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