In what's being termed a decisive move by the Department of the Interior, the Velvet-Wood mine permitting process in Utah is getting fast-tracked. Announced as an aggressive response to what President Donald J. Trump declared a national energy emergency on January 20, 2025, the expedited environmental review led by the Bureau of Land Management is looking to wrap up within two weeks, as detailed in a report by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum voiced the administration's posture saying, “America is facing an alarming energy emergency because of the prior administration’s Climate Extremist policies.”
Amidst concerns over national energy security, the fast-tracking of the Velvet-Wood mine project is presented as a path to bolstering American energy independence. According to Burgum, "The expedited mining project review represents exactly the kind of decisive action we need to secure our energy future." The project has been touted for its potential to stimulate job creation while also enhancing national security, as stated by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Although, moving urgently to tackle the crisis, the need for a quick solution might overlook long-term environmental implications.
The mine in question, which sits in San Juan County, would produce uranium and vanadium – essential for various sectors. The Velvet-Wood project promises to reutilize the old Velvet Mine workings and leave a relatively small footprint with just three acres of new surface disturbance due to its underground mining plan. Additionally, plans to restart the Shootaring Canyon uranium mill in Utah by Anfield are also in the works, promising to convert the mined uranium ore into uranium concentrate, as reported by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Addressing the crisis head-on, the Trump administration's emergency declaration emphasized the nation's perilous reliance on imported uranium and vanadium, key resources for not only the energy sector but also national defense. With the US nearly 99% dependent on imported uranium concentrate in 2023 and obtaining almost half of its vanadium from abroad in 2024, the urgency to develop domestic sources is palpable. Despite the administration's rapid response to the dependency on foreign imports which includes supplies from geopolitical rivals, it raises the question if the rush to bring domestic sources online may bypass thorough environmental and public health considerations, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior.
The administration has underscored the strategic value of domestic uranium for both civilian and military use. Uranium is pivotal in nuclear reactors, which power a considerable portion of the nation's electrical grid and Navy submarines like the Virginia-class attack submarine, as well as in producing tritium for nuclear weapons. Vanadium, meanwhile, is critical as a strengthening component in steel production and is also used in aerospace applications. Such a domestic supply could potentially reduce the nation's vulnerability around these critical materials and curtail the risks associated with relying on foreign sources, as suggested in the President's national energy emergency declaration, as per the U.S. Department of the Interior.
