As high-desert winds swept through under a late-morning sun, a small group gathered Saturday on public land east of Lisbon Valley in San Juan County to protest the reopening of the Velvet-Wood uranium mine — Utah’s first project approved under a federal fast-track process tied to a declared national energy emergency.
The protest drew about 20 people to a site just over four miles from the Velvet-Wood mine in San Juan County, which will produce both uranium and vanadium. Uranium can be processed into fuel for nuclear reactors, while vanadium is commonly used in steel alloys.
From that vantage point, attendees could see the rugged hills in the distance, with the mine sites tucked behind them. Wind whipped through handmade banners that read “Don’t fast-track Utah into a wasteland,” “Keep Shootaring Mill closed” and “Stop Velvet-Wood Uranium Mine.”
“This cannot be happening,” said Luis Miranda, one of the organizers. “We are fast-tracking ourselves into creating a wasteland in Utah out of this precious environment. Today, we’re gathered here because we need to do something about this.”
The Velvet‑Wood project, owned by Canadian company Anfield Energy Inc., was approved by the Bureau of Land Management in May — just 11 days after the Interior Department ordered the agency to complete an environmental review within 14 days. That directive came in the wake of a January executive order from President Donald Trump declaring a “national energy emergency,” which allowed federal agencies to shorten certain reviews from months or years to as little as two weeks.
Critics say the accelerated timeline bypasses meaningful environmental analysis and public input.
Read more at moabtimes.com.
This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.