The Salton Sea in Southern California’s lower Colorado Desert has dwindling water levels, leaving behind extremely salty remnants. However, a 2023 study revealed a stunning discovery beneath the lake’s southern end: an enormous reserve of lithium, often referred to as "white gold." According to the Daily Mail, this treasure trove is valued at a staggering $540 billion—far beyond what researchers initially expected.
Image Source: This geothermal field at the eastern edge of the Salton Sea has is being called the future "Lithium Valley", with the potential to extract 18 million metric tons of lithium. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
Researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory studied California's largest lake and found a deep, hot underground pool rich with lithium. According to IFL Science, lithium is called "white gold" because of its crucial role in the green revolution, providing the raw material needed to replace fossil fuel systems with battery-powered alternatives.
“It’s going to be roughly the equivalent of 382 million electric vehicle batteries,” Alex Prisjatschew, an engineer with the U.S. Department of Energy, told the Los Angeles Times. According to the report, this estimate is roughly 18 million metric tons of lithium. To conduct the study, according to The Hill, analysts from the University of California, Berkeley measured lithium concentrations in the lake’s rocks and designed computer models to estimate its potential production over the next 30 years. They also brainstormed various methods to extract the metal to the surface.
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Even though the giant lake sits atop a whole treasure trove of lithium, its reputation is not all pristine, as its waters are considered harmful and toxic for humans. According to IFL Science, it is one of the most heavily polluted lakes. The reason lies in its history.
The desert lake was first created by accident in the 20th century when irrigation canals from the Colorado River flooded and spilled over into a basin. With the irrigation canal waters departing from the location, the lake began to shrink and soon converted to a slime of salty toxic dust. As winds gush atop the drying lakebed, they pick up enormous quantities of this toxic dust and blow it into the area where Imperial Valley residents breathe.
Cover Image Source: This geothermal field at the eastern edge of the Salton Sea has is being called the future "Lithium Valley", with the potential to extract 18 million metric tons of lithium. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
Still, the news of the metal treasure didn’t stop billionaires from investing their money in the project. Yet none was able to extract it sooner. One reason was the highly salty underground, which could instantly corrode their expensive equipment.
Image Source: This geothermal field at the eastern edge of the Salton Sea has is being called the future "Lithium Valley", with the potential to extract 18 million metric tons of lithium. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
Plus, according to SFGate, arriving at the hotbed of lithium will not be easy and will require "geothermal production wells to extract the lithium-rich brine from thousands of feet below the earth’s surface, and once the lithium is dissolved from the brine, the liquid is pumped back underground." Besides this, thousands of residents who live around the lake will have to bear the consequences of drilling. Since drilling requires massive amounts of water supply, the residents will have to suffer the lack of water.
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President Donald J. Trump and photo of a forest.
Public united and adamantly opposes Trump’s plan to roll back the Roadless Rule
There doesn't seem to be much agreement happening in the U.S. right now. Differing moral belief systems, economic disparity, and political divide have made a country with so many positives sometimes feel a little lost. Everyone desperately seeks a niche, a connection, or a strong sense of community to which they can feel a "part of," rather than just "apart."
But there seems to be one thing that the country strongly unites over, and that's the "Roadless Rule." With the Trump Administration attempting to roll back conservation policies that protect U.S. National Forests, Americans are saying in harmony an emphatic "No." A nonpartisan conservation and advocacy organization, the Center for Western Priorities, reviewed a comment analysis on the subject. After receiving 223,862 submissions, a staggering 99 percent are opposed to the president's plan of repeal.
What is the 'Roadless Rule' policy implemented in 2001?
The Roadless Rule has a direct impact on nearly 60 million acres of national forests and grasslands. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the rule prohibits road construction and timber harvests. Enacted in 2001, it is a conservation rule that protects some of the least developed portions of our forests. It's considered to be one of the most important conservation wins in U.S. history.
America's national forests and grasslands are diverse ecosystems, timeless landscapes, and living treasures. They sustain the country with clean water and the wood products necessary to build our communities. The National Parks protected under their umbrella offer incredible recreational retreats and outdoor adventure.
Why does the administration want to roll it back?
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins told the Department of Agriculture in a 2025 press release, “We are one step closer to common sense management of our national forest lands. Today marks a critical step forward in President Trump’s commitment to restoring local decision-making to federal land managers to empower them to do what’s necessary to protect America’s forests and communities from devastating destruction from fires." Rollins continued, “This administration is dedicated to removing burdensome, outdated, one-size-fits-all regulations that not only put people and livelihoods at risk but also stifle economic growth in rural America. It is vital that we properly manage our federal lands to create healthy, resilient, and productive forests for generations to come. We look forward to hearing directly from the people and communities we serve as we work together to implement productive and commonsense policy for forest land management.”
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz explained the Roadless Rule frustrated land management and acts as a challenging barrier to action. It prohibits road construction needed to navigate wildfire suppression and properly maintain the forest. Schultz said, “The forests we know today are not the same as the forests of 2001. They are dangerously overstocked and increasingly threatened by drought, mortality, insect-borne disease, and wildfire. It’s time to return land management decisions where they belong – with local Forest Service experts who best understand their forests and communities."
Why are people adamantly opposed to the proposed rollback?
A 2025 article in Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization, expressed its concern over the protection of national forests covering 36 states and Puerto Rico. A rescinded rule allows increased logging, extractive development, and oil and gas drilling in previously undisturbed backcountry. Here is what some community leaders had to say about it:
President Gloria Burns, Ketchikan Indian Community, said, "You cannot separate us from the land. We depend on Congress to update the outdated and predatory, antiquated laws that allow other countries and outside sources to extract our resource wealth. This is an attack on Tribes and our people who depend on the land to eat. The federal government must act and provide us the safeguards we need or leave our home roadless. We are not willing to risk the destruction of our homelands when no effort has been made to ensure our future is the one our ancestors envisioned for us. Without our lungs (the Tongass) we cannot breathe life into our future generations.”
Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, stated, "Roadbuilding damaged salmon streams in the past — with 240 miles of salmon habitat still blocked by failed road culverts. The Roadless Rule protects our fishing economy and more than 10,000 jobs provided by commercial fishing in Southeast Alaska.”
The Sierra Club's Forest Campaign Manager Alex Craven seemed quite upset, saying, "The Forest Service followed sound science, economic common sense, and overwhelming public support when they adopted such an important and visionary policy more than 20 years ago. Donald Trump is making it crystal clear he is willing to pollute our clean air and drinking water, destroy prized habitat for species, and even increase the risk of devastating wildfires, if it means padding the bottom lines of timber and mining companies.”
The 2025 recession proposal would apply to nearly 45 million acres of the national forests. With so many people writing in opposition to the consensus, the public has determined they don't want it to happen.
Tongass National Forest is at the center of the Trump administration's intention to roll back the 2001 Roadless Rule. You can watch an Alaska Nature Documentary about the wild salmon of Tongass National Forrest here:
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The simple truth is we elect our public officials to make decisions. The hope is they do this for all of our well-being, although often it seems they do not. Even though we don't have much power to control what government officials do, voicing our opinions strongly enough often forces them to alter their present course of action. With a unanimous public voice saying, "No!" maybe this time they will course correct as the public wishes.