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(last updated 13 May 2023)
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Map of Major U.S. Uranium Reserve Areas 
(DOE EIA)
Map of Uranium Concentrations in soil 
(USGS)
On May 14, 2010, the Uranium Café in Grants reopened as Nana's Café. (Cibola Beacon May 17, 2010)
The Uranium Cafe, a Route 66 landmark in Grants, N.M., with a classic neon sign, closed about a month ago, according to a Grants/Cibola County Chamber of Commerce spokeswoman. (Route 66 News, April 23, 2007)
The Uranium Cafe, a well-known landmark restaurant that has existed through the uranium mining boom and bust in Grants will be reopening soon with new management. (Gallup Independent Nov. 9, 2005)
If granted these subsidies threaten to renew uranium mining in the Navajo
Reservation's Eastern Agency in New Mexico by jump-starting Hydro Resource
Inc.'s proposed Crownpoint Uranium Project. This project has been met with
vigorous opposition from the Navajo community who are still suffering from
the enormously destructive effects of previous uranium mining. Hundreds of
abandoned uranium mines still exist on Native American lands in New Mexico
and elsewhere in the four-corners region. The cleanup of these sites and the
compensation of radiation victims from previous uranium mining continue to
be neglected and delayed. On August 15th Navajo President Kelsey Begaye and
Vice President Taylor McKenzie sent Sen. Bingaman a strongly worded letter
opposing renewed uranium mining on Navajo land. [...]"
(NIRS release Oct. 3, 2001)
(Energy Advancement and Conservation Act) would grant a total of US$ 30 million to the U.S. uranium industry to improve the in-situ leach technology. On July 25, 2001, the bill passed the House Committee on Energy and Commerce with amendments.
"SEC. 315. COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AND SPECIAL DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS FOR THE URANIUM MINING INDUSTRY.(a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2002, 2003, and 2004 for--
(1) cooperative, cost-shared, agreements between the Department of Energy and domestic uranium producers to identify, test, and develop improved in situ leaching mining technologies, including low-cost environmental restoration technologies that may be applied to sites after completion of in situ leaching operations; and
(2) funding for competitively selected demonstration projects with domestic uranium producers relating to--
(A) enhanced production with minimal environmental impacts;
(B) restoration of well fields; and
(C) decommissioning and decontamination activities.(b) DOMESTIC URANIUM PRODUCER- For purposes of this section, the term `domestic uranium producer' has the meaning given that term in section 1018(4) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 2296b-7(4)), except that the term shall not include any producer that has not produced uranium from domestic reserves on or after July 30, 1998."
The corresponding Senate bill is S.472 (Nuclear Energy Electricity Supply Assurance Act of 2001 - Sec. 127. Cooperative research and development and special demonstration projects for the uranium mining industry)
These provisions could directly affect Navajo communities in northwestern New Mexico by facilitating development of the Crownpoint Uranium Project, a proposal by Hydro Resources, Inc. (HRI), to construct and operate four uranium ISL mines in Church Rock and Crownpoint in the Eastern Navajo Agency.
Numerous local, regional and national groups including Eastern Navajo Diné Against Uranium Mining (ENDAUM), Concerned Citizens of Crownpoint, SRIC, the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, New Mexico and U.S. Public Interest Research Groups, Mineral Policy Center and Taxpayers for Common Sense have blasted the bill's provisions as another environmental injustice on the Navajo people, as corporate welfare for the the uranium industry, and as bad fiscal policy.
> See also SRIC: Uranium Bailout Bill
> See also NIRS: Uranium Alert
, a professor of chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, have designed a metal-organic framework (MOF) to collect common uranium-containing ions dissolved in seawater. In lab tests, the material was at least four times better than the conventional plastic adsorbent at drawing the potential nuclear fuel from artificial seawater.
