Uranium Extraction on Navajo Land: Cleanup Project or Corporate Mining?

• DISA is seeking to implement a commercial-scale uranium extraction project on Navajo lands, framing it as an environmental cleanup of Abandoned Uranium Mines (AUMs).
• Critics argue the project is actually a for-profit mining operation that violates the 2005 Diné Natural Resources Protection Act, which bans uranium extraction.
• The project relies on unproven HPSA technology and has received generic NRC licensing based on weakened environmental review requirements.

Licensing and Regulatory Concerns

• On March 28, 2025, DISA requested an NRC license, which was finalized on September 25, 2025.
• The NRC issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), relying on assumptions rather than site-specific Navajo data regarding water, dust, transport, and waste.
• The license is generic for multiple states, requiring only a pilot program and pre-mobilization notification (PMN), skipping more rigorous Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) due to deregulatory changes from the Trump era.

Operational Impacts

• Resource Consumption: A 100-ton-per-hour system would consume roughly 384,000 gallons of water monthly, plus significant amounts of diesel fuel for continuous power generation.
• Waste Generation: Processing 100 tons of material yields 17 tons of uranium-rich concentrates (for transport to White Mesa, Utah) and 83 tons of waste rock that lacks a designated disposal site.
• Logistical Risks: Operations require three continuous streams of truck traffic—water tankers, diesel delivery, and uranium-laden haul trucks crossing Navajo territory, which is prohibited by tribal law.

Economic and Political Stakes

• Ownership: Under federal law, the extracted uranium becomes "source material" owned by DISA and its partner, Energy Fuels, rather than the Navajo Nation.
• Financial Burden: DISA is a startup with limited funds; project leads are currently asking the Navajo Nation to provide $3 million to fund a pilot project that would ultimately benefit the private company's profit margins.
• Tribal Risks: The project poses significant health and environmental risks to families who have lived with uranium contamination for generations, while the benefits appear to be captured entirely by external corporate entities.