The White Gold Rush and Why the U.S. Is Turning to Space and Sea While Sitting on a Lithium Goldmine
Written by Monserrat Menendez, Interior Designer
Monserrat is an entrepreneur, interior architect, and sustainability advocate, as well as the founder of Senom Design, a firm dedicated to merging innovative design with sustainable solutions. With over a decade of experience across residential, commercial, and international projects, she specializes in bringing clients’ visions to life through thoughtful, high-impact interiors.
The U.S. has vast reserves of the minerals we need to power the future, especially abundant lithium. So why are we seriously considering mining the ocean floor and even asteroids in space? It seems like a sci-fi plot, but this is our current reality.
We have what we need – so what's the problem?
The U.S. is rich in critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements. These are essential to build:
Electric vehicle (EV) batteries
Solar panels
Wind turbines
Energy storage systems
In fact, California's Salton Sea has been dubbed "Lithium Valley"—a region with enormous lithium reserves sitting just beneath the surface. What's more, the lithium here can be extracted in a much cleaner and more sustainable way than traditional mining. The method uses geothermal energy and closed-loop systems that don't tear up the land or pollute water sources.
So, again, why go to space or the bottom of the ocean?
The short answer: Mining is complicated
Even with minerals in our backyard, there are four major challenges:
1. Traditional mining is harmful and slow
Most mining is still environmentally destructive:
Huge pits
Toxic chemicals
Water waste
Local ecosystem damage
And it's not just about pollution—it's about time. Opening a new mine in the U.S. can take 10 to 20 years due to regulations and community pushback.
2. Communities demand better
People living near mineral-rich areas—like those around the Salton Sea—have seen what bad mining practices can do. They're asking for:
Environmental safeguards
Fair economic benefits
Job creation
Clear information about health impacts
Until those demands are addressed, progress will be slow.
3. Global supply chains are risky
Right now, many minerals come from countries with unstable governments or strained relationships with the U.S.:
Cobalt mostly comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo
Lithium is heavily sourced from South America
China dominates rare earth processing
This makes our clean energy future vulnerable to geopolitics. Having domestic supply is a matter of national security.
4. Demand is skyrocketing
The clean energy transition is happening fast:
EVs use 4x more copper than gas-powered cars
Wind turbines and solar panels need rare and expensive metals
Global electric vehicle sales are doubling every few years
According to the International Energy Agency, demand for critical minerals could quadruple by 2045. That's more than domestic sources can handle alone.
The alternatives: Space and sea
To meet future demand and reduce dependence on other countries, companies and governments are exploring radical alternatives.
Asteroid mining
It may sound like science fiction, but it's already in motion:
NASA has studied metal-rich asteroids that hold more platinum, nickel, and gold than what's left on Earth.
Some asteroids are worth hundreds of billions of dollars in raw materials.
Tech is advancing—NASA has successfully collected samples from space rocks.
Deep-sea mining
Beneath the ocean floor lie potato-sized "nodules" filled with copper, nickel, cobalt, and rare earths. Companies like The Metals Company are applying for U.S. permits to begin mining.
But there's a catch:
These ocean ecosystems are largely unexplored
Mining could destroy fragile environments that took millions of years to develop
The environmental risk is huge—and many scientists are urging caution.
What happens next?
The next 5–10 years will be critical. We're likely to see:
Salton Sea lithium projects begin full-scale production by 2026
First test runs of deep-sea mining
Continued development of asteroid mining tech
Growing pressure to recycle materials and reduce waste
The big question
Can we meet demand with clean, local mining, or will we rely on risky, untested methods in space and the ocean?
The U.S. has the resources. Now it comes down to political will, community cooperation, and innovation. Whether we succeed at home or go hunting for minerals among the stars, this race will shape the clean energy future for generations.
Monserrat Menendez, Interior Designer
Monserrat is an entrepreneur, interior architect, and sustainability advocate, as well as the founder of Senom Design, a firm dedicated to merging innovative design with sustainable solutions. With over a decade of experience across residential, commercial, and international projects, she specializes in bringing clients’ visions to life through thoughtful, high-impact interiors.
She is the U.S. Brand Ambassador for U Green, an organization that helps companies become more profitable while empowering people and brands to follow a consistent path toward sustainability through transformative education and specialized consulting. As an Executive Contributor to Brainz Magazine, she shares her expertise in design, sustainability, and innovation. Her mission is to create spaces that are not only beautiful but also responsible and forward-thinking.