(MIT Technology Review May 16, 2013)
) recommended that the U.S. consider participating in international research on extracting uranium from seawater:
"One possibility for maintaining fission as a major option without reprocessing is low-cost extraction of uranium from seawater. The uranium concentration of sea water is low (approximately 3 ppb) but the quantity of contained uranium is vast - some 4 billion tonnes (about 700 times more than known terrestrial resources recoverable at a price of up to $130 per kg). If half of this resource could ultimately be recovered, it could support for 6,500 years 3,000 GW of nuclear capacity (75 percent capacity factor) based on next-generation reactors (e.g., high-temperature gas-cooled reactors) operated on once-through fuel cycles. Research on a process being developed in Japan suggests that it might be feasible to recover uranium from seawater at a cost of $120 per lb of U3O8.40 Although this is more than 10 times the current uranium price, it would contribute just 0.5¢ per kWh to the cost of electricity for a next-generation reactor operated on a once-through fuel cycle-equivalent to the fuel cost for an oil-fired power plant burning $3-a-barrel oil." [emphasis added]
40 Nobukawa 1994: H. Nobukawa "Development of a Floating Type System for Uranium Extraction from Sea Water Using Sea Current and Wave Power," in Proceedings of the 4th International Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference (Osaka, Japan: 10-15 April 1994), pp. 294-300.Source: Powerful Partnerships: The Federal Role In International Cooperation On Energy Innovation. A Report From The President's Committee Of Advisors On Science And Technology Panel On International Cooperation In Energy Research, Development, Demonstration, And Deployment. Washington, DC, June 1999, p. 5-26 - 5-27 (download full text
Bokan Mountain - Dotson Ridge deposit to be mined solely for rare earths: The Preliminary Economic Assessment dated Jan. 10, 2013, assumes mining of the deposit exclusively for rare earth elements (REE); constituents such as thorium, uranium, and iron will be removed from the REE concentrate and will be sent to the underground backfill.
Preliminary Economic Assessment commissioned for Bokan Mountain - Dotson Ridge property: On Nov. 9, 2011, Ucore Rare Metals Inc. announced that it has awarded the contract for the completion of a Preliminary Economic Assessment of the Company's Bokan Mountain - Dotson Ridge Property to Wardrop, A Tetra Tech Company. The PEA is expected to be completed in Q1 of 2012.
announced that Cameco invests up to US$ 16.5 million for the continued development and commercialisation of the PhosEnergy Process for the extraction of uranium from phosphoric acid.
On June 22, 2012, Uranium Equities Ltd announced that a transportable Demonstration Plant, designed to gather additional operating and capital cost information for the commercialisation of the process, was commissioned in May in the USA.
On Sep. 19, 2012, Uranium Equities Ltd announced that it has completed four, 10 day tests at two different fertiliser plants.
The company said the process produced consistently high uranium recovery of more than 90 per cent, and the chemistry of the phosphate stream was otherwise unaffected.
The production cost for the uranium concentrate was estimated at $US20-$US25 per pound, with other costs dependent on the size of the plant.
"The design criteria derived from the demonstration plant runs will be fed into an engineering study planned to commence in the December quarter of 2012 to further increase confidence in the capital and operating cost estimates," the company said.
On Mar. 5, 2013, Uranium Equities Ltd announced a positive Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) has supported the viability and low-cost nature of the PhosEnergy Process for extracting uranium as a by-product from phosphate fertiliser production.
On Jan. 13, 2015, PhosEnergy Limited announced the results of an independent Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) on the PhosEnergy Process.
The Study estimates the cash operating cost of uranium production at a plant located at the site of a 0.44 Mtpa P2O5 phosphate facility capable of producing approximately 400,000 pounds of uranium [154 t U] per annum to be in the low US$ 20's [per lb U3O8].
, Plymouth, MN, and CF Industries Holdings Inc. , Long Grove, Ill., the two largest U.S. producers of phosphate fertilizer, said they are considering projects to extract and sell uranium amid surging prices for nuclear fuel. Mosaic may decide in six months whether to build a facility in Florida for extracting uranium from phosphate rock, a spokesman said. CF Industries also is reviewing plans for a possible uranium-extraction project, said a spokesman.
(Star Tribune Apr. 16, 2007)
is reported to be looking into restarting by-product uranium production (from phosphates) from its New Wales, Florida, facility early next year. [UI News Briefing 96/23]
said that it will explore the feasibility of building a uranium recovery facility at its Plant City Phosphate Complex, with production possible within three to four years.
Illinois-based CF Industries, which operates a phosphate mine in Hardee County that ships material to its Plant City operation about 12 miles north of the city, jointly agreed to the feasibility project with Connecticut-based Nukem Inc. , a global trader of uranium.
The two companies are seeking long-term contracts with U.S. electric utilities to supply about 900,000 pounds of a uranium compound [346 t U] annually, CF Industries said in a news release.
If the uranium extraction project were economically feasible, the two companies would obtain financing and permits and proceed with engineering plans, the release stated.
