State’s review could set precedent for first new uranium mine in 40 years, environmental lawyer says
The company seeking to build a new uranium mine near Mount Taylor announced a significant milestone this week, completing an operations plan that one environmental lawyer said indicates the company is serious about extracting the first load of uranium from the state in decades.
Laramide Resources, Inc. issued a notice Monday alerting the public it had submitted a complete Mining Operations and Reclamation Plan to the state regarding the Jara Mesa uranium mine project about 10 miles north of Grants. The state’s Mining and Minerals Division, which is reviewing the application, deemed the plan complete and is now beginning its technical review, according to state officials and the notice.
The 74-page plan is the culmination of years of data collection and marks a new phase of the project, according to Eric Jantz, legal director for the New Mexico Environmental Law Center. What happens now could set the precedent for how the state handles new uranium mine applications under the current legal framework the state created in 1993, he said.
“This is a big deal in a number of senses,” Jantz told Source New Mexico on Thursday. “It’s going to be the first uranium mine in New Mexico — if it starts, and that’s a big if — in …probably 40 years. It would also be, irrespective of if it produces anything, the first new uranium mine license under the New Mexico Mining Act. So it could potentially set the tone for how state regulatory agencies deal with conventional mines going forward.”
According to the plan, the mine, once built, will produce 12 to 15 truckloads a day of uranium ore to be processed at an unspecified offsite mill. The operation could run in New Mexico for up to 20 years, the company says.
A spokesperson for Laramide did not respond to Source’s request for comment Thursday. The company’s notice says that the plan is available for inspection at the MMD office in Santa Fe or on its website, and says the public must submit written comments or requests for a public hearing within 30 days of the notice, which is Feb. 10.
Both the state and the federal government have to approve the mine through parallel permitting applications, though the federal government has signaled it intends to fast track approvals. Last year, federal officials added La Jara Mesa and other New Mexico uranium projects to a list of projects they hope to streamline permitting for.
Also, the Jara Mesa project is one of two long-pending uranium proposals that Cibola National Forest officials deemed “priority projects” early last year amid President Donald Trump’s push for domestic energy production.
In an interview last May, MMD program manager DJ Ennis told Source that the state has a “robust permitting process” that Laramide would have to navigate even if the federal government quickly issues its stamp of approval.
MMD officials, in a statement to Source on Thursday, confirmed that the division has deemed the plan “administratively complete,” which sets in motion a multi-agency review. Agencies involved include the New Mexico Environment Department, the State Engineer, the state Forestry Division and Historic Preservation Division.
The statement did not say how long such a review could take. Jantz estimated it could take a few months to a year or longer.
By – https://sourcenm.com/2026/01/15/mining-company-announces-milestone-in-push-to-dig-new-uranium-mine-in-nm/