The Trump administration is moving ahead with a uranium mining project in South Dakota that’s drawn years of pushback from the Oglala Sioux Tribe.
The Bureau of Land Management on Tuesday said it’s preparing an environmental assessment of the Dewey-Burdock project, a uranium mining proposal by EnCore Energy, a Texas-based company.
EnCore plans to use a technique known as “in-situ leach” mining, which is similar to fracking. The method involves pumping water underground to remove uranium from deposits.
BLM is taking public comment on its draft assessment through May 14.
The mine will be located on about 240 public acres of a 10,580-acre project area near Dewey in Fall River County. If approved, PowerTech, a subsidiary of EnCore, would begin building access roads, four groundwater monitoring wells and an overhead power line, BLM said, noting that the initial phase would disturb about 4 public acres.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a supplementary environmental impact statement and license for the project in 2014, BLM said.
The mine has faced years of pushback from environmental groups and the Oglala Sioux Tribe, which is concerned about the project’s potential environmental impact. The tribe fought EPA’s approval of the project, but the agency cemented its approval of injection wells for the mine last year.
The Trump administration has advanced the project after deeming uranium a critical mineral last year. Today, the mine is included in the FAST-41 process, another move by the administration to accelerate permitting.
EnCore did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
