Uranium company’s finalized NM plan includes treating, dumping water into nearby river

A Colorado uranium company recently submitted a finalized operation plan to New Mexico officials, signaling that it — along with multiple other out-of-state companies — is increasingly serious about mining uranium in the state. 

Energy Fuels, Inc. submitted a 273-page operations and “reclamation” plan  earlier this month that details how it plans to extract uranium from more than 1,600 feet below the surface within the Cibola National Forest boundaries in McKinley County, then transport it to its mill in Blanding, Utah.

New Mexico Environmental Law Center Legal Director Eric Jantz told Source NM on Tuesday that the plan represents the company’s renewed intent to receive a permit following more than a decade on hiatus.

“We’re taking it seriously,” he said of the plan. “And we’re going to be doing what we can to make sure that this environmental review is done properly, and that community interests are protected.”

The company’s plan describes how it would pump groundwater from the mineshaft to access  the uranium ore, then treat the water and release it into the nearby Rio San Jose. Jantz told Source NM that the “dewatering” of the mine is an immense technical undertaking and one that threatens to deplete the groundwater supply during a period of prolonged drought. 

“It’s gonna deplete the water table in a significant radius around the proposed mine, and that water table won’t recover for decades, if ever,” he said. 

Energy Fuels officials did not respond to Source NM’s emailed request for comment Tuesday.

In addition to the “dewatering,” the proposed mine site lies within the boundaries of the Mount Taylor Traditional Cultural Property. Mount Taylor is sacred to several Indigenous tribes and pueblos in New Mexico, including the Navajo and Laguna peoples.

Energy Fuels’ operations plan notes that if its permit is approved, the company will take steps to preserve the “viewshed” of Mount Taylor in recognition of the sacred mountain and will, to the extent possible, “protect scenic values” at the site. 

After reading that section of the plan, Diné anti-nuclear advocate Leona Morgan told Source NM that Energy Fuels officials clearly do not understand the value of Mount Taylor to the Navajo people. 

“It’s not just a visual aspect. It’s not just to look at the mountain. It’s for the integrity of the mountain itself,” she said. “When we’re talking about sacred places and Mother Earth, these are our relatives. That’s how we consider them. They themselves have rights and definitely should not be basically raped and pillaged, which is what mining is.”

The Roca Honda undertaking is one of two that Cibola National Forest officials deemed “priority projects” shortly after President Donald Trump began his second term and declared an energy “emergency” that sought to boost domestic production of oil, gas and uranium, among other resources.

Laramide Resources, Inc., the company behind the other priority uranium mine, known as La Jara Mesa project, submitted its operations plan in January. Following a groundswell of comments in opposition to the mine proposal, state officials agreed to hold a public hearing. It has not yet been scheduled. 

In addition to their priority designation, the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council has identified both La Jara Mesa and Roca Honda as deserving of fast-tracked federal permits. 

Mining company announces milestone in push to dig new uranium mine in NM

But both projects also require state permits from the New Mexico Mining and Minerals Division before they can proceed any further. 

Now that Energy Fuels has submitted its plan to the state, the state will accept public comments until July 19, 2026, said Sidney Hill, public information officer for the state Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, in an email Tuesday Source NM.

Unlike the Jara Mesa plan, the state has not yet deemed the Roca Honda plan “administratively complete,” Hill added. That means the company will likely have to submit additional information to proceed to the next step in the permitting process. 

Despite rising uranium prices and Trump’s efforts to reduce the regulatory burden, Jantz said he remains skeptical that a new uranium venture in New Mexico would be profitable.

Nonetheless, he said the public should take the company’s plans seriously and weigh in at the next opportunity. 

“Given the heft of this document, I definitely think that it’s really important for the public to have some shot at giving their opinion on this and providing additional technical perspectives,” he said.