Copyright Salt Lake Tribune
Construction is underway at the Velvet-Wood uranium and vanadium mine in southeastern Utah, the first project approved under the Interior Department’s accelerated permitting process launched in response to President Donald Trump’s “national energy emergency” order earlier this year. The mine is owned by Anfield Energy, a Canada-based company that plans to restart uranium and vanadium production — used in nuclear fuel, steel alloys and emerging battery technologies — at the long-idle site near Lisbon Valley in San Juan County. The Bureau of Land Management approved the project May 23, 11 days after the Interior Department directed the agency to complete its review within a 14-day window. The accelerated process has drawn sharp criticism from environmental and tribal groups who say it left no time for public or tribal input. Company leaders say the decision was based on more than a year of prior environmental and engineering data, while federal officials have framed it as part of the administration’s effort to expand domestic uranium production. The underground mine last operated in 1984 and is now being redeveloped after four decades of closure. Surface construction and road work are underway, with underground operations expected to begin next year pending mine-safety certification, final state approval of its mine-water-treatment system and required San Juan County permits. Anfield plans to process ore at its Shootaring Canyon Mill near Ticaboo if the state reauthorizes the facility for operation. Velvet-Wood breaks ground ahead of 2026 mining start date At a Nov. 6 groundbreaking ceremony, company officials outlined plans to resume production by mid-2026 and described Velvet-Wood as the first step in a broader “hub-and-spoke” strategy to restart several former uranium and vanadium mines across Utah and western Colorado. About 65 people attended, including Anfield employees, local residents and state Division of Natural Resources representatives. Participants toured the site and viewed the reopened mine portal, which crews had uncovered the week before. The event concluded with a ceremonial shovel of dirt by Anfield employees and local officials near the entrance to the mine. “November 6 will be more than a groundbreaking — it’s a bold declaration of Anfield’s readiness to help fuel the American nuclear renaissance,” CEO Corey Dias said in a company statement before the event. Joshua Bleak, a director of Anfield, said the company plans to submit mine-water-treatment system for state approval within a month. The company must also complete Mine Safety and Health Administration certification and obtain county building and septic permits before beginning mining operations. The company projects the mine will employ 40 to 60 workers and generate hundreds of millions of dollars in total economic impact over its 10-year life. Anfield estimates Velvet-Wood holds about 5 million pounds of uranium and 7 million pounds of vanadium. The mine previously produced roughly 4 million pounds of uranium and 5 million pounds of vanadium before closing in 1984, according to Anfield. “I think the bottom line is we’ve found a way to move these assets forward in a very difficult environment, and now we’re starting to bear fruit,” Dias said. “We’re the best environment that we’ve seen in my 12 years here … we’re excited about being the next uranium producer in the U.S.” Fast-tracked approval draws scrutiny The Velvet-Wood mine was the first project approved under the Interior Department’s new “alternative arrangements” process, which allows environmental reviews to be completed in as little as 14 days under President Donald Trump’s national energy emergency order. The BLM finalized its environmental assessment and decision May 23, calling the project in its report as a model for “mineral security.” In its report, the agency found “no significant impact,” citing Velvet-Wood’s previously disturbed condition and roughly three acres of new surface disturbance beyond the 22 acres permitted in the 1980s. The assessment said the review relied on environmental and engineering data Anfield submitted in 2024. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the approval “marks a turning point in how we secure America’s mineral future,” arguing that faster permitting for critical-mineral projects like Velvet-Wood would “reduce dependence on foreign adversaries” and bolster national energy and defense sectors. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox also praised the project as an example of “a faster, more efficient permitting process.” Environmental and tribal organizations have condemned the shortened review, saying it bypassed required public and tribal input. In a joint May letter, the Sierra Club Utah Chapter and the Center for Biological Diversity said the fast-tracked approval “exempts mining and drilling from environmental laws under the pretext of an emergency,” calling it “reckless and undemocratic.” Their concerns were echoed during a June 21 protest near the mine site, where about 20 demonstrators from Moab and the White Mesa Ute Mountain Ute Community gathered with banners reading “Don’t fast-track Utah into a wasteland” and “Stop Velvet-Wood Uranium Mine.” Organizers said the expedited review set a precedent for weakening environmental safeguards and raised questions about ore transport through tribal and public lands, groundwater contamination and long-term reclamation. Anfield Director Joshua Bleak said the company understands those concerns but believes its permitting process was thorough and defensible. He said Anfield spent more than a year preparing and submitting technical materials before the executive order was issued and worked closely with multiple agencies throughout the process. “We did everything that was asked of us from all of the permitting agencies,” Bleak said. “We feel confident in the work that we had done … and we would be happy to have that conversation with anybody now or anytime in the future.” Bleak also said modern U.S. mining practices include reclamation planning from the start, emphasizing that today’s operations differ sharply from those that left legacy contamination across the West. “There’s a bit of a misconception about miners,” he said. “We spend so much time in the outdoors that we’re protective of it. … What we’re doing with this geomorphic reclamation is better than anything you would see currently in the state of Colorado or in the state of Utah.” The Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining has also approved Anfield’s mine plan and reclamation bond, and the company plans to submit its mine-water-treatment system to the Utah Division of Water Quality for administrative review soon. Environmental and tribal advocates have also questioned where the ore will be processed, citing potential health and environmental risks if material were transported to the White Mesa Mill near Blanding, adjacent to the Ute Mountain Ute community. Anfield plans to process ore at its Shootaring Canyon Mill near Ticaboo once that facility is relicensed by the state, likely by mid-2027. Bleak said it now seems increasingly unlikely that White Mesa will be used, noting that the mill’s operator, Energy Fuels, has shifted its focus away from uranium toll milling toward rare-earth production. “It’s unfortunate, because historically White Mesa has operated based upon either toll milling or purchasing,” Bleak said. “They’ve kind of rebranded it as a critical-minerals hub … but they’ve turned away from taking in feed from other miners.” Company leaders said Velvet-Wood will be the first of several uranium and vanadium mines Anfield plans to reopen across Utah and western Colorado under a “hub-and-spoke” model centered on the Shootaring Canyon Mill.
