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.
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.
