Media Contact:
Earthworks, Claire Hermann, chermann@earthworksaction.org
Comite Civico Del Valle, communications@ccvhealth.org
BRAWLEY, CA – A new report, The Devil is in the Details: Environmental Health Impacts of the Hell’s Kitchen Lithium and Power Project, released today by Comité Cívico del Valle and Earthworks, finds that communities living near Imperial County’s emerging “Lithium Valley” may face serious risks from lithium extraction unless stronger protections, oversight, and safeguards are put in place.
The report details a case study of the Hell’s Kitchen direct lithium extraction project proposed by Controlled Thermal Resources near the Salton Sea. CCV and Earthworks filed a petition under the California Environmental Quality Act challenging Imperial County’s approval of CTR’s Environmental Impact Report, which was approved in 2024 despite extensive concerns made by CCV, Earthworks, experts, academics, public agencies, and tribal nations during the approval process. The trial court’s denial of the CEQA petition was appealed and now pending before the Court of Appeal. CCV and Earthworks filed an opening brief September 11, 2025, with oral arguments anticipated sometime in the new year.
“Imperial County residents deserve to benefit from clean energy development without paying the price with their health or environment,” said Luis Olmedo, Executive Director of Comité Cívico del Valle. “This report shows that without clear safeguards, transparent oversight, and community involvement, the promise of Lithium Valley could quickly become another example of environmental and public health harm to local communities.”
“Lithium is essential for the clean energy transition, but extraction must not repeat the mistakes of past resource booms,” said Jared Naimark, Western Mining Senior Manager at Earthworks. “Let’s pull together and ensure the lithium industry benefits everyone in Imperial County, without sacrificing the basic right to clean air, safe water, and respect for sacred cultural sites.”
The report highlights key environmental and public health concerns, including water contamination, air quality degradation, hazardous waste disposal, threats to tribal cultural resources, and insufficient protections for local communities. While lithium holds global importance as a building block of renewable energy storage and batteries for electric vehicles, the report warns that development at the Salton Sea must be carefully managed to avoid long-lasting harm to local communities.
Key findings include:
- Water Risks: Lithium extraction from geothermal brines could impact both water quality and availability, requiring robust and independent monitoring.
- Air Quality: Dust and other emissions threaten to worsen already dangerous air conditions in Imperial Valley.
- Waste Streams: Significant quantities of solid waste include hazardous materials with leachable levels of lead and arsenic.
- Tribal Cultural Resources: The Hell’s Kitchen project is located within the Southeast Lake Cahuilla Active Volcanic Cultural District, a tribal cultural landscape that includes sacred sites.
- Insufficient Benefits: Without enforceable commitments, local communities may see little economic benefit from lithium development despite shouldering the risks.
The report calls for a comprehensive safeguard framework that includes independent monitoring, enforceable commitments, and meaningful mitigation, such as a Community Environmental Impact Fee. The impact fee would be tied to the project’s water usage, comparable to existing water fees, subject to a reasonable cap (e.g., capped at 1% of annual project revenues), and fund environmental mitigation projects benefiting local communities. Additionally, the report calls for the administration of these funds to be conducted by a Joint Powers Authority made up of the communities of Bombay Beach, Brawley, Westmorland, Niland, and Calipatria, with the establishment of a community advisory committee to make recommendations. Such a process will ensure meaningful tribal consultation with dedicated funding for cultural resource protection, water conservation, and air pollution reductions to ensure lithium development advances local clean energy goals without creating new burdens for already overburdened communities.
Acknowledgments
This report would not have been possible without the contributions of local community members, tribal monitors, environmental justice advocates, and technical and policy experts. We are grateful to our broader group of research collaborators and partners at Comité Cívico del Valle, EzraConzult, Earthworks, Tracking California, the Kwaaymii Laguna Band of Indians, the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe, Lithium Valley Equity Technical Advisory Group, and legal counsel.
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About Comité Cívico del Valle
Comité Cívico del Valle is a nonprofit community-based organization dedicated to improving health, education, and environmental justice across California’s Imperial Valley and beyond. For more than three decades, CCV has worked alongside residents to address environmental health inequities, advocate for vulnerable communities, and develop innovative programs that improve quality of life. Learn more at ccvhealth.org.
About Earthworks
Earthworks is a national nonprofit dedicated to protecting communities and the environment from the adverse impacts of mineral and energy development. For more than 30 years, Earthworks has partnered with local groups to reform government policies, improve corporate practices, and hold industry accountable to ensure a clean energy transition that benefits people and the planet. Learn more at earthworks.org.