Last week, President Joe Biden joined Governor Gavin Newsom at a virtual roundtable to discuss new investments to support the domestic production of minerals that are essential to the tech industry and green energy production. In addition to creating thousands of good-paying jobs for California workers, these new investments will help secure the nation’s clean energy future and spur economic development.

President Biden announced a $35-million investment from the federal government for the California-based Mountain Pass (MP) Materials to establish a permanent end-to-end domestic supply chain for the magnets used in electric vehicle motors and wind turbines. MP Materials also announced it will invest another $700 million and create more than 350 jobs in the magnet supply chain in the next two years.

The president also highlighted new projects in California’s Imperial Valley by Berkshire Hathaway Energy Renewables that will test a process to extract lithium from underground sources. Lithium is a crucial component of much of the technology used today from smartphones to the batteries needed to power electric vehicles and clean electric grids, and it is becoming an increasingly critical resource as the state and nation look for ways to address the global climate crisis.

Located in Southern California’s Imperial Valley, the Salton Sea represents one of the most abundant lithium deposits in the world. Experts estimate the region could satisfy more than one-third of global demand. Investing in production and processing would bring economic opportunity, community benefits, and thousands of jobs to the area which has the highest unemployment rate in the state.

Clean energy production is a major creator of quality jobs in California. Rebuild SoCal Partnership will continue to advocate for investment in the in the clean energy economy to benefit local workers and communities.

Read more at the Los Angeles Times: Biden and Newsom want to secure a domestic supply chain for critical minerals

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