The Environmental Protection Agency is reissuing permits for a proposed Uranium recovery project in the southern Black Hills.
That comes after a review board sent the permits back to the federal agency with a request to include more records.
The EPA reissued two permits related to the project late last week. One to allows for injection wells to extract uranium deposits, and another to inject those fluids into or above underground sources of drinking water.
In September, the Environmental Appeals Board kicked the permits back to the EPA to include documents from before the 2012 application began.
Those challenging the permits say obtained documents from the late-2000s show the federal agency worked with the company to craft regulations for review of the permits, “the first nationally that EPA would issue and directly regulate.”
They point to lack of tribal and public input on the regulations.
Lillias Jarding is with Black Hills Clean Water Alliance — a group that’s challenging the permits alongside the Oglala Sioux Tribe. She says the group is making sure the additional documents are included.
“It’s much quicker than we thought it would be, let’s put it that way. We’re evaluating what our response might be," Jarding said.
The groups have until April 13 to appeal the permits.
State water