The Trump administration on Friday authorized the relaunch of operations at a southeastern Utah uranium mine — marking its first use of a newly fast-tracked environmental review process.
The Velvet-Wood mine, set to be reopened by Canadian company Anfield Energy, contains both uranium and vanadium, a mineral used to strengthen steel equipment in cars, building and nuclear reactors.
“This approval marks a turning point in how we secure America’s mineral future,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement.
“By streamlining the review process for critical mineral projects like Velvet-Wood, we’re reducing dependence on foreign adversaries,” Burgum added.
The authorization occurred through an accelerated 14-day environmental assessment “alternative,” which the Trump administration launched last month in response to the president’s previously declared energy emergency.
The decision to expedite these reviews was met with fierce criticism from green groups, who warned of potentially hazardous impacts on adjacent communities.
As for the Velvet-Wood project, the Interior Department said the operation will result in only 3 acres of new surface disturbance and will bring new jobs and infrastructure to the region.
The project will entail reopening and expanding an existing underground mine and will target known mineral deposits left behind in earlier operations, the agency explained.
A comprehensive analysis published by Anfield Energy said that the Velvet Mine has previously produced about 400,000 tons of ore containing some 4.2 million pounds of uranium and 4.8 million pounds of vanadium.
The Interior Department on Friday stressed the importance of uranium in powering civilian nuclear plants, supporting medical care and powering U.S. Navy submarines and aircraft carriers. The agency also noted vanadium’s crucial role in strengthening alloys in both the commercial and military aviation sectors.
Today, the U.S. relies heavily on foreign suppliers of both minerals, which the Trump administration has characterized as a threat to the country’s national security.
A shift toward domestic mining, Burgum stated, could aid in “ensuring our military, medical and energy sectors have the resources they need to thrive.”
“This is mineral security in action,” the secretary added.
