{"id":20917,"date":"2026-04-17T11:41:59","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T18:41:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/?p=20917"},"modified":"2026-04-22T09:55:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T16:55:43","slug":"forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/","title":{"rendered":"Forward in a World on Fire: Lithium Valley at a New Crossroads"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n \n
\n \n
\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
\n \n \n
\n\n \n

Forward in a World on Fire: Lithium Valley at a New Crossroads<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n By<\/span>Professors Chris Benner (UC Santa Cruz) and Manuel Pastor (USC)<\/strong>\n \n April 17, 2026<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n \n
\n \n \n Share\n <\/span>\n \n \n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n Copy Link<\/span>\n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n Facebook<\/span>\n <\/a>\n \n \n \n\n<\/svg>\n\n <\/span>\n X<\/span>\n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n LinkedIn<\/span>\n <\/a>\n \n \n \n \n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n Bluesky<\/span>\n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n Email<\/span>\n <\/a>\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n \n \n
\n\n \n

When we published <\/span>Charging Forward: Lithium Valley, Electric Vehicles, and a Just Future<\/span><\/i><\/a> in October 2024, we argued that the clean-energy transition was inevitable\u2014but that whether it would be <\/span>inclusive<\/span><\/i> was very much in question.<\/span><\/p>\n

While we knew that we were future-casting, we soon had some wind taken out of our predictive sails. The month after publication saw the election of Donald Trump. As 2025 dawned, the new administration began moving to dismantle federal clean-energy programs. Its \u201cOne Big Beautiful Bill Act,\u201d passed in July 2025, eliminated the tax credits that had propelled electric vehicle (EV) adoption. Suddenly, all that we thought was to pass was receding into the distance.<\/span><\/p>\n

And now, the trajectory has shifted again<\/span>, bringing the once-promised future back into view. In late February 2026, the United States went to war with Iran. Within days, <\/span>gas prices across the country surged past $4 a gallon<\/span><\/a>, reaching <\/span>well over $5 a gallon in California, Hawaii, and Washington<\/span><\/a>. Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz\u2014through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil flows\u2014sent global oil markets into their <\/span>worst disruption in decades<\/span><\/a>. Even if the conflict is resolved, analysts warn that <\/span>meaningful relief at the pump is still months away<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Across the world, consumers have been responding to high gasoline prices with their feet\u2014and their wallets. In the United Kingdom, <\/span>EV sales hit a record high in March 2026, with 86,120 vehicles sold<\/span><\/a> in a single month. South Korea saw EV registrations more than double year-over-year. In the U.S., <\/span>Tesla delivered 358,023 vehicles in Q1 2026<\/span><\/a>\u2014up from 336,681 the year before\u2014a rebound that happened without the $7,500 federal tax credit the Trump administration eliminated. The used EV market set an <\/span>all-time quarterly sales record<\/span><\/a>, driven in part by the fact that the average used EV now costs the same as a comparable gas-powered car.<\/span><\/p>\n

The market is sending a clear signal, one that federal policy over the past year has largely drowned out. With many now recognizing the volatility from our nation\u2019s over-reliance on fossil fuels (and the unpredictability of the administration\u2019s foreign policy), the questions at the heart of <\/span>Charging Forward <\/span><\/i>are once again salient: What is needed to accelerate the clean-energy transition? How do we balance the speed we need to save the planet with the pace needed to build trust in communities where minerals will be extracted? And why is the Imperial Valley, in one of the poorest counties in California, the place where it all comes together?<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stuck in the Past<\/b><\/h3>\n

The Trump Administration has prioritized “critical minerals” and energy security. The war in Iran would seem to be Exhibit A for why the United States needs to break its dependence on Middle Eastern oil\u2014and why building domestic supply chains for the batteries that power electric vehicles matters enormously. Yet the administration’s actions tell a different story.<\/span><\/p>\n

In practice, federal policy has curbed wind and solar projects and rolled back electric vehicle and lithium battery subsidies. In a rare nod to cleaner energy, it has backed hard-rock lithium mining at Thacker Pass in Nevada\u2014going so far as to take a direct equity stake\u2014even as Indigenous and environmental groups continue to sound the alarm about the project\u2019s potential environmental impacts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, <\/span> direct lithium extraction<\/span><\/a>\u2014a potentially <\/span>cleaner approach<\/span><\/a>\u2014is downplayed and the one serious renewable geothermal-based <\/span>direct lithium extraction effort<\/span><\/a> in the country, located in California’s Imperial Valley, remains pre-construction. <\/span>There is still <\/span>not a single commercial direct lithium extraction operation in the United States<\/span><\/a>. If energy security is the actual goal, current policy choices are steering off course.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some headway is still being made, despite these Trumpian headwinds. Globally,<\/span> lithium prices have been rising<\/span><\/a> after a brutal two-year slump, driven by growing demand from both EVs and a newer force: <\/span>data centers with rising battery storage needs<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0Higher prices help the investment case for American lithium development. But market signals alone won’t build a just industry. That still requires deliberate choices.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Power to the People?<\/b><\/h3>\n

