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Empowering Imperial County: A Comprehensive Workforce and Economic Development Strategy for Harnessing the Lithium Opportunity
RAND
2025.11.28
Imperial County, California, sits atop one of the world‘s richest stores of geothermal brines that can yield battery-grade lithium, a metal indispensable to electric vehicles, grid storage, and advanced electronics. Lithium, a lightweight alkaline metal historically used in ceramics, glassmaking, lubricating greases, and air purification, has emerged as an indispensable resource in energy storage technologies. The expansion of lithium extraction and onshoring of related processes could generate a wealth of direct jobs, alongside significant employment growth in electric vehicle assembly and associated manufacturing. Although the United States currently operates only one active lithium mine (specifically, in Nevada), several U.S. regions contain deposits that could significantly bolster domestic production and supply chain resilience, including the Salton Sea region in Imperial County, California, which holds the potential to meet a sizable portion of current and future global lithium needs.