Imperial County’s much-lauded Lithium Valley in California’s southeast corner has been bypassed for a second time by federal officials for critically needed funding, a key state official said on Wednesday. Noemi Gallardo, a member of the California Energy Commission who oversees reviews of proposed geothermal projects tied to lithium production, told The Desert Sun/USA Today Network that she was concerned that the U.S. Department of Energy had for a second time not selected any company seeking to produce lithium in California to receive a portion of $3 billion allocated by the Biden administration. Instead, 25 projects in 14 other states were chosen, for a total $600 million per year through 2026. … Jared Naimark, California mining organizer with the environmental group Earthworks, said he thought her remarks might have been directed at his group and Comite Civico over their lawsuit challenging county approvals of Controlled Thermal Resources’ Hells Kitchen geothermal and lithium project. The litigation questions water supply, air pollution and earthquake risk assessments.