Interior Department Green Lights Utah Uranium Mine Under Expedited 14-Day Environmental Review

This is the first project in the United States approved under the department’s accelerated review process.

Cylinders of uranium from the Russian cargo ship unloaded at the port of Dunkirk, northern France, on March 20, 2023.Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP via Getty Images

The Department of the Interior (DOI) has approved the Velvet-Wood uranium and vanadium mine in San Juan County, Utah, through an expedited environmental review in a bid to “strengthen U.S. mineral security,” the agency said in a May 23 statement.

“This approval marks a turning point in how we secure America’s mineral future,” Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said.