Trump Administration to Fast-Track Velvet-Wood Uranium Mine in Utah
The Interior Department said it would fast-track the permitting process for a uranium mine in Utah as part of President Trump’s plan to shorten environmental reviews and speed the construction of certain types of energy projects.
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An environmental assessment of the Velvet-Wood mine project will be completed in 14 days, the agency announced. Such a review would typically take about one year.
Critics have called the plan to drastically shrink the review time dangerous, and projects that are approved under such a compressed process are likely to face legal challenges.
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In a statement, Doug Burgum, the interior secretary, said the expedited process had been established to fix what he called an “alarming energy emergency because of the prior administration’s Climate Extremist policies.” He said that the speedy review “represents exactly the kind of decisive action we need to secure our energy future.”
The Velvet-Wood project, in San Juan County, Utah, aims to produce uranium, which is used as a fuel in nuclear power plants, as well as vanadium, used in the production of steel alloys.
It is being built on the site of an older mine that closed in the 1980s. The company leading the project, Anfield Energy, also plans to restart a uranium mill to extract uranium from ore.
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The Interior Department said the project would result in three acres of land “disturbance.” The agency declined to make public the permit application or other documents detailing what it meant by “disturbance.”
Sarah Fields, founder of Uranium Watch, an environmental group based in Utah, said her organization had concerns about effects on water resources, as well as about radioactive waste from mining operations.
Ms. Fields said the expedited approval process also meant “there’s no opportunity for public comment, and the public often brings up issues to the agency that they’re not aware of.”
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Corey Dias, Anfield’s chief executive, called the fast-track permits “a game changer for us.”
He said he expected to be able to recover 4 million tons of uranium and nearly 5 million tons of vanadium over the life of the project. “The fact that we’re being recognized as an advanced asset to be put into operation by the government, I think, is a big thing for us,” Mr. Dias said. “It also reflects the nature of the importance of uranium for domestic production.”
The decision to fast-track a uranium project comes as the White House is considering several executive orders aimed at speeding the construction of nuclear power plants to help meet rising electricity demand, according to drafts reviewed by The New York Times.
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The Interior Department has said that the United States is “dangerously reliant” on imports of uranium and vanadium to meet its needs. It has argued that, in 2023, U.S. nuclear generators relied 99 percent on imported uranium concentrate, including from Russia.
Mr. Burgum then initiated a process by which environmental reviews that typically take a year to complete would be finished in 14 days. More complicated environmental impact statements, which usually take two years, would be completed in 28 days, the department said.
U.S. energy production has been near record highs.
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The Interior Department is condensing the review process by claiming emergency authority under the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act and the National Historic Preservation Act.
Fifteen states have sued the Trump administration over the energy emergency declaration. They have argued that no emergency exists and that the order instructs regulators to illegally bypass reviews of fossil fuel projects, potentially damaging the environment.
Advertising
The Interior Department said it would fast-track the permitting process for a uranium mine in Utah as part of President Trump’s plan to shorten environmental reviews and speed the construction of certain types of energy projects.
An environmental assessment of the Velvet-Wood mine project will be completed in 14 days, the agency announced. Such a review would typically take about one year.
Critics have called the plan to drastically shrink the review time dangerous, and projects that are approved under such a compressed process are likely to face legal challenges.
In a statement, Doug Burgum, the interior secretary, said the expedited process had been established to fix what he called an “alarming energy emergency because of the prior administration’s Climate Extremist policies.” He said that the speedy review “represents exactly the kind of decisive action we need to secure our energy future.”
The Velvet-Wood project, in San Juan County, Utah, aims to produce uranium, which is used as a fuel in nuclear power plants, as well as vanadium, used in the production of steel alloys.
It is being built on the site of an older mine that closed in the 1980s. The company leading the project, Anfield Energy, also plans to restart a uranium mill to extract uranium from ore.
The Interior Department said the project would result in three acres of land “disturbance.” The agency declined to make public the permit application or other documents detailing what it meant by “disturbance.”
Sarah Fields, founder of Uranium Watch, an environmental group based in Utah, said her organization had concerns about effects on water resources, as well as about radioactive waste from mining operations.
Ms. Fields said the expedited approval process also meant “there’s no opportunity for public comment, and the public often brings up issues to the agency that they’re not aware of.”
Corey Dias, Anfield’s chief executive, called the fast-track permits “a game changer for us.”
He said he expected to be able to recover 4 million tons of uranium and nearly 5 million tons of vanadium over the life of the project. “The fact that we’re being recognized as an advanced asset to be put into operation by the government, I think, is a big thing for us,” Mr. Dias said. “It also reflects the nature of the importance of uranium for domestic production.”
The decision to fast-track a uranium project comes as the White House is considering several executive orders aimed at speeding the construction of nuclear power plants to help meet rising electricity demand, according to drafts reviewed by The New York Times.
The Interior Department has said that the United States is “dangerously reliant” on imports of uranium and vanadium to meet its needs. It has argued that, in 2023, U.S. nuclear generators relied 99 percent on imported uranium concentrate, including from Russia.
Mr. Burgum then initiated a process by which environmental reviews that typically take a year to complete would be finished in 14 days. More complicated environmental impact statements, which usually take two years, would be completed in 28 days, the department said.
U.S. energy production has been near record highs.
The Interior Department is condensing the review process by claiming emergency authority under the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act and the National Historic Preservation Act.
Fifteen states have sued the Trump administration over the energy emergency declaration. They have argued that no emergency exists and that the order instructs regulators to illegally bypass reviews of fossil fuel projects, potentially damaging the environment.
