EcoFlight has flown politicians, conservationists, land-managers, faith groups, and health organizations over California’s Salton Sea for 5+ years, examining and advocating for solutions to the rising concerns of toxic lake-bed dust. This year, flights had a new focus - implementation of exciting new lithium mining technologies in the Salton Sea! The valuable mineral - essential for cell phones, electric vehicles, and batteries - is extracted from underground brine, which is a byproduct of nearby geothermal plants. This new process is much less degradative than the more common - and highly destructive - open pit lithium mining. The Salton Sea is one of the largest lithium stores in the world, containing up to six million metric tons.
We flew with our partner, the Audubon Society, and officials from the California Energy Commission, Natural Resources Agency, and Labor and Workforce Development Agency to help them learn about the mining proposals and how the resource can be developed while protecting the Salton Sea’s dwindling bird and wildlife habitat. Also on board were representatives of General Motors, who is partnering with the lithium producers at Salton Sea as they ramp up their electric car production. This partnership ensures access to lithium and promotes environmentally friendly, closed-loop sourcing. The Sea’s immense storage of “white gold” could provide massive economic revenue and hundreds of jobs for Imperial County, which currently has the highest unemployment rate in California.
