Latest news with #VelvetWood
E&E News
27-05-2025
- Business
- E&E News
An 11-day NEPA review? Interior just did that.
The Trump administration on Friday signed off on a uranium mine in Utah after just 11 days of review, a move that critics argue is illegal and undercuts the nation's bedrock environmental laws. The Interior Department approved an updated plan — originally filed in 1981 — for the Velvet-Wood uranium and vanadium mine in eastern Utah as part of the Trump administration's process for fast-tracking mining, oil and gas projects. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in a release declared the decision 'groundbreaking' and a 'first-of-its-kind expedited review' that clears the path for developing critical minerals amid a national energy emergency. 'By streamlining the review process for critical mineral projects like Velvet-Wood, we're reducing dependence on foreign adversaries and ensuring our military, medical and energy sectors have the resources they need to thrive,' said Burgum. Advertisement Interior last month laid out a process for shortening National Environmental Policy Act reviews of simpler projects to 14 days but allowing 28-day reviews for more complex proposals. The process typically takes two years. The agency based the announcement on President Donald Trump's declaration of an energy emergency.
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
US takes steps to open mine that could build 1,000 nuclear bombs
By The Trump Administration is fast-tracking the reopening of a Utah mine that will ramp up production of the nation's nuclear energy and stockpile of nuclear weapons. The US Department of the Interior announced on Monday that they're speeding up the environmental review of the Velvet-Wood uranium mine to just 14 days. This type of review can often take years to complete because of the potential damage uranium mining can cause by way of water contamination, soil degradation, and air pollution. The owners of Velvet-Wood, Anfield Energy, will likely be able to begin mining operations by the beginning of 2026, once all the necessary permits are approved and workers are hired. Velvet-Wood mine closed in 1979 due to declines in uranium prices, stricter environmental regulations, and fears that nuclear power plants could melt down and cause a major disaster. The mine's previous owners produced approximately 4.2 million pounds of uranium and 4.8 million pounds of vanadium in the 1970s. Anfield Energy believes that there is still another 4.6 million pounds of uranium oxide and 47.1 million pounds of vanadium capable of being produced, based on a preliminary economic assessment. In terms of what this could mean for the US military, that much uranium could power the reactors of approximately 85 nuclear submarines and produce over 1,000 nuclear bombs. Velvet-Wood sits on a 2,425-acre property in Utah's San Juan County. Anfield Energy plans to turn the uranium into uranium concentrate - a fine yellow powder also known as uranium oxide or yellowcake. It is mildly radioactive and can be converted into fuel for nuclear power plants. Uranium concentrate also plays a role in making nuclear weapons. By chemically enriching the substance to increase the number of U-235 isotopes it contains, uranium concentrate can be turned into tritium. Tritium significantly boosts the efficiency and power of nuclear explosions through its role in boosting the atomic reactions these bombs produce. Anfield Energy will also be producing vanadium at the Velvet-Wood mine, an element that can be used in batteries or to strengthen steel. Vanadium plays a role in the creation and strengthening of titanium, a super-strong metal used for making commercial and military aircraft. While government officials noted that civilian nuclear plants would benefit from the mine, they specifically singled out its military importance. 'Uranium is also used for fuel in US Navy nuclear reactors, such as on the Virginia-class attack submarine, and in the production of tritium, which is required for nuclear weapons,' Interior officials wrote in a statement. The Trump Administration said they're speeding up Velvet-Wood's timeline to deal with America's 'national energy emergency.' The Interior Department noted that 99 percent of the uranium needed to power US nuclear reactors was being imported from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan in 2023 under the Biden Administration. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said: 'America is facing an alarming energy emergency because of the prior administration's Climate Extremist policies. President Trump and his administration are responding with speed and strength to solve this crisis.' Burgum added that slashing the regulatory process to just two weeks will cut 'needless delays' and also bring in good-paying jobs that pave the way for US energy independence. The environmental review for uranium mining can typically take one to three years to complete. That process includes an environmental assessment that could take six to 12 months, public hearings that could last three months, and a final review that may last six months before a decision to provide a mining permit is reached. The 14-day expedited review streamlines that entire process and gets Velvet-Wood on to the next steps that'll be needed to start mining for nuclear fuel. There are currently 54 nuclear power plants running throughout the US. They generate electricity for the national grid, powering homes, businesses, and industries. According to the World Nuclear Association, the US is still the largest producer of nuclear power globally. However, the Trump Administration has cited the 'inadequate' amount of energy produced domestically inside the US, adding that the country's reliance on foreign energy sources like oil and uranium is a threat to national security. President Trump's executive order on energy granted the government emergency powers to expedite energy projects like Velvet-Wood by bypassing environmental and regulatory hurdles, aiming to increase domestic production and reduce energy costs. the reopening of Velvet-Wood comes as a secret US nuclear weapons facility near Las Vegas is reportedly restarting live bomb testing. Amid reports that both Russia and China are expanding and updating their nuclear facilities, officials with the US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) say America may soon have no choice but to restart its weapons testing programs. As tensions around the globe rise, a recent report revealed that the size of the world's nuclear arsenal has quietly increased in several countries, further stoking fears of World War III. Officially, five countries - China, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea - have increased their nuclear stockpiles by over 700 warheads over the past 40 years. Meanwhile, the US has an estimated 5,044 nuclear weapons at the moment, an arsenal that is only smaller than Russia's stockpile of 5,580 bombs. Want more stories like this from the Daily Mail? Visit our profile page and hit the follow button above for more of the news you need.
