Key Trump administration officials have signaled their strong support for finalizing a $1.3 billion Biden-era loan for a lithium production plant in impoverished Imperial County, according to county officials who met with them in Washington, D.C., last week. … (Trump) promised in his address to Congress on Tuesday that “later this week, I will also take historic action to dramatically expand production of critical minerals and rare earths here in the USA.” That statement, following the Feb. 28 meeting between Imperial County officials and more than half a dozen federal officials, has buoyed local officials’ hopes, said County Supervisor Ryan Kelley, who was there and who represents the area around the Salton Sea that holds the rich underground deposits of lithium, zinc and manganese.