USACE requests extending the Section 10/404 Final Verification/Permit Decision Rendered, Issuance of a Final EA, and EA Process Concluded milestones from November 20, 2026, to May 3, 2027, to accommodate delays in the project sponsor securing the Section 401 Clean Water Act Water Quality Certification (WQC). This schedule revision stems from the project sponsor’s delayed submission of a complete application to the Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) and a recent state court ruling that found deficiencies in Imperial County’s environmental review of the project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Compliance with CEQA is a prerequisite for RWQCB’s WQC as mandated by 23 California Code of Regulations Section 3856. USACE cannot finalize the Section 10/404 permit decision without a valid WQC.
Milestones:
All dates below are specific to the schedule of the Environmental Review and Permitting processes for this project.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING STATUS
IN PROGRESS
ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE OF ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING
05/03/2027
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING PROCESSES
COMPLETED
SECTOR
Mining
CATEGORY
Project Category
FAST-41 Covered Projects
LEAD AGENCY
Department of the Army, US Army Corps of Engineers - Regulatory
View FAST-41 Postings by Agencies
Other Agencies with Actions or Authorizations:
Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service
Description:
The Hell’s Kitchen Critical Minerals & Power Project will convert geothermal brine into steam to generate electrical energy. The power plant will use the geothermal brine to produce electrical power from its steam and the direct lithium extraction plant will convert the dissolved lithium into battery-grade lithium hydroxide and/or lithium carbonate for the battery industry. The Project is located southeast of the Salton Sea, Calipatria, California.
The Executive Director granted a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers request to extend completion dates for all actions on October 10, 2025. The Executive Director Determination is posted here.
The Executive Director granted a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers request to extend the completion date for the Endangered Species Act consultation on May 20, 2026. The Executive Director Determination is posted here.
Original Target Date: 09/01/2026
Milestone: Issuance of a Final EA (Agency Action)
Requested extensions greater than 30 days for this Action are shown below:
Issuance of a Final EA (Agency Action) extended by 244
From: 11/20/2026
To: 05/03/2027