Gear Up! Recent Federal Actions Designed to Speed Up Nuclear Power and Uranium Mining

Two actions by the federal government over the last few weeks could impact our work in the Black Hills, particularly around uranium mining.

The first is an Executive Order (EO) signed on May 23, 2025, which is designed to gear up and speed up the nuclear power industry.  As uranium is the fuel for nuclear reactors, this increases the pressure to mine uranium here.  The Executive Order hopes to multiply the electricity put out by nuclear reactors to 400 GW by 2025, which would be four times as much electricity as nuclear power currently generates.

The EO is also designed to:

  • increase the amount of radiation that people can be exposed to by the nuclear industry,
  • shorten and speed up the environmental review process,
  • speed up development of new nuclear power plant designs, and
  • revise – and presumably weaken — the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s regulations.

A second recent federal action that impacts uranium mining occurred in the southwestern United States, where there is a long history of uranium mining, milling, and wastes.  In April, the head of the Department of the Interior, Doug Burgum, issued “emergency permitting procedures” for energy and critical mineral projects on the lands controlled by the Department.

Using the new procedures, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) – which is part of the Department of the Interior – recently okayed a uranium mine with a review period of just eleven days.  The review process for a uranium mine under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) usually takes months to years.  NEPA requires thorough consideration of the potential impacts of mines, as well as informing the public and insuring that tribal governments and the public have the opportunity to give input on the proposed project.  For proposed uranium mines, key issues include radioactivity and human health, water and land contamination, and the use of huge amounts of water.

Clearly, none of these tasks could be completed in eleven days.

While there is little land in the Black Hills that is controlled by the Bureau of Land Management or the Department of the Interior, other agencies might also try to shorten the review process for potential uranium mining.  We will continue to keep an eye on the potential impacts of new federal actions.

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