A uranium mine less than 10 miles from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon has begun production. It comes after decades of preparation work and amid resistance from tribal and environmental groups.
In late December, Energy Fuels Resources announced it had begun producing uranium ore at its Pinyon Plain Mine located within the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument.
The company didn’t say how much uranium has so far been mined, but that it started slowly and plans to ramp up to full production by the second half of the year.
According to Energy Fuels, the main factor in starting production at the long-delayed mine is the current 16-year high for uranium prices at almost $90 a pound...