by Amber Reimondo, Energy Director
The U.S. Department of Commerce is considering — at the behest of two uranium-mining companies — asking President Trump to impose uranium quotas, effectively forcing the U.S. nuclear power industry to purchase more uranium mined from U.S. public lands. Quotas would increase the price of uranium and make mining it more profitable, while putting our environment and our communities at risk.
For decades, the global uranium market has been saturated, which has kept prices low. Now uranium mining companies are ignoring the facts and taking advantage of a protectionist administration to boost their bottom lines.
TAKE ACTION. Urge the Commerce Department not to recommend uranium quotas ›
There are hundreds of active mining claims on public lands in and around the original Bears Ears National Monument and around Grand Canyon National Park. If the uranium companies get these quotas and the price bump they say will accompany them, mining those claims could become a lot more attractive. The deadline to submit a public comment has been extended to September 25, 2018.
In your own words, please voice your opposition to uranium quotas. Some intel to share:
- Uranium quotas won’t increase national security. If the goal of quotas is to stabilize nuclear power, it would fail. The nuclear power industry itself estimates that a requirement to buy U.S. uranium would cost an extra $500-800 million per year, drive up the cost of electricity, and force reactors to close.
- We already have enough uranium. Defense experts, including at the Department of Energy, say uranium supplies for defense needs are fulfilled at least through 2060. There’s no rush to mine additional uranium.
- Mining uranium isn’t worth the risk. The impact of the uranium mining industry on local economies will be marginal compared to the environmental risks, which could jeopardize key economic drivers like outdoor recreation and tourism. In Arizona, a recent poll shows that 73 percent of voters consider outdoor recreation to be more important to the state’s economic future than mining.
Please urge the Department of Commerce not to recommend quotas on uranium by the September 25 deadline ›
Thank you for taking action to protect our public lands from this ploy by uranium companies to drive up prices and bolster their own bottom lines.
