlin@earthworksaction.org, 206.892.8832
In 2024, Earthworks and Comité Civico del Valle challenged Imperial County’s approval of the Hell’s Kitchen lithium project. Our challenge was denied by the trial court earlier this year. We subsequently appealed the trial ruling to the Court of Appeals, which included our opening brief last month. Recently, the county and Controlled Thermal Resources submitted their opposition brief. We expect a decision on the appeal sometime in 2026.
“We remain confident in the merits of our appeal that the Hell’s Kitchen project failed to meet California’s state environmental standards,” said Jared Naimark, Earthworks’ Western Mining Senior Manager. “This project can deliver real benefits to the people of Imperial Valley and show what responsible development looks like—but not if it cuts corners on basic disclosure and protections for healthy air, clean water, and sacred cultural sites.”
“We have to get this right,” Naimark said. “History shows that too often companies have entered a community, extracted its natural wealth, and left a mess for locals to deal with. The Hell’s Kitchen project will set the standard for future Lithium Valley projects, so it is important to make sure it is subject to clear and enforceable high standards that benefit everyone.”
You can read more about our California Lithium Valley work here.