Uranium shows up in 50 to 200 parts per million in phosphate-laden earth, and rising uranium prices in recent months have created the additional market to extract uranium from phosphate, which generally is used for fertilizer.
(The Tampa Tribune July 31, 2007)
Ranger Ralph Rau signed a decision memo January 28, 2008, giving Magnum Minerals U.S.A. Corp. the green light for a two-stage project to drill test holes in the old Stanley Uranium District.
The project will have no significant impact on the environment because uranium historically was mined in nearby deposits, according to the decision.
was approved by a state election board. The group would have to collect more than 300,000 valid signatures of Michigan voters to get its proposal on the statewide November 2010 ballot.
notified the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission of its intent to file a license application to conduct in situ leach (ISL) uranium recovery operations at one to three project sites in southeastern Montana.
Bayswater anticipates that it will not be submitting its application prior to late 2010.
Nevada Vanadium Company (NVC) proposes to construct, operate, reclaim, and close an open pit, heap leach, vanadium mining operation known as the Gibellini Project.
Minor amounts of uranium, a secondary product of vanadium processing, would also be leached into the solution. Even though the uranium concentrations in the ore are very low, the process for concentrating vanadium would also concentrate the minor amounts of uranium contained in the ore.
Submit comments by August 13, 2020.
> Federal Register Volume 85, Number 135 (Tuesday, July 14, 2020)
p. 42424-42425 (download full text )
> View: BLM notice , July 14, 2020
> View: BLM project page
On Oct. 19, 2012, NRC was notified that the new management team of Uranium Company of Nevada (UCN) "has recently made the determination that the Apex Mine and Mill would not be considered for any further development at this time".
On Nov. 11, 2010, Uranium King Corporation and Uranium Company of Nevada, LLC notified the NRC of their intent to submit an application to construct and operate a uranium recovery facility in Lander County, Nevada at the site of the former Apex Uranium Mine by the third quarter of 2012.
On Sep. 27, 2008, Uranium King Corporation and Uranium Company of Nevada, LLC (both 100%-owned subisdiaries of Uranium King Ltd) provided notice to the NRC that they intend to submit an application to construct and operate a uranium recovery facility in Lander County, Nevada at the site of the former Apex Uranium Mine.
, based in West Perth, Australia, was granted a state permit last year to drill test holes for uranium in parts of Billings and Slope counties. The company said it also found molybdenum and germanium.
In June 2010, PacMag Metals Ltd. was taken over by Entrée Gold Inc. . On Oct. 14, 2010, Entrée announced that uranium is not one of its main commodity foci, and the company is looking to joint venture or sell the project to a uranium-focused group.
Aurora uranium mine project on hold: According to Oregon Energy, "the project is on ice and not moving forward due to uranium prices and sage grouse issue." (NRC Memo Dec. 12, 2013)
Notice of Intent provided to submit license application for Aurora project:
On Apr. 4, 2012, Energy Ventures Limited announced that Notice of Intent to submit a Source Material Facility License Application has been provided to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). This notice relates to the proposed development of a uranium processing plant and tailings management facility at the Company's Aurora Uranium Project.
Company presents project for Aurora open pit uranium mine and mill:
The results of Oregon Energy's test drilling at the Aurora uranium deposit in southeast Oregon has encouraged the company to go ahead with its plans for an open-pit mine at the site, and Oregon Energy's president Lachlan Reynolds says Oregon Energy is willing to drop $200 million to establish the mine.
Gary Lynch, assistant director of the Mineral Land Regulation and Reclamation Program of Oregon's Department of Geology and Natural Resources (DOGAMI) says Oregon Energy presented its proposal at a public meeting of the DOGAMI governing board on Sept. 13 but the company has not yet submitted an application for a mine.
The mine area, according to Chris Hansen of the Oregon Natural Desert Association (ONDA) , is "absolutely core sage grouse habitat." Sage grouse have been in decline in Oregon. According to ONDA, there is warrant to list the rapidly disappearing sage grouse under the Endangered Species Act, but thanks to politics and a backlog with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the sage grouse is on a waiting list with 250 other species. Two drainages of Cottonwood and McDermitt Creeks go through the site, and Fish and Wildlife documents show that the creeks or their tributaries are endangered species listed Lahontan cutthroat trout habitat.
Oregon Energy plans to process the uranium on the site, which is also a concern for Hansen.
(Eugene Weekly Sep. 29, 2011)
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