… A year ago, we argued in Charging Forward that the clean-energy transition would only be part of a “just transition” if the communities living at its frontlines were full partners in shaping it. That principle is being tested now. … In September 2025, Comité Cívico del Valle … and Earthworks released The Devil is in the Details, a powerful report detailing deep community concerns with the project’s Environmental Impact Report. They argue it underestimates the risks to water supplies, ignores air-quality and toxic-waste implications, and fails to safeguard sacred Indigenous lands around the Salton Sea. But this is not just a story of opposition. A new regional coalition, Valle Unido por Beneficios Comunitarios … is pressing for a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) that would guarantee tangible returns to frontline communities.