A community nonprofit opposed to the development of a lithium mine and geothermal power plant in California’s arid Imperial County asked a state Court of Appeal panel on Thursday to reconsider their petition aimed at halting the development of the project. Comite Civico del Valle argued to the panel the Imperial County Board of Supervisors violated the California Environmental Quality Act after it approved the project based on a flawed and inadequate analysis of the project’s environmental impacts in 2024. Attorney Doug Carstens argued to the three-justice panel the project’s environmental impact report overstated the water availability in Imperial County and did not fully appreciate the impact the project would have on an agricultural region that already suffers from strained water resources.