Uranium mining plan near Mount Taylor advances in New Mexico

Energy Fuels Inc. submitted a finalized operations and reclamation plan to New Mexico officials in May for a proposed uranium mine in McKinley County near Mount Taylor, according to reporting from Source New Mexico. The plan outlines how the company would extract uranium from more than 1,600 feet below the surface within the boundaries of the Cibola National Forest and transport the material to a mill in Blanding, Utah. The proposal also calls for pumping groundwater from the mine, treating it and releasing it into the nearby Rio San Jose.

According to the Source New Mexico reporting, the proposed mine site is located within the Mount Taylor Traditional Cultural Property, a site considered sacred by several Indigenous tribes and pueblos, including Navajo and Laguna communities. The state will accept public comments on the plan through July 19. State officials have not yet determined that the proposal is administratively complete, and additional information may be required before the permitting process advances.