The country’s latest uranium-mining project, approved for accelerated permitting, is underway in South Dakota.
The project, organized by Dallas-based enCore Energy Group and located in Custer, is the first in South Dakota covered by FAST-41.
“The Permitting Council is excited to welcome the Dewey-Burdock ISR Uranium Project to FAST-41 coverage,” Permitting Council Executive Director Emily Domenech said in late August. “This project is now the 9th mining project to receive FAST-41 coverage since President Trump took office, ensuring we are working towards a stronger domestic supply chain of critical mineral resources. The Permitting Council is delivering on the President’s Executive Order on domestic mining, and we look forward to working with enCore Energy Corp to get this project to the permitting finish line.”
“Dewey Burdock plays an important role in supporting the U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain with domestically produced uranium for many years into the future,” enCore Energy Executive Chairman William M. Sheriff stated. “As the first critical mineral extraction project selected within the State of South Dakota we also look to working with the state government, tribal governments and local communities as we focus on building a stronger domestic supply of clean and affordable energy and providing economic stimulus to southwest South Dakota.”
President Donald Trump’s March order directing an increase in American mineral production noted that the United States “was once the world’s largest producer of lucrative minerals, but overbearing Federal regulation has eroded our Nation’s mineral production.”
That same month, Trump activated the Defense Production Act to fast-track U.S. production of critical minerals like rare earths, uranium, copper, potash, and gold. By April, a second order titled “Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources” allowed for accelerated mineral extraction from offshore U.S. seabeds.
