Trump Administration Expedites Approval for New Uranium Mine in Utah
The reopening of this mine aligns with Trump administration push to expedite the development of U.S. nuclear energy capacity.
I recently wrote about the numerous positive developments related to the mining and processing of critical minerals, such as rare earths, outside of China, which were supported by two key executive orders from President Donald Trump.
I can now report even more success in domestic mine expansion. The Trump administration recently approved the reopening of the Velvet-Wood uranium and vanadium mine in southeastern Utah, marking the first mining project to be permitted under a new, dramatically accelerated environmental review process.
The decision, executed by the Department of the Interior, was made in just 14 days…a stark contrast to the months or years such reviews typically require.
“This approval marks a turning point in how we secure America’s mineral future,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum in a statement. “By streamlining the review process for critical mineral projects like Velvet-Wood, we’re reducing dependence on foreign adversaries and ensuring our military, medical and energy sectors have the resources they need to thrive. This is mineral security in action.”
The Velvet-Wood mine, near Utah’s Lisbon Valley, will produce both uranium and vanadium. The former can be processed into fuel for nuclear reactors, while the latter is commonly used in steel alloys.
The announcement comes 11 days after the Interior Department ordered the Bureau of Land Management to review the mine’s environmental impacts within 14 days, as opposed to the prior timeline of months or years.
The fast-tracking follows a January executive order from President Donald Trump declaring a “national energy emergency.”
The mine is set to be reopened by Canadian company Anfield Energy. Anfield Energy’s main business is the development of energy metals, with a particular emphasis on uranium and vanadium resources. The company aims to become a top-tier supplier of energy-related fuels, positioning itself as a key player in the emerging nuclear energy sector in North America.
The company’s website heralds the astonishing potential of the Utah mine.
Acquired alongside the Shootaring Canyon Mill in 2015, this project holds significant historical mineral resources. With measured and indicated categories containing 4.6 million pounds of U3O8 ([uranium oxide] 0.285% grade) and inferred categories holding 552,000 pounds of U3O8 (0.320% grade) and7.3Mlbs of V2O5 ([Vanadium Oxide] 0.404% grade), Velvet-Wood demonstrates its potential.
From 1979 to 1984, the project yielded significant results, recovering around 4 million pounds of U3O8and 5 million pounds of V2O5 from mining approximately 400,000 tons of ore with grades of 0.46% U3O8 and 0.64% V2O5. The Velvet mine retains underground infrastructure, including a 3,500 ft long,12′ x 9′ decline to the ore body. As Anfield Energy’s most advanced uranium asset, Velvet-Wood signifies a potential near-term path to uranium and vanadium production.
Of course, environmental activists are unhappy with this decision and pulling out the usual assortment of complaints….especially those associated with uranium. As an additional bonus, some “social justice” complaints are being tossed into the mix for variety.
“There’s a reason environmental reviews usually take time,” said Nancy Blackwell, policy director at the Western Public Lands Alliance. “Rushing through this process under the banner of ‘national security’ opens the door to costly mistakes and overlooked harms—especially when uranium, with its toxic legacy, is involved.”
Critics also question the need for domestic uranium and vanadium production at this scale, pointing to the global oversupply of uranium and the long lead time required to bring nuclear facilities online. They argue that the real driver behind the project may be political symbolism rather than genuine energy urgency.
Meanwhile, the Grand Canyon Trust and other advocacy organizations have called for a halt to mining near culturally and ecologically sensitive areas, citing concerns about contamination from past uranium operations still affecting Native communities.
If they’re unhappy, I am happy.
The reopening of this mine pairs well with the Trump administration’s push to expedite the development of our nuclear energy capacity. I am looking forward to writing about the construction of projects and facilities listed in the four executive orders related to the rapid deployment of next-generation nuclear technologies in this country, which Trump also has signed.
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Comments
In before reports of a judge blocking this
Bet you didn’t make it
Please someone invent a way to recycle nuclear waste
And lithium batteries while your at it
I think there already is a process to turn some nuclear waste into nuclear fuel.
At any rate, the amounts of waste produced by nuclear reactors, relative to electricity produced, is miniscule compared to the wastes produced by fossil fuel burning.
The uranium pellets in nuclear fuel rods used in civilian power plants stay in use for three to seven years, before the fuel is spent. That’s amazing longevity and efficiency.
There is a process to recycle spent uranium fuel rods and pellets. One of the big problems with a uranium based plant is that the spent fuel is enriched enough to make bombs. A thorium plant doesn’t have this problem and is far superior. Lithium, not so much as it is extremely flammable. One company says they have figured it out but I don’t think they are large scale or showing a profit yet.
Having operated naval sub reactors in the 80s, which are very safe (France like the USN, by the way, has a long history of using nuclear power safely), I don’t think nuclear reactors have ever been as safe as they are now, with all the new tech that’s come out . The newer tech is so good it would be almost impossible to melt one down if you tried.
And, the third generation and later reactor designs incorporate a host of passive safety features, drawing on decades of experience and lessons learned. Eliminating the need for human intervention to initiate reactor shutdowns is huge.
Before we all get caught up in the moment, when it comes to US consumption of rare earths, is uranium really an economic priority?
My tinfoil hat is giving me the same twinges I got when Bush used 9/11 as an excuse to declare war on a country who didn’t do it.
Pedant alert! U3O8 is a compound (triuranium octoxide), not an isotope. Usually you’ll get about 0.7% U-235 in uranium ore out of the total uranium present. That has to be enriched to 3-5% for fuel-grade. There’s a company in South Carolina looking to enrich uranium via laser. It’s much more efficient than centrifuge (but don’t tell the Iranians).
You are right. Correction made. Thanks.
Put illegal aliens to work in the mines. Give them the opportunity to dig their way to residency.
So Medicare can pay their resulting end-of-life care? May be a bad trade.
Better than them not working and getting benefits.
“…over abundance in the global supply chain…” which is the friggen point. Stop having to rely on the “global” chain when it can be produced here. Remember Covid and the government stopping trade resulting in empty shelves?
“Long lead time to bring new plants online”
Well Trump can fix that.
Haven’t heard if they’ve broken ground on the plant here in TN.
BTW when they said under Biden admin to turn down your heat during the coldest weeks in winter (zero to 5 degrees for several days in a row) TWO YEARS in a row…. I complied the first time. The second year I turned that thermostat up 5 degrees and left the lights on, turned the dog’s heat blanket on to full, calling the ploy for exactly what it was; a deliberate attempt by the TVA to try and produce less power and throttle NE TN into consuming less power. My goal is now to crash the grid as hard as I can when that stuff happens.