(4) As California transitions to a clean transportation economy, its heavy reliance on importing lithium from foreign countries robs the state of the opportunity to pair its transportation goals with the creation of high-quality
high-quality, green jobs.
(5) The Salton Sea Known Geothermal Resource Area is home to the largest deposits of lithium in North America.
(6) Accelerating lithium development at the Salton Sea Known Geothermal Resource Area could anchor a domestic battery supply chain that will not only create thousands of middle-class-sustaining
union jobs, but would also inject billions of dollars into a high-need community while also moving the United States and California closer to its climate, energy, and transportation goals.
(7) Developing lithium from the Salton Sea Known Geothermal Resource Area could also enable the creation of numerous revenue streams from California’s enormous purchasing power, part of which could be used to offset the state’s legal obligation to restore the Salton Sea.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to accelerate its greenhouse gas and energy goals, protect the public health and the environment, and build a sustainable domestic battery supply chain.
(c) It is the intent of the Legislature that this act, the California Lithium Economy Act, would support, beginning in 2035, the Legislature’s effort to ensure that the state’s zero emission vehicle fleet
includes lithium-ion batteries that contain lithium produced with the least environmental impact.