Domestic uranium production gets a boost in the Southwest Image By EPN Staff The transport of uranium ore from a northern Arizona mine to a southern Utah refining plant has resumed via tribal lands following months of negotiations, providing a pathway for the U.S. to increase domestic uranium production. The agreement allows for up to 10 trucks to haul ore daily from Energy Fuels Inc.’s mine in the Kaibab National Forest through tribal lands to the White Mesa Mill plant near Blanding, Utah. Why it matters Nuclear power is drawing significant attention as a viable option for generating reliable electricity while lowering carbon emissions, yet the nation’s uranium production is meager. Nearly all of the uranium used in the U.S. comes from foreign sources. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, in 2023, the country’s uranium mines produced 50,000 pounds of triuranium octoxide (U3O8), or uranium concentrate, about a quarter of the amount produced in 2022 when White Mesa Mill was operating. U.S. employment in uranium production in 2023 was “340 full-time person-years (one person year is equal to full-time employment for one person).” World Nuclear Association data show Australia, Canada and Kazakhstan are the largest producers of uranium. However, President Trump’s recent Emergency Declaration on Energy “to facilitate the identification, leasing, siting, production, transportation, refining, and generation of domestic energy resources” includes uranium and nuclear power production. The bigger picture Tribes in Arizona are sensitive about the impact of mining and transportation of uranium following millions of tons of uranium mined through decades on Navajo Nation lands, and the hundreds of abandoned mines that have been connected to residents’ health issues. The Havasupai Tribe tried to close the Pinyon Plain Mine but was unsuccessful after a judge ruled for the mine in 2020. Currently, the tribe has been joined by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes and Gov. Katie Hobbs in calling for the U.S. Forest Service to issue a new environmental impact statement. The last impact statement was issued in 1986. Additional details Energy Fuels, Inc., owner of the Pinyon Plain Mine near the Grand Canyon in Arizona, announced it had reached an agreement with the Navajo Nation regarding transportation of ore through their land. In the agreement, Energy Fuels agrees to transport up to 10,000 tons of uranium materials from abandoned mines that were part of federal Cold War programs that started in the 1940s. Energy Fuels also said it has adopted state-of-the art systems to cover transportation vehicles instead of the tarps it previously considered using. Opponents cited data showing a heightened risk of traffic crashes on the route from the mine and argued for stronger safety protocols before reaching agreement.
