Community, labor, and environmental groups call on Lithium companies to commit to good jobs and a healthy environment for Imperial Valley residents
CALIPATRIA, CA.–Valle Unido Por Beneficios Comunitarios (Valle Unido), a new coalition of community, labor, and environmental groups, calls on companies pursuing lithium extraction to make binding commitments for a Lithium Valley that guarantees good local jobs, protections against environmental harms, and respect for Indigenous rights. Valle Unido will introduce their platform at a press conference on Monday, December 2 at 4:00pm, at Imperial Valley Equity & Justice’s office, at 150 W. Main Street, Calipatria.
“Time and time again, from mining, to commercial developments, to solar projects, we roll out the red carpet for investors to cultivate our labor and land with public subsidies and tax breaks, to see only low wage jobs and profits from these developments leave our community,” said Daniela Flores, Executive Organizer of Imperial Valley Equity & Justice (IVEJ). “With Lithium Valley, we want to break the century long cycle of extractive economic development that has impoverished our families, sickened our bodies, and polluted our air and water.”
Valle Unido includes IVEJ, Comite Civico del Valle (CCV), Jobs to Move America (JMA), United Auto Workers Region 6 (UAW), Earthworks, the Becoming Project, and the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties. The coalition came together around the vision of a community-centered model for an equitable green energy transition benefiting residents while minimizing environmental harm.
“Companies that want to extract lithium with our public funds must commit to creating local, high road jobs,” said Mike Miller, Director of UAW Region 6. “The transition to electric vehicles is an opportunity to
raise standards for workers throughout the supply chain. Without commitments from companies to invest in their workers, this opportunity will be squandered.”
Demand for lithium, used in electric vehicle batteries, is rising as part of the growing transition away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy. To boost lithium extraction, state and federal agencies have awarded a combined $390.5M in tax credits and subsidies to companies in Imperial County. Meanwhile, lithium development in the Imperial Valley occurs in the backdrop of chronic unemployment rate near 20% and environmental crises, such as degraded air quality.
“The country needs the resources that lie beneath our Salton Sea to power an
energy transition,” Christian Torres, Director of Climate Equity and Resilience at CCV, explained; “But as our community plays this central role, we cannot be left behind. Our long-term problems of unemployment, poor air quality, disinvestment in public health, and carelessness with tribal resources, must be addressed. We cannot be a sacrificial zone to the green economy’s need for lithium.”
Valle Unido calls for legally-binding commitments like Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) to center community needs, ensuring they are not left behind by the lithium industry. CBAs are legally enforceable agreements between private companies and coalitions of community groups. These agreements can ensure a wide range of high-road job standards, environmental mitigations, and equity measures.
“With CBAs, we can work together to strike the right balance for community prosperity and environmental protection,” says Jacob Rodriguez, a native of Imperial County and an organizer with JMA. “Without legally binding commitments and protections, new developments can fail to improve and even worsen the Valley’s chronic economic and environmental issues. We call on the lithium industry to commit to legally-binding agreements with our coalition.”
Find out more on ValleUnido.org
About Imperial Valley Equity & Justice Coalition
Imperial Valley Equity and Justice, based out of Calexico and Calipatria, is a progressive, community power-building organization formed to advocate and organize for health equity, economic, social, and environmental justice, and civic engagement. IVEJ’s vision is for an Imperial Valley where families can live, work, dream, and thrive. IVEJ has spent the past few years spreading information to residents about the lithium developments in the region and is actively working to secure community benefits.
About Comite Civico del Valle
“Informed people build healthy communities”, Comite Civico del Valle (CCV) was founded on this principle and continues to incorporate this mission statement in all partnerships, research studies, and civic engagements initiated or comprised by our organization. CCV’s extensive background and accomplishments date back to our grassroots origins in 1987. In over three decades of serving the communities of Imperial Valley, CCV now serves various California communities through collaborative efforts with other established Environmental Justice organizations and in partnership with researchers, academia, and government agencies.
About Earthworks
Since 1988, Earthworks has helped communities secure protections of their health, land, water, and air from extractive industries. Earthworks is the only national organization in the U.S. to focus exclusively on preventing the destructive impacts of the extraction of oil, gas, and minerals.
About the UAW Region 6
United Auto Workers (UAW) Region 6 is the region of over 120,000 active and retired UAW members in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawai’i, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington, organizing for a just and sustainable future for all. Nationally, UAW represents over 1,000,000 active and retired members and is the union for the American automotive electric vehicle industries.
About Jobs to Move America
Jobs to Move America is a strategic organizing and policy center that works to transform public spending and corporate behavior using a comprehensive approach that is rooted in racial and economic justice. We seek to advance a fair and prosperous economy with good jobs and healthier communities for all.
About the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties
The American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego & Imperial Counties (ACLU-SDIC) is a nonpartisan, not for-profit civil rights organization working to advance equity, freedom and justice through community engagement, policy advocacy and impact litigation. With offices in San Diego and El Centro, the ACLU
SDIC is one of 54 ACLU affiliates in the United States, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico that works to defend and preserve the individual rights and freedoms guaranteed by the United States Constitution and U.S. laws.
About the Becoming Project
The Becoming Project, founded in 2019, is dedicated to removing barriers to success for homeless and low-income communities through direct services in housing, hygiene, financial resources, education, and social justice.