US Fast-Tracking Uranium Mine Permit to Meet ‘Urgent Energy Demands’

The Department of the Interior (DOI) is expediting environmental permitting review of the Velvet-Wood mine in Utah amid a national energy emergency, the agency said in a May 12 statement. “If approved, the Velvet-Wood mine project in San Juan County, Utah, would produce uranium and vanadium,” said the agency. Uranium is used as fuel in nuclear reactors and for the production of tritium, which is required for nuclear weapons, while vanadium is used in steel production and titanium aerospace alloys. “The project will undergo an accelerated environmental review by the Bureau of Land Management, with a completion timeline of 14 days. The expedited review is expected to significantly contribute to meeting urgent energy demands and addressing key threats to national energy security,” the DOI said....