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No more climate virtue signaling. No more foot-dragging. Trump’s team is ditching the environmental red tape and launching projects that put America’s energy security front and center.
In a sharp departure from the years-long delays that defined the Biden era, the Trump Interior Department announced it will fast-track environmental reviews for the Velvet-Wood uranium and vanadium mine in Utah. Instead of dragging out the process for years, the agency plans to wrap the entire review in just two weeks.
Secretary Burgum described the effort as a model of Trump-era efficiency and resolve.
“The expedited mining project review represents exactly the kind of decisive action we need to secure our energy future,” Burgum stated. “By cutting needless delays, we’re supporting good-paying American jobs while strengthening our national security and putting the country on a path to true energy independence.”
The Velvet-Wood mine is expected to operate mostly underground, disturbing only a small surface area—just three acres—thanks to existing infrastructure at the long-dormant site.
Under Biden, America’s energy sector didn’t just stall—it became dangerously reliant on foreign nations, including adversaries. According to federal data, a staggering 99% of U.S. uranium fuel came from imports in 2023, with major supplies flowing from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.
The story with vanadium—a key mineral for batteries and military-grade steel—is just as troubling. Nearly half of the U.S. supply is imported, mostly from China, Russia, South Africa, and Brazil.
This level of dependency isn’t just reckless. It’s a national security nightmare.
“Our Nation’s current inadequate development of domestic energy resources [including both uranium and vanadium] leaves us vulnerable to hostile foreign actors and poses an imminent and growing threat to the United States’ prosperity and national security,” the President’s national energy emergency declaration noted.
Acting Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Adam Suess reinforced the urgency of the Interior’s action.
“Today’s actions will greatly accelerate the permitting review of the Velvet-Wood,” Suess said. “By fast-tracking the review process for the project, we are driving American Energy Dominance and ensuring our nation’s energy security.”
The administration is using emergency powers under federal environmental laws—including the National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act—to streamline the process and avoid bureaucratic paralysis.
Climate activists and radical environmental groups are already up in arms, accusing the Trump administration of trampling “protections” to push through energy projects. But Trump’s supporters argue that the real threat isn’t the mine—it’s continuing to rely on Russia and China for critical energy minerals.
The Velvet-Wood mine announcement is just the opening act in what promises to be a sweeping comeback for American energy under President Trump. After four years of soaring gas prices, hostile regulations, and energy dependence, this administration is making one thing clear: America will no longer beg foreign nations for the power to keep the lights on.
Trump is back—and this time, energy dominance isn’t just a slogan. It’s the mission.