One of the important recent developments in Lithium Valley, the southeast corner of California that hosts the Salton Sea and enough lithium reserves in its underground geothermal brine to convert the entire U.S. auto fleet to EVs, is the announcement by<\/span> Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR) of a $4.7 billion agreement<\/span><\/a> to take the company public on NASDAQ.<\/span><\/p>\n

CTR aims eventually to produce up to 650 megawatts of renewable geothermal power and 100,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate (the refined form in which lithium is commercially traded) annually from the same Salton Sea brine resource. The NASDAQ listing is intended to complete funding for Stage 1 construction, which could begin later this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Notably, CTR’s current public pitch emphasizes geothermal energy\u2014specifically, power for AI data centers\u2014rather than lithium. CEO Rod Colwell has framed their project, located at a site eerily called Hell’s Kitchen, as a solution to one of the most significant infrastructure constraints of the moment: the demand for reliable, carbon-free baseload power to feed the AI boom.<\/span><\/p>\n

Data center energy demand means real, near-term revenue. Lithium extraction from hot, chemically complex Salton Sea brines remains commercially unproven\u2014especially compared to lower-temperature brines in Arkansas’s Smackover formation, where<\/span> multiple projects are advancing with federal backing<\/span><\/a>. But if geothermal energy for energy-hungry data centers becomes CTR’s primary revenue driver, who benefits?<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Community Intelligence<\/b><\/h3>\n

The nearby communities of Niland, Westmoreland, Calipatria, and Imperial\u2014all of whom were promised jobs, revenues, and more\u2014are already answering that question themselves. A proposed hyperscale AI data center near the city of Imperial ignited sustained community opposition.<\/span> Imperial County’s Board of Supervisors voted<\/span><\/a> to advance the project anyway.<\/span><\/p>\n

Artificial intelligence proposals are now meeting community intelligence realities. Residents are raising legitimate concerns about a 950,000-square-foot computing warehouse that will consume millions of gallons of water daily from a <\/span>declining Colorado River water source<\/span><\/a>. This is in a desert valley that already struggles with some of California’s worst air quality and the ongoing environmental crisis of the receding Salton Sea. Organizers are now <\/span>mobilizing a recall of county supervisors supporting the project and a November ballot initiative<\/span><\/a> to ban data centers from the county altogether.<\/span><\/p>\n

The developer, Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing, frames the project as an economic lifeline\u2014construction jobs, long-term employment, future tax revenue. Some labor voices agree. But as <\/span>community members have made clear<\/span><\/a>, the question isn’t just whether the project creates jobs; it’s whether residents get to shape an industry that will transform their landscape for decades, or merely absorb its costs. “We’re not saying it doesn’t have opportunities,”\u00a0 <\/span>said Gina Snow, a resident near the proposed site<\/span><\/a>. “Let’s have a discussion regarding what those opportunities are.”<\/span><\/p>\n

That’s precisely the spirit that a number of community organizations, including Comit\u00e9 C\u00edvico del Valle, Earthworks, and a coalition called\u00a0 <\/span>Valle Unido por Beneficios Comunitarios<\/span><\/a> has been bringing to the broader lithium question\u2014pushing for\u00a0 <\/span>Community Benefits Agreements<\/span><\/a> that would guarantee tangible returns to frontline communities across all major lithium and energy projects in the region. The data center fight makes their argument more urgent, not less.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Steering Ahead<\/b><\/h3>\n

A year and a half after <\/span>Charging Forward<\/span><\/i> was published, the world has changed in ways both predictable and jarring. Gas prices above $4 a gallon have made the economic case for EVs self-evident to millions of drivers who weren’t (and probably still aren\u2019t) thinking about climate at all. The AI boom has given geothermal power a new commercial rationale. Lithium prices are rising again, drawing investor interest back to the Salton Sea.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the fundamental question remains. The clean-energy transition is not a question of <\/span>whether<\/span><\/i>. It is a question of <\/span>where, how, and for whom.<\/span><\/i> Will Imperial County’s communities get a genuine seat at the table as their landscape is again transformed by outside capital and national priorities? Will geothermal power for data centers deliver the broad community benefits that lithium was supposed to promise? Will California’s approach prove that energy development and environmental justice can coexist, or will it simply reproduce old extractive patterns in a new technological key?<\/span><\/p>\n

The Iran war, with all its horror and disruption, has made the stakes of getting this right undeniable. The case for domestic clean energy has never been easier to make. The harder work\u2014ensuring that this transition is built with communities rather than on top of them\u2014remains exactly what it was when we wrote the book.<\/span><\/p>\n

We’re still charging forward. But whether those most affected will be in the driver\u2019s seat still remains an open question.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

About the authors:<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Chris Benner is a professor at UC Santa Cruz and founding director of the Institute for Social Transformation. Manuel Pastor is a distinguished professor at the University of Southern California and director of the Equity Research Institute. They are co-authors of<\/span> Charging Forward: Lithium Valley, Electric Vehicles, and a Just Future<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note: The views expressed on the blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Equity Research Institute (ERI) or the University of Southern California (USC).<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n \n
\n \n
\n\n \n

\n Explore other articles\n <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n
\n \n
\n\n \n

