In a groundbreaking move to bolster domestic critical mineral production, the U.S. Department of the Interior has greenlit the Velvet-Wood uranium and vanadium mine in San Juan County, Utah-marking the nation's first project approved under a newly accelerated 14-day environmental review process, initiated in response to the national energy emergency declared by President Donald J. Trump.
"This approval marks a turning point in how we secure America's mineral future," said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. "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. This is mineral security in action."
With the final environmental assessment completed by the Bureau of Land Management, Anfield Energy has the necessary approval from Interior for restarting the old Velvet Mine and developing the nearby Wood mineralization. Notably, the operation will result in only three acres of new surface disturbance.
The Velvet-Wood project will bring new jobs and infrastructure to the area, reopen and expand the existing underground mine, and restore the land once mining is finished. Most of the work will take place underground, targeting known mineral deposits left from earlier operations.
Uranium is vital for powering civilian nuclear plants, supporting medical treatments, and fueling U.S. Navy submarines and aircraft carriers. Vanadium strengthens steel and is used in titanium alloys for both commercial and military aircraft.
Currently, the United States depends heavily on foreign sources for both minerals. In 2023, under the Biden administration, 99% of the uranium used by U.S. nuclear power plants came from other countries, including Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. In 2024, nearly half of the vanadium used in the U.S. was imported, and almost all global vanadium production came from China, Russia, South Africa and Brazil.
As stated in President Trump's national energy emergency declaration: "Our Nation's current inadequate development of domestic energy resources [including both uranium and vanadium] leaves us vulnerable to hostile foreign actors and poses an imminent and growing threat to the United States' prosperity and national security."
The company also owns and intends to reopen the Shootaring Canyon uranium mill, south of Hanksville, Utah, which is one of only three licensed, permitted, and constructed uranium mills in the U.S. The mill would convert uranium ore into uranium concentrate, helping reduce America's reliance on imported uranium concentrate.
The Bureau of Land Management is responsible for overseeing the extraction of critical minerals on federally managed public lands needed for technologies like data centers and defense applications, and for authorizing the development of traditional energy sources, such as oil, gas, and coal. By managing public lands for responsible mineral extraction, the BLM ensures a stable supply of these essential resources. Through permitting, land management, and environmental oversight, the BLM helps reduce reliance on foreign minerals, bolstering the nation's energy security and supporting the continued operation of key industrial sectors.
