Story and photo by Andrew Christiansen | Moab Times-Independent

Construction is underway at the Velvet-Wood uranium 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 at the long-idle site near Lisbon Valley in San Juan County. Uranium can be processed into fuel for nuclear reactors, while vanadium is commonly used in steel alloys.

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.

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This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.