Energy

Massive New Mexico Uranium Mining Project Hits Wall Covered In Red Tape

(Photo via Tingey Injury Law Firm / Unsplash)

New Mexico is emerging as a battleground in America’s push to revive domestic uranium production as state and tribal officials fight a proposed project that could produce millions of pounds of nuclear fuel each year.

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez is seeking to intervene in the federal relicensing of the Crownpoint Uranium Project, arguing that developer NuFuels must address groundwater protections, cleanup costs and state and tribal requirements before production can move forward near Crownpoint and Church Rock.

“Protecting the groundwater that we rely on for drinking, bathing, and household and agricultural use is a very real priority for every New Mexican,” Torrez said in a press release. “Any new uranium mining in our state must be carried out to the highest environmental standards.”

The fight is happening as Washington pushes to revive America’s nuclear industry and rebuild the domestic fuel supply needed to support it. The Crownpoint project is intended to help secure a long-term domestic uranium supply and reduce reliance on foreign sources, according to the federal government’s permitting dashboard.

But Crownpoint’s struggles highlight a broader challenge facing efforts to expand domestic nuclear power: projects meant to supply the industry can face years of federal licensing, state regulatory requirements, environmental reviews and litigation before production begins, potentially slowing Washington’s effort to rebuild a domestic nuclear fuel supply chain.

The New Mexico Attorney General’s Office and NuFuels did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

New Mexico argued that NuFuels must prove groundwater can be restored after mining, demonstrate it has sufficient money for future cleanup and comply with state water-quality standards. The state also alleges the company is relying on an environmental justice analysis more than 25 years old.

The Navajo Nation is also opposing the project, according to the Navajo Times. “We still oppose the desire of the company to do the in situ recovery process,” Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency Executive Director Stephen Etsitty told the outlet. “We stand behind the DNRPA.”

The Navajo Nation’s Diné Natural Resources Protection Act prohibits uranium mining and processing in Navajo Indian Country, including in-situ recovery, a process that extracts uranium underground using wells rather than conventional mining.

Lawmakers are pursuing legislation targeting uranium enrichment, nuclear fuel and NRC licensing. The House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced six nuclear bills in September.

The measures include the Nuclear REFUEL Act and American Enrichment Deployment Act. The bills seek to streamline licensing for spent-fuel recycling and uranium enrichment facilities.

The measures cleared the committee, with the REFUEL Act advancing unanimously. None, however, have passed the House. A Senate version of the REFUEL Act has similarly reached the chamber’s legislative calendar without receiving final passage.

“Protecting the groundwater that we rely on for drinking, bathing, and household and agricultural use is a very real priority for every New Mexican,” Torrez said. “Any new uranium mining in our state must be carried out to the highest environmental standards.”