\n Meet the ERI Team<\/a>\n <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n <\/article>\n
\n \n
\n\n \n

\n A new look for ERI’s website!<\/a>\n <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n <\/article>\n <\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":20919,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[318,279,26],"tags":[154,319,390,18,285,47,393,351],"class_list":["post-20917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-charging-forward","category-ej","category-blog","tag-california","tag-charging-forward","tag-clean-energy","tag-climate-equity","tag-electric-vehicles","tag-environmental-justice","tag-imperial-county","tag-lithium-valley"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nForward in a World on Fire: Lithium Valley at a New Crossroads<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Forward in a World on Fire: Lithium Valley at a New Crossroads - USC Equity Research Institute (ERI)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"USC Equity Research Institute (ERI)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-17T18:41:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-22T16:55:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2026\/04\/Forward_Lithium_Valley_blog.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1150\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gladys Malibiran\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Gladys Malibiran\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/#\/schema\/person\/e8da50822d6ffe4cfcd8189616774909\"},\"headline\":\"Forward in a World on Fire: Lithium Valley at a New Crossroads\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-17T18:41:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-22T16:55:43+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/\"},\"wordCount\":12,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2026\/04\/Forward_Lithium_Valley_blog.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"California\",\"charging forward\",\"clean energy\",\"climate equity\",\"electric vehicles\",\"environmental justice\",\"Imperial County\",\"lithium valley\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Charging Forward\",\"EJ\",\"ERI blog\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/\",\"name\":\"Forward in a World on Fire: Lithium Valley at a New Crossroads - USC Equity Research Institute (ERI)\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2026\/04\/Forward_Lithium_Valley_blog.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-17T18:41:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-22T16:55:43+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/#\/schema\/person\/e8da50822d6ffe4cfcd8189616774909\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2026\/04\/Forward_Lithium_Valley_blog.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2026\/04\/Forward_Lithium_Valley_blog.jpg\",\"width\":2000,\"height\":1150,\"caption\":\"Forward in a World on Fire blog title with a faded background of Lithium Valley, the cover of the Charging Forward book, and headshots of Chris Benner and Manuel Pastor\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Forward in a World on Fire: Lithium Valley at a New Crossroads\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/\",\"name\":\"USC Equity Research Institute (ERI)\",\"description\":\"Data and Analysis to Power Social Change\",\"alternateName\":\"USC ERI\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/#\/schema\/person\/e8da50822d6ffe4cfcd8189616774909\",\"name\":\"Gladys Malibiran\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7f9277bec4ea9afb1c79fcb02a605b22755aea8d24745b25ba4c9273e99ecd7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7f9277bec4ea9afb1c79fcb02a605b22755aea8d24745b25ba4c9273e99ecd7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Gladys Malibiran\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/author\/malibira\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Forward in a World on Fire: Lithium Valley at a New Crossroads","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Forward in a World on Fire: Lithium Valley at a New Crossroads - USC Equity Research Institute (ERI)","og_url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/","og_site_name":"USC Equity Research Institute (ERI)","article_published_time":"2026-04-17T18:41:59+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-22T16:55:43+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2000,"height":1150,"url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2026\/04\/Forward_Lithium_Valley_blog.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Gladys Malibiran","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/"},"author":{"name":"Gladys Malibiran","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/#\/schema\/person\/e8da50822d6ffe4cfcd8189616774909"},"headline":"Forward in a World on Fire: Lithium Valley at a New Crossroads","datePublished":"2026-04-17T18:41:59+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-22T16:55:43+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/"},"wordCount":12,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2026\/04\/Forward_Lithium_Valley_blog.jpg","keywords":["California","charging forward","clean energy","climate equity","electric vehicles","environmental justice","Imperial County","lithium valley"],"articleSection":["Charging Forward","EJ","ERI blog"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/","url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/","name":"Forward in a World on Fire: Lithium Valley at a New Crossroads - USC Equity Research Institute (ERI)","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2026\/04\/Forward_Lithium_Valley_blog.jpg","datePublished":"2026-04-17T18:41:59+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-22T16:55:43+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/#\/schema\/person\/e8da50822d6ffe4cfcd8189616774909"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2026\/04\/Forward_Lithium_Valley_blog.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2026\/04\/Forward_Lithium_Valley_blog.jpg","width":2000,"height":1150,"caption":"Forward in a World on Fire blog title with a faded background of Lithium Valley, the cover of the Charging Forward book, and headshots of Chris Benner and Manuel Pastor"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Forward in a World on Fire: Lithium Valley at a New Crossroads"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/#website","url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/","name":"USC Equity Research Institute (ERI)","description":"Data and Analysis to Power Social Change","alternateName":"USC ERI","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/#\/schema\/person\/e8da50822d6ffe4cfcd8189616774909","name":"Gladys Malibiran","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7f9277bec4ea9afb1c79fcb02a605b22755aea8d24745b25ba4c9273e99ecd7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7f9277bec4ea9afb1c79fcb02a605b22755aea8d24745b25ba4c9273e99ecd7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Gladys Malibiran"},"url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/author\/malibira\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20917"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20917\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20928,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20917\/revisions\/20928"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}