There was a serious plan to build another Trona type plant on Owens Lake by Lake Minerals who was relate to Cominco. The owners of the Trona plant didn't want the competition and is rumored to have lobbied (USFS?) to deny the permit on the basis of degrading the air quality and the view of the Sierras. It wasn't long after that the line was finally salvaged from Bartlett (the old PPG plant) to outside Searles.

My cousin worked for the Great Basin Air Pollution Control District and they were working with the proposed plant as part of the plan to limit the dust blowing off the lake, which LADWP ended up paying for by court order.

I heard Trona RR was interested in the line at one time, but I don't know at what point this was because I believe the ownership of the Trona plants and RR, and Lake Minerals changed during the intervening years.