Congressman Raul Ruiz is calling on the U.S. Department of the Interior to uphold its commitments to the Salton Sea, including millions in federal funds from the Inflation Reduction Act. According to Ruiz’s office, the Inflation Reduction Act includes $4 billion in funding specifically for water management and conservation efforts in the Colorado River Basin
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By JONATHAN J. COOPER AND KATHLEEN RONAYNE PHOENIX (AP) — California communities exposed to hazardous dust by a drying lake bed have found themselves at the center of tensions between Arizona and California over how to conserve water along the overtaxed Colorado River. U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat facing reelection, wants the federal
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A prayer vigil will be held on Monday, October 10 at 10:00 a.m. in Thermal to build support for the recovery of California’s largest lake, the Salton Sea. The event also marks Indigenous Peoples’ Day. It’s being hosted by the Desert Interfaith Council with EcoMedia Compass, Alianza and the city of Coachella. Numerous other community
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A massive dust storm slammed into the valley Thursday night, sending particles into the air that are dangerous to people’s health. The valley showed an Air Quality Index of 500 Friday, the maximum level, indicating hazardous conditions. Experts say the drying up Salton Sea only made the air worse to breathe. The wall of dust
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A new mandate on water conservation could have some major impacts on the already struggling Salton Sea. State officials have been busy in 2022, fulfilling a promise made long ago to create wetland habitat at the southern end of the lake. “It’s extremely encouraging to see that it’s already working, and we’re not even done
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A natural resources investment company announced today it intends to allocate up to 5,000 acre-feet of water annually to the Salton Sea and Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indian Tribe as part of a public-private partnership intended to help reinvigorate the dying Salton Sea and ensure reliable potable water for communities on tribal land. Check Out
Continue Reading A bill that could see $250 million go towards projects at the Salton Sea is heading to the Senate. On Friday, the House passed “The Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act.” It’s a bill that local Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz has been pushing for. The act includes a bill written by Ruiz that would earmark a quarter
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He is just about a month out of high school, but Palm Desert teenager Clay Jones has already developed an innovation that could help create clean energy from the Salton Sea. Working out of his parents’ garage, the recent Palm Desert High School graduate has created a lithium extraction device inspired by the lithium potential
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Wednesday night, California lawmakers approved the $3.8 billion state budget plan. Part of the budget includes a new tax on lithium being developed at the Salton Sea. Lithium developer Controlled Thermal Resources said the tax is too high and will instead push people to buy lithium from China. “CTR is confident that an independent study of the
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Stellantis reached an agreement with Controlled Thermal Resources’ Hell’s Kitchen project to buy lithium produced at the Salton Sea to supply its North American electric vehicle production. The 10-year-old agreement will see the CTR supply up to 25,000 metric tons per year of lithium hydroxide, the companies announced. The supply will support Stellantis’ U.S. product offensive
Continue ReadingBy Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN Business The Salton Sea Basin feels almost alien. It lies where two enormous chunks of the Earth’s crust, the North American Plate and the Pacific Plate, are very slowly pushing past one another creating an enormous low spot in the land. It’s a big, flat gray desert ringed with high mountains
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KESQ News Channel 3 has been awarded a regional Edward R. Murrow Award in the category of News Series. The honor recognizes excellence in coverage for ‘Troubled Waters: The Salton Sea Project.’ Recognition of our commitment to in-depth coverage The Murrow Awards are presented by Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), “the world’s largest professional
Continue Reading U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm will join local Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz to visit the Salton Sea. Ruiz and Granholm will lead a series of listening sessions with local community members and leaders to hear their firsthand experiences with the public health and environmental impacts of the Salton Sea. The Salton Sea is
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Residents in Salton Sea communities are demanding answers on the potential impacts of lithium extraction projects in the region. They’re calling on local, state, and industry leaders to offer details about how their health and the environment may not benefit from a market which supporters tout as a sustainable energy solution. Patricia Leal Gutierrez, a
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The California Natural Resources Agency is hosting an online public meeting on Tuesday evening to introduce the Independent Review Panel on Water Importation. The Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP) is establishing an Independent Review Panel (Panel) to review concepts for water importation to the Salton Sea for its long-term restoration The Independent Review Panel will
Continue Reading Riverside County and state leaders are looking for public opinion in addressing issues plaguing the Salton Sea. Two public meetings will be held virtually this week to introduce the team members leading the Salton Sea Management Program, to hear from the experts studying the proposals to bring more water into the lake, and to learn
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A small quake measuring 4.0 in magnitude struck this morning at 7:57 a.m. just North of Calipatria near the southern shore of the Salton Sea. It is an area known for seismic activity. No reports of damage or injuries have been reported thus far. It was followed by a 2.3 aftershock just moments later.
Continue ReadingSouth Coast AQMD Issues Odor Advisory for Eastern Coachella Valley, valid through Tuesday July 27, 2021. This advisory is in effect through Tuesday evening. South Coast AQMD will issue an update if additionalinformation becomes available. The South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued an odor advisory for the Eastern Coachella Valley due to elevated
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You might have smelt it a couple weeks ago: the stench of rotten eggs. Long time Coachella Valley residents know that funky smell can waft over from the Salton Sea. It happens on some particularly hot days which helps release more hydrogen sulfide. Combine that with the stifling humidity, which tends to materialize when winds
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General Motors (GM) and Controlled Thermal Resources have reached a historic agreement to develop low-cost lithium at the Salton Sea Geothermal Field, the companies announced on Friday. With this deal, GM becomes the first company to make a multi-million dollar investment in Controlled Thermal Resources Hell’s Kitchen project, which is located near the Salton Sea.
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