New Mexico Bans New Uranium Mine Leases on State Lands

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Written by Paul Wiseman for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

New Mexico's state land commissioner has issued an order banning new uranium leases on state lands.

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It's Not Yours to Mine If It's Ours

As some factions of the U.S. work to boost energy production on multiple fronts in the interest of national security as well as affordability, the movement is not without opposition.

On September 3, New Mexico State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard issued an executive order banning new uranium leases on state lands. This does not affect the two leases that are currently active on state lands.

The state that once accounted for about half of the nation's uranium production now has no active uranium mines. Industrial Info Resources data show 10 uranium mine projects in New Mexico, with a total investment value of $1.37 billion. All have a relatively low probability of completion.

Four are on federal lands and are not affected by the order. Neither are leases on privately owned land.

Garcia Richard's order also calls for the New Mexico State Land Office to focus on cleaning up legacy uranium mining sites. It asks the mining industry and the federal government to upgrade their involvement in cleaning up mining damage and securing closed mines.

New Mexico's Uranium History

From 1950, when Navajo shepherd Paddy Martinez stumbled upon raw uranium in Grants County, until the 1970s, New Mexico's Grants Mining District was responsible for more than half of U.S. uranium mining. This was also during the heyday of nuclear power generation.

And of course, White Sands was the site of the development and testing of the atomic bomb during World War II.

But the collapse of uranium prices, beginning in the late 1970s, led to the departure of mining, leaving 1,000 former mining sites, 250 of which are considered abandoned due to lack of current ownership.

Next Steps for Garcia Richard

On July 30, Garcia Richard was added to the Democrat ticket for Lieutenant Governor in the November elections. The previous candidate, Maggie Toulouse Oliver, nominated in the spring primary, had exited the race due to health issues.

U.S. Permitting Delays Kill Many Mining Operations Anyway

According to the National Mining Association (NMA), mine permitting in the U.S. can take up to 10 years to process, during which time the expenses add up before a single shovel is turned. The NMA contends that this is much longer than the two years required in Canada and Australia, and that the delays discourage mining by reducing the value of the mine.

The shorter time frame in other developed nations does not mean less safety or oversight, the NMA says, pointing out that Canada and Australia are both very environmentally conscientious. But those nations have more organized and direct procedures, relying on the industry to do much of the due diligence instead of letting that work back up in agency red tape.

The long delays, in the NMA's view, keep many mining projects from even starting, and lead others to give up on what otherwise would be viable operations.

Congress and Othes Take Action

Industrial Info Resources Vice President of Research for Metals & Minerals Joe Govreau notes that, "Members of New Mexico's U.S. congressional delegation have endorsed a bill that would prohibit uranium mining throughout the Chama Basin Watershed. This came after a Canadian company earlier this year sought federal permits to conduct exploratory drilling in that area."

The three sponsors, including both of the state's U.S. senators and a U.S. congresswoman, stated fears about uranium contamination of the Chama River and of adjacent lands should Gamma Resources move forward to drill up to 12 exploratory uranium boreholes up to 500 feet deep near the town of Canjilon.

Individuals are also pushing back. After NovaCore Exploration requested permission of the state's Mining and Minerals Division on July 2 to drill up to 37 boreholes near the town of Datil, residents of Catron County and a New Mexico environmentalist group announced their opposition.

Administration Pushes Ahead

The Trump administration has pushed permitting agencies to fast-track critical minerals projects. In some cases, it has used the FAST-41 process under 2015's Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act to smooth federal coordination and enforce deadlines to speed the process.

On September 2, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Protecting Domestic Mining Act of 2025 (H.R. 1501), which now awaits Senate consideration. Its purpose is to codify "the current inclusion of mining as an industry covered under the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council's (FPISC) permitting dashboard," said the NMA's website.

Its effect would be to streamline mine permitting and improve coordination between the agencies involved.

Key Takeaways

• New Mexico has halted permitting for new uranium mines pending cleanup of existing relic mines.
• Once the national leader in uranium mining, there are currently no operating mines in the state, although there are projects under consideration on federal and private lands, along with two already permitted on state lands.

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About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, Industrial Info Resources is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 trillion (USD).