NM uranium mine proposals receive Trump priority designation

An anti-uranium advocate stands during a protest in Window Rock, Ariz. in April, part of a protest against new uranium mines proposed around the Navajo Nation, including the sacred Mount Taylor area. The federal Permitting Council recently listed three uranium projects in New Mexico as projects it is seeking to streamline. (Photo by Patrick Lohmann / Source NM)
A federal council recently placed two proposed uranium mines in New Mexico on a select list of mining projects nationwide to receive streamlined federal permitting consideration, a designation the project's owner says results from President Donald Trump's push to accelerate nuclear energy production.
The Jara Mesa and Crownpoint-Churchrock mine projects are now two of six mining projects nationwide to get what's known as the 'FAST-41' designation, established under the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act.
The designation means the projects will receive 'focused, hands-on permitting support' that aims to improve coordination and efficiency among federal agencies, according to the federal Permitting Council. The council notes, however, the designation doesn't change any law or regulation, environmental or otherwise, required for federal permitting.
Long-stalled NM uranium mines now 'priority projects' at Cibola Forest, leader tells employees
As a result of the change, three of six mining projects nationwide to receive the designation are in New Mexico, as the Grants Precision project was added in early May. The other three projects on the list are in Arizona, California and Colorado.
The permitting website shows both projects were added to the list May 30, and, last week, Laramide Resources, the company trying to build the mine in McKinley County, touted the mines' inclusion as part of Trump's domestic energy agenda.
'As momentum builds around a new era for nuclear power, it is important to recognize that uranium is the fundamental starting point of the entire fuel cycle,' Laramide CEO Marc Henderson said in a June 2 news release.
The statement cited a May 23 Trump executive order supporting the acceleration of nuclear development in the United States.
In addition to the FAST-41 designation, the Jara Mesa is one of two proposed uranium in the Mount Taylor Ranger District of the Cibola National Forest that forest leaders have deemed 'priority projects,' as Source New Mexico reported in March.
The Jara Mesa mine's proximity to Mount Taylor, a sacred mountain to the Navajo Nation and several pueblos in New Mexico, is one reason anti-nuclear opponents have forcefully pushed back against the mine for more than a decade. They also cite the legacy of the uranium mining industry in New Mexico, which has left decades of radioactive and cancer-causing waste in its wake.
New Mexico delegation, radiation victims renew call for compensation
In addition to the Jara Mesa Mine, the Crownpoint-Church Rock mine was also added to the FAST-41 list in late May. Laramide Resources touted the project as 'one of the largest undeveloped uranium deposits in the U.S.,' which 'has the potential to play a central role in securing a domestic supply of this critical mineral.'
A regulator with the state's Mining and Minerals Division recently told Source New Mexico that, even though the federal government is seeking to streamline its approval of the uranium projects, the state will take its time for a review. He also said no project can legally move forward without a state permit, even though the mines lie largely on federal land.
An environmental lawyer in New Mexico also told Source that the Trump administration's efforts to gut federal environmental impact reviews is likely illegal and would be subject to litigation if he tried to cut them in New Mexico.
The Laramide statement says while the FAST-41 designation helps its goal of breaking ground in what would be the first new uranium mine in New Mexico in more than 50 years, 'continued policy support will be essential to overcome the longstanding regulatory and permitting challenges that have constrained U.S. uranium production.'
Trump's push for Southwest uranium will face stiff state review
The other uranium mine proposal near Mount Taylor, known as Roca Honda, does not appear on the FAST-41 list. But it is on a list of 'transparency' projects, one of about 20 selected by the federal Permitting Council to improve the public's understanding of how the projects are progressing.
Because of the designations, the public gleans a clearer sense of when the federal permits might be granted: For La Jara Mesa, permitting is expected to be approved in March 2028; for Roca Honda, it's November of 2027.
The permitting website does not provide an estimate of when Crownpoint-Churchrock mine might receive a federal permit.
The United States Forest Service oversees the La Jara Mesa project, whilehe Nuclear Regulatory Commission is listed as the agency overseeing the Crownpoint-Churchrock and Grants Precision project.

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