Snapshot: In 2024, advocacy groups Comite Civico del Valle and Earthworks filed a lawsuit to stop Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR), an Australian company, from extracting lithium from the Salton Sea in California, USA. In the lawsuit against the County of Imperial and the company, the plaintiffs allege that the environmental review approved by the County for the Hell’s Kitchen Lithium and Power project, which began construction in January 2024, violates the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The lawsuit claims that the County's environmental review inadequately addresses water usage, potential waste generation, and tribal concerns​. The case is ongoing.