US Fast-Tracking Uranium Mine Permit to Meet ‘Urgent Energy Demands’

The decision comes as America remains ‘dangerously reliant’ on imports to meet uranium demand.

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) is expediting environmental permitting review of the Velvet-Wood mine in Utah amid a national energy emergency, the agency said in a May 12 statement.

“If approved, the Velvet-Wood mine project in San Juan County, Utah, would produce uranium and vanadium,” said the agency. Uranium is used as fuel in nuclear reactors and for the production of tritium, which is required for nuclear weapons, while vanadium is used in steel production and titanium aerospace alloys.

“The project will undergo an accelerated environmental review by the Bureau of Land Management, with a completion timeline of 14 days. The expedited review is expected to significantly contribute to meeting urgent energy demands and addressing key threats to national energy security,” the DOI said.

The United States is currently “dangerously reliant” on foreign imports to meet the demand for uranium and vanadium, according to the agency.

In 2023, imports accounted for 99 percent of the uranium concentrate used by U.S. nuclear generators, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in a Jan. 30 statement.

According to the EIA, prior to the 1980s, the United States had incentives and favorable trade policies that boosted domestic uranium production. After these policies ended in the 1980s, domestic output cratered.

For instance, the United States produced 43.7 million pounds of uranium concentrate in 1980. By 2019, this had dropped to 174,000 pounds.

As for vanadium, almost half of domestic consumption last year was accounted for by imports, the DOI said.

A key security risk posed by the lack of domestic uranium and vanadium production is that America is dependent on its rivals.

For instance, in 2023, U.S. nuclear generators sourced uranium concentrate from sources in Russia, the DOI said. Meanwhile, Russia and China are key exporters of vanadium, according to data from the World Bank.

According to the DOI, the expedited permitting of the Velvet-Wood mine is being done in response to the national emergency declaration issued by President Donald Trump via an executive order on Jan. 20.

The declaration said the current inadequate development of domestic energy sources makes the United States “vulnerable to hostile foreign actors” and poses a national security threat to the country.

“America is facing an alarming energy emergency because of the prior administration’s Climate Extremist policies,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said.

“President Trump and his administration are responding with speed and strength to solve this crisis.

“The expedited mining project review represents exactly the kind of decisive action we need to secure our energy future. By cutting needless delays, we’re supporting good-paying American jobs while strengthening our national security and putting the country on a path to true energy independence.”

Speeding Up Critical Resources Development

On April 23, the DOI announced that it was implementing emergency permitting procedures to speed up the development of critical minerals and energy resources.

Approval times will be reduced to a maximum of 28 days from the months or years it used to take, the department said.

The policy is applicable to a wide range of energy sources such as oil, gas, uranium, geothermal, biofuels, and coal. Solar and wind were not listed.

“The United States cannot afford to wait,” Burgum said. “By reducing a multi-year permitting process down to just 28 days, the Department will lead with urgency, resolve, and a clear focus on strengthening the nation’s energy independence.”

In an April 24 statement, environmental advocacy group the Sierra Club criticized the DOI policy, calling the reduced time limit “troublingly short.”

“These arbitrary time limits make a complete review of the risks of potentially hazardous projects impossible,” said Athan Manuel, director of the Sierra Club’s Lands Protection Program.

“A shoddy review means the true hazards of a project may only be known when the air or water thousands of people rely on is dangerously polluted.”

On March 20, Trump signed an executive order to take “immediate measures” to boost mineral production in the United States.

“China, Iran, and Russia control large deposits of several minerals critical to the U.S., posing a national security risk. 70 percent of U.S. imports of rare earths come from China,” a March 20 White House fact sheet said.

“Critical minerals are essential for U.S. military readiness, as they are key components in fighter jets, satellites, submarines, smart bombs, and missile guidance systems,” it said, adding that “financing, loans, and investment support will be provided for new mineral production projects.”