Latest news with #U.S.BureauofLandManagement
San Francisco Chronicle
12-07-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Trump administration eyes California for new oil and gas drilling — including Bay Area
The Trump administration has taken a first step toward opening more of California for oil and gas development, launching reviews of potential extraction in such mineral strongholds as Kern County as well as in less explored places like the Bay Area. The federal government hasn't issued a drilling lease in California for years, largely because of environmental hurdles. While oil and gas wells still operate under older leases in parts of the state, officials say their new reviews will address the standstill and could clear the way for fossil fuel companies to operate on additional federal lands. They say there's the possibility for hundreds of new wells in the state. The move follows the president's directive to 'unleash' more of the nation's energy reserves. President Donald Trump has said oil and gas development will reduce gasoline prices and electricity bills and boost the economy. California, however, has generally been averse to greater fossil fuel production. The state has increasingly turned to alternative power sources to divorce itself from the problems of oil and gas, which include driving health-harming pollution and climate change as well as disturbing public lands and wildlife. The Sierra Club called the administration's latest actions in the state a 'massive drilling expansion (that) would be a huge loss to Californians.' The places that the federal government is reviewing — and eventually could be leased for oil and gas operations — are specifically lands and underground mineral deposits administered by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's Bakersfield and Central Coast offices. This includes 684,000 acres of land and 959,000 acres of subsurface mineral estate sprinkled across 17 counties, from Contra Costa County in the north to Ventura County in the south. Much of the acreage is in the Central Valley's Kern County, where the Midway-Sunset oil field stands as one of the largest drilling sites in the nation. North of Monterey and San Benito counties, federal property and fossil fuel deposits are far less common, yet pockets exist in Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. Officials at the Bureau of Land Management declined a request for interview about their plans, but they said in an email that 'completion of (their) efforts could allow the BLM to resume oil and gas leasing … which in turn may provide for additional economic growth and jobs … as well as revenue generated from oil and gas production.' Supporters of the industry, particularly those in the oil-bearing reaches of the southern San Joaquin Valley, cheered the agency's actions. 'With my advocacy, this important and needed move by the Bureau of Land Management is a strong step toward restoring California's oil production, lowering costs for families, reducing our reliance on foreign sources of energy … and protecting good-paying jobs,' said Rep. Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, in a statement. While California was once one of the top oil-extracting states in the nation, production has waned in recent decades, though the state is still among the top 10. Gov. Gavin Newsom has called for phasing out oil drilling entirely by 2045. Environmental and social justice groups oppose the Bureau of Land Management's plans, saying they will stymie the state's progress toward a greener future. 'It's unclear to what extent the floodgates will open,' said Michelle Ghafar, senior attorney for Earthjustice, a nonprofit legal organization that has fought oil and gas development in California. 'But this means new drilling can happen. This moves the state in the exact opposite direction it needs to go.' While the lands that the Bureau of Land Management administers are far-reaching, fossil fuel companies have historically been interested primarily in obtaining leases near existing drill sites, where the necessary infrastructure exists. Isolated plots of oil and gas can be expensive to access, and drilling at these sites can generate public outcry, industry experts say. This makes places like the Bay Area less attractive for new wells. Fossil fuel companies, even after obtaining a lease, must also obtain a permit to drill, which often means further public input alongside additional federal and state environmental reviews and approvals. The Bureau of Land Management, in its notice on the Federal Register last month, estimates that new leases could result in the development of 10 to 40 oil and gas wells per year in the Bakersfield area and 37 new oil and gas wells over two decades in its Central Coast region, which includes parts of the Bay Area. A series of lawsuits filed by Earthjustice and other environmental groups over the past 12 years essentially stopped the leasing of California's federal lands for drilling. The litigants successfully challenged the Bureau of Land Management for not adequately studying impacts of fossil fuel extraction. The legal fight spanned multiple presidential administrations, though environmental groups say the Trump administration appears more eager to confront the issue and get on with opening new areas to oil and gas development. Agreements reached between the warring parties in 2022 call for more extensive evaluations of federal lands before any future leases can be issued. In late June, five months after Trump returned to office, his administration announced that it was beginning the required reviews. 'We weren't surprised to see how quickly they moved to get this done when they came back,' Ghafar said. The Bureau of Land Management is accepting public comments through July 23 on what to include in its reviews. The agency's Bakersfield office expects to complete its review for eight counties later this year and finalize plans for potential leasing next year. The Central Coast office hopes to complete its review of 10 counties, including one split with the Bakersfield office, next year and submit final plans in 2027. Once the plans are done, and assuming leasing resumes, federal officials are expected to have an easier time permitting new wells because of regulatory rollbacks being advanced by the Trump administration. The rollbacks also apply to new well permits on existing leases. Additionally, the U.S. Interior Department last month rescinded a 2012 memorandum of understanding between the Bureau of Land Management and the state of California that called for sharing regulatory responsibilities on federal lands. Both the state and Bureau of Land Management declined to discuss the MOU's termination, but it's widely viewed as a show of the federal government's interest in taking over, and speeding up, the permit process for wells. State environmental laws remain in place, no matter what agency handles the permitting, though it's unclear to what extent the Bureau of Land Management would conform to state policies. 'Permits have just lingered,' said Rock Zierman, CEO of the California Independent Petroleum Association, a leading trade group, which supported the Interior Department's decision to rescind the MOU. 'BLM is saying we need the BLM to take over permitting on federal lands.' Zierman and other backers of fossil fuels see recent momentum for the industry. Newsom has been looking for ways to prevent oil refineries from shutting down after two facilities announced impending closures. The California Energy Commission, responding to the governor, offered recommendations last month that include permitting new wells. While Newsom has been a champion of cuts to oil and gas, he's tempered his opposition with calls for a gradual transition to cleaner energy, hoping to limit upheaval to prices, jobs and businesses in the fossil fuel sector. Still, the number of permits issued for new wells has fallen significantly over the past few years, notably on state and private lands where most of California's extraction occurs. Environmental and social justice groups say they want to make sure this trend doesn't cease on federal lands. 'We are really urging BLM not to allow any new land disturbance,' said Victoria Bogdan Tejeda, staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity's Climate Law program. 'They do have that power to put constraints on what they do with the land. 'But under the Trump administration,' she said, 'that seems unlikely.'
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
As Trump officials visit Alaska, feds announce plans to remove some restrictions on Arctic drilling
A few snow drifts remain on June 18, 2004, on the Arctic coastal plain of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. (Photo by Craig McCaa/U.S. Bureau of Land Management) The Trump administration plans to lift environmental protections on roughly half of the National Petroleum Reserve on Alaska's North Slope, reopening the area to possible oil and gas drilling. The new move would reverse actions taken during the Biden administration to restrict development in the 23 million-acre reserve. The plans, announced Sunday in Utqiagvik and formally on Monday by the U.S. Department of the Interior, open a public comment period, with final action to come later. The plans were announced as three of the Trump administration's top officials visit Alaska. U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and Lee Zeldin, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, are in Alaska this week for a series of events, including a speaking engagement at Gov. Mike Dunleavy's annual sustainable energy conference, which begins Tuesday in Anchorage. During a brief question-and-answer session with reporters on Sunday, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, sat alongside the three cabinet members and called the effort to restrict development in NPR-A the 'most egregious effort of the Biden administration,' adding that 'one of the top priorities is to get the NPRA back to where it was supposed to be by the intention of Congress, to develop oil and to remove all the regulations that the Biden guys put on NPR-A, and that is a huge priority.' While large oil companies have expressed little interest to date in drilling within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which lies to the east of the Prudhoe Bay oil fields, there has been interest in drilling within the reserve, which lies to the west. Since the first days of the second Trump administration, federal officials have said that they are prioritizing an effort to eliminate obstacles for companies interested in digging or drilling for natural resources in Alaska. Burgum, Wright and Zeldin traveled to the North Slope after meeting with state officials in Anchorage on Sunday and were scheduled to tour Pump Station No. 1 of the trans-Alaska Pipeline System before returning to Anchorage on Tuesday to participate in the governor's energy conference. The two-hour Anchorage event was largely closed to the public, but reporters were able to listen to closing remarks and ask limited questions at the end. There were no new details about the potential construction of a trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline, and officials did not address the Trump administration's decision to freeze or rescind grants awarded to renewable energy projects in Alaska. Burgum, speaking in Anchorage, noted that Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport offers direct flights to 16 countries and talked about the 'rise of the Pacific' in terms of global commerce. 'Alaska can play such a huge role in this, but we've got to get the federal government out of your way. That's what the three of us are here to do,' he said. In response to a question, Burgum said the administration plans to prioritize development of the planned Ambler Road, a 211-mile mining access road through the Brooks Range, and the proposed King Cove Road, an 11-mile road connecting King Cove to the Cold Bay airport, among other projects. On Monday, environmental groups responded to the NPR-A decision with scorn and concern. Grandmothers Growing Goodness, an environmental group that supports Indigenous communities in the Arctic, said that the repeal of the Biden administration protections would significantly impact Teshekpuk Lake and its surroundings, which are important for the Teshekpuk caribou herd. 'The area is also integral to Indigenous subsistence practices, supporting hunting, fishing, and gathering,' they said, in an email statement with the announcement Protest demonstrations are planned in Anchorage for Monday and Tuesday to oppose the proposed Alaska LNG pipeline project and 'other fossil fuel projects promoted by Gov. Dunleavy's 'sustainable energy conference,'' according to organizers. 'It's hard to overstate the havoc this could wreak on the Western Arctic's undisturbed habitat for caribou, polars bears and belugas,' said Marlee Goska, Alaska attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. 'Trump's fixation on plundering Alaska's ecosystems for short-term gain is matched only by the stupidity of turning this precious place into a fossil fuel extraction site. Alaska's vast expanses of wild lands are a big part of what makes our state so special, and we'll do everything possible to protect these places.'
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump fast-tracks Utah uranium mine, but industry revival may wait for higher prices
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — In the southeastern Utah desert famous for red rock arches and canyon labyrinths, the long-dormant uranium mining industry is looking to revive under President Donald Trump. Hundreds of abandoned uranium mines dot the West's arid landscapes, hazardous reminders of the promise and peril of nuclear power during the Cold War. Now, one mine that the Trump administration fast-tracked for regulatory approval could reopen for the first time since the 1980s. Normally it would have taken months, if not years, for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to review plans to reopen a project like Anfield Energy's Velvet-Wood mine 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of Moab. But the bureau's regulators green-lit the project in just 11 days under a 'national energy emergency' Trump has declared that allows expedited environmental reviews for energy projects. More permits and approvals will be needed, plus site work to get the mine operating again. And the price of uranium would have to rise enough to make domestic production financially sustainable. If that happens, it would mean revival — and jobs — to an industry that locally has been moribund since the Ronald Reagan era. 'President Trump has made it clear that our energy security is national security," Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in announcing the fast-tracking policy in April. 'These emergency procedures reflect our unwavering commitment to protecting both.' More fast approvals appear likely. Trump's order also applies to oil, gas, coal, biofuel and hydropower projects — but not renewable energy — on federal lands. Conditions are ripe for more U.S. uranium mining Global uranium prices are double what they were at a low point seven years ago and, for the past year, the U.S. has banned uranium imports from Russia due to that country's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. More domestic mining would address a major imbalance. The U.S. imports about 98% of the uranium it uses to generate 30% of the world's nuclear energy. More than two-thirds of U.S. imports come from the world's top three uranium-mining countries: Canada, Australia and Kazakhstan. Less government regulation won't spur more U.S. uranium mining by itself. The market matters. And while spot-market prices are up from several years ago, they're down about a third from their recent high in early 2024. While some new uranium mining and processing projects have been announced, their number falls far short of a surge. That suggests prices need to rise — and stay there — for a true industry revival, said John Uhrie, a former uranium executive who now works in the cement industry. 'Until the price goes up dramatically, you're not going to be able to actually put these places into operation,' Uhrie said. 'You need significant capital on the ground.' Still, the industry is showing new life in the Southwest. Anfield Energy, a Canadian company, also looks to reopen the Shootaring Canyon uranium mill in southern Utah near Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. It closed in the early 1980s. A uranium mill turns raw ore into yellowcake, a powdery substance later processed elsewhere into nuclear fuel. Anfield officials did not return messages seeking comment on plans to reopen the mill and the Velvet-Wood mine. Energy Fuels, another Canadian company which ranks as the top U.S. uranium miner, opened the Pinyon Plain mine about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the Grand Canyon in late 2023. And just off U.S. 191 in southeastern Utah is a hub of the industry, Uranium Fuels' White Mesa mill, the country's only uranium mill still in operation. In Moab, uranium has a long — and mixed — legacy These days, Moab is a desert tourism hot spot bustling with outdoor enthusiasts. But the town of 5,200 has a deeper history with uranium. Nods to Moab's post-World War II mining heyday can been spotted around town — the Atomic Hair Salon isn't just named for its blowout hairstyles. The biggest reminder is the Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action project, a 480-acre (194-hectare) site just outside town. The decades-long, $1 billion U.S. Department of Energy effort to haul off toxic tailings that were leaching into the Colorado River upstream from the Grand Canyon and Lake Mead should wrap up within five more years. That mill's polluting legacy makes some Moab residents wary of restarting uranium mining and processing, especially after the Trump administration cut short their ability to weigh in on the Velvet-Wood mine plans. 'This was a process I would have been involved in,' said Sarah Fields, director of the local group Uranium Watch. 'They provided no opportunity for the public to say, 'You need to look at this, you need to look at that.'" Grand Canyon Trust, a group critical of the Pinyon Plain mine as a danger to groundwater, points out that the U.S. nuclear industry isn't at risk of losing access to uranium. 'This is all being done under the assumption there is some energy emergency and that is just not true,' said Amber Reimondo, the group's energy director. Supply and demand will decide uranium mining's future Hundreds of miles to the north, other nuclear energy projects point to the U.S. industry's future. With Bill Gates' support, TerraPower is building a 345-megawatt sodium-cooled fast reactor outside Kemmerer in western Wyoming that could, in theory, meet demand for carbon-free power at lower costs and with less construction time than conventional reactor units. Meanwhile, about 40% of uranium mined in the U.S. in 2024 came from four Wyoming 'in-situ' mines that use wells to dissolve uranium in underground deposits and pump it to the surface without having to dig big holes or send miners underground. Similar mines in Texas and Nebraska and stockpiled ore processed at White Mesa accounted for the rest. None — as yet — came from mines in Utah. Powering electric cars and computing technology will require more electricity in the years ahead. Nuclear power offers a zero-carbon, round-the-clock option. Meeting the demand for nuclear fuel domestically is another matter. With prices higher, almost 700,000 pounds of yellowcake was produced in the U.S. in 2024 — up more than a dozen-fold from the year before but still far short of the 32 million pounds imported into the U.S. Even if mining increases, it's not clear that U.S. capacity to turn the ore into fuel would keep pace, said Uhrie, the former uranium mining executive. "Re-establishing a viable uranium industry from soup to nuts — meaning from mining through processing to yellow cake production, to conversion, to enrichment to produce nuclear fuel — remains a huge lift," Uhrie said. ___ Gruver reported from Cheyenne, Wyoming.
San Francisco Chronicle
31-05-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Trump fast-tracks Utah uranium mine, but industry revival may wait for higher prices
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — In the southeastern Utah desert famous for red rock arches and canyon labyrinths, the long-dormant uranium mining industry is looking to revive under President Donald Trump. Hundreds of abandoned uranium mines dot the West's arid landscapes, hazardous reminders of the promise and peril of nuclear power during the Cold War. Now, one mine that the Trump administration fast-tracked for regulatory approval could reopen for the first time since the 1980s. Normally it would have taken months, if not years, for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to review plans to reopen a project like Anfield Energy's Velvet-Wood mine 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of Moab. But the bureau's regulators green-lit the project in just 11 days under a 'national energy emergency' Trump has declared that allows expedited environmental reviews for energy projects. More permits and approvals will be needed, plus site work to get the mine operating again. And the price of uranium would have to rise enough to make domestic production financially sustainable. If that happens, it would mean revival — and jobs — to an industry that locally has been moribund since the Ronald Reagan era. 'President Trump has made it clear that our energy security is national security," Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in announcing the fast-tracking policy in April. 'These emergency procedures reflect our unwavering commitment to protecting both.' More fast approvals appear likely. Trump's order also applies to oil, gas, coal, biofuel and hydropower projects — but not renewable energy — on federal lands. Global uranium prices are double what they were at a low point seven years ago and, for the past year, the U.S. has banned uranium imports from Russia due to that country's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. More domestic mining would address a major imbalance. The U.S. imports about 98% of the uranium it uses to generate 30% of the world's nuclear energy. More than two-thirds of U.S. imports come from the world's top three uranium-mining countries: Canada, Australia and Kazakhstan. Less government regulation won't spur more U.S. uranium mining by itself. The market matters. And while spot-market prices are up from several years ago, they're down about a third from their recent high in early 2024. While some new uranium mining and processing projects have been announced, their number falls far short of a surge. That suggests prices need to rise — and stay there — for a true industry revival, said John Uhrie, a former uranium executive who now works in the cement industry. 'Until the price goes up dramatically, you're not going to be able to actually put these places into operation,' Uhrie said. 'You need significant capital on the ground.' Anfield Energy, a Canadian company, also looks to reopen the Shootaring Canyon uranium mill in southern Utah near Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. It closed in the early 1980s. A uranium mill turns raw ore into yellowcake, a powdery substance later processed elsewhere into nuclear fuel. Anfield officials did not return messages seeking comment on plans to reopen the mill and the Velvet-Wood mine. Energy Fuels, another Canadian company which ranks as the top U.S. uranium miner, opened the Pinyon Plain mine about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the Grand Canyon in late 2023. And just off U.S. 191 in southeastern Utah is a hub of the industry, Uranium Fuels' White Mesa mill, the country's only uranium mill still in operation. In Moab, uranium has a long — and mixed — legacy These days, Moab is a desert tourism hot spot bustling with outdoor enthusiasts. But the town of 5,200 has a deeper history with uranium. Nods to Moab's post-World War II mining heyday can been spotted around town — the Atomic Hair Salon isn't just named for its blowout hairstyles. The biggest reminder is the Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action project, a 480-acre (194-hectare) site just outside town. The decades-long, $1 billion U.S. Department of Energy effort to haul off toxic tailings that were leaching into the Colorado River upstream from the Grand Canyon and Lake Mead should wrap up within five more years. That mill's polluting legacy makes some Moab residents wary of restarting uranium mining and processing, especially after the Trump administration cut short their ability to weigh in on the Velvet-Wood mine plans. 'This was a process I would have been involved in,' said Sarah Fields, director of the local group Uranium Watch. 'They provided no opportunity for the public to say, 'You need to look at this, you need to look at that.'" Grand Canyon Trust, a group critical of the Pinyon Plain mine as a danger to groundwater, points out that the U.S. nuclear industry isn't at risk of losing access to uranium. 'This is all being done under the assumption there is some energy emergency and that is just not true,' said Amber Reimondo, the group's energy director. Supply and demand will decide uranium mining's future Hundreds of miles to the north, other nuclear energy projects point to the U.S. industry's future. With Bill Gates' support, TerraPower is building a 345-megawatt sodium-cooled fast reactor outside Kemmerer in western Wyoming that could, in theory, meet demand for carbon-free power at lower costs and with less construction time than conventional reactor units. Meanwhile, about 40% of uranium mined in the U.S. in 2024 came from four Wyoming 'in-situ' mines that use wells to dissolve uranium in underground deposits and pump it to the surface without having to dig big holes or send miners underground. Similar mines in Texas and Nebraska and stockpiled ore processed at White Mesa accounted for the rest. None — as yet — came from mines in Utah. Powering electric cars and computing technology will require more electricity in the years ahead. Nuclear power offers a zero-carbon, round-the-clock option. Meeting the demand for nuclear fuel domestically is another matter. With prices higher, almost 700,000 pounds of yellowcake was produced in the U.S. in 2024 — up more than a dozen-fold from the year before but still far short of the 32 million pounds imported into the U.S. Even if mining increases, it's not clear that U.S. capacity to turn the ore into fuel would keep pace, said Uhrie, the former uranium mining executive. "Re-establishing a viable uranium industry from soup to nuts — meaning from mining through processing to yellow cake production, to conversion, to enrichment to produce nuclear fuel — remains a huge lift," Uhrie said.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump fast-tracks Utah uranium mine, but industry revival may wait for higher prices
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — In the southeastern Utah desert famous for red rock arches and canyon labyrinths, the long-dormant uranium mining industry is looking to revive under President Donald Trump. Hundreds of abandoned uranium mines dot the West's arid landscapes, hazardous reminders of the promise and peril of nuclear power during the Cold War. Now, one mine that the Trump administration fast-tracked for regulatory approval could reopen for the first time since the 1980s. Normally it would have taken months, if not years, for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to review plans to reopen a project like Anfield Energy's Velvet-Wood mine 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of Moab. But the bureau's regulators green-lit the project in just 11 days under a 'national energy emergency' Trump has declared that allows expedited environmental reviews for energy projects. More permits and approvals will be needed, plus site work to get the mine operating again. And the price of uranium would have to rise enough to make domestic production financially sustainable. If that happens, it would mean revival — and jobs — to an industry that locally has been moribund since the Ronald Reagan era. 'President Trump has made it clear that our energy security is national security," Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in announcing the fast-tracking policy in April. 'These emergency procedures reflect our unwavering commitment to protecting both.' More fast approvals appear likely. Trump's order also applies to oil, gas, coal, biofuel and hydropower projects — but not renewable energy — on federal lands. Conditions are ripe for more U.S. uranium mining Global uranium prices are double what they were at a low point seven years ago and, for the past year, the U.S. has banned uranium imports from Russia due to that country's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. More domestic mining would address a major imbalance. The U.S. imports about 98% of the uranium it uses to generate 30% of the world's nuclear energy. More than two-thirds of U.S. imports come from the world's top three uranium-mining countries: Canada, Australia and Kazakhstan. Less government regulation won't spur more U.S. uranium mining by itself. The market matters. And while spot-market prices are up from several years ago, they're down about a third from their recent high in early 2024. While some new uranium mining and processing projects have been announced, their number falls far short of a surge. That suggests prices need to rise — and stay there — for a true industry revival, said John Uhrie, a former uranium executive who now works in the cement industry. 'Until the price goes up dramatically, you're not going to be able to actually put these places into operation,' Uhrie said. 'You need significant capital on the ground.' Still, the industry is showing new life in the Southwest. Anfield Energy, a Canadian company, also looks to reopen the Shootaring Canyon uranium mill in southern Utah near Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. It closed in the early 1980s. A uranium mill turns raw ore into yellowcake, a powdery substance later processed elsewhere into nuclear fuel. Anfield officials did not return messages seeking comment on plans to reopen the mill and the Velvet-Wood mine. Energy Fuels, another Canadian company which ranks as the top U.S. uranium miner, opened the Pinyon Plain mine about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the Grand Canyon in late 2023. And just off U.S. 191 in southeastern Utah is a hub of the industry, Uranium Fuels' White Mesa mill, the country's only uranium mill still in operation. In Moab, uranium has a long — and mixed — legacy These days, Moab is a desert tourism hot spot bustling with outdoor enthusiasts. But the town of 5,200 has a deeper history with uranium. Nods to Moab's post-World War II mining heyday can been spotted around town — the Atomic Hair Salon isn't just named for its blowout hairstyles. The biggest reminder is the Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action project, a 480-acre (194-hectare) site just outside town. The decades-long, $1 billion U.S. Department of Energy effort to haul off toxic tailings that were leaching into the Colorado River upstream from the Grand Canyon and Lake Mead should wrap up within five more years. That mill's polluting legacy makes some Moab residents wary of restarting uranium mining and processing, especially after the Trump administration cut short their ability to weigh in on the Velvet-Wood mine plans. 'This was a process I would have been involved in,' said Sarah Fields, director of the local group Uranium Watch. 'They provided no opportunity for the public to say, 'You need to look at this, you need to look at that.'" Grand Canyon Trust, a group critical of the Pinyon Plain mine as a danger to groundwater, points out that the U.S. nuclear industry isn't at risk of losing access to uranium. 'This is all being done under the assumption there is some energy emergency and that is just not true,' said Amber Reimondo, the group's energy director. Supply and demand will decide uranium mining's future Hundreds of miles to the north, other nuclear energy projects point to the U.S. industry's future. With Bill Gates' support, TerraPower is building a 345-megawatt sodium-cooled fast reactor outside Kemmerer in western Wyoming that could, in theory, meet demand for carbon-free power at lower costs and with less construction time than conventional reactor units. Meanwhile, about 40% of uranium mined in the U.S. in 2024 came from four Wyoming 'in-situ' mines that use wells to dissolve uranium in underground deposits and pump it to the surface without having to dig big holes or send miners underground. Similar mines in Texas and Nebraska and stockpiled ore processed at White Mesa accounted for the rest. None — as yet — came from mines in Utah. Powering electric cars and computing technology will require more electricity in the years ahead. Nuclear power offers a zero-carbon, round-the-clock option. Meeting the demand for nuclear fuel domestically is another matter. With prices higher, almost 700,000 pounds of yellowcake was produced in the U.S. in 2024 — up more than a dozen-fold from the year before but still far short of the 32 million pounds imported into the U.S. Even if mining increases, it's not clear that U.S. capacity to turn the ore into fuel would keep pace, said Uhrie, the former uranium mining executive. "Re-establishing a viable uranium industry from soup to nuts — meaning from mining through processing to yellow cake production, to conversion, to enrichment to produce nuclear fuel — remains a huge lift," Uhrie said. ___ Gruver reported from Cheyenne, Wyoming.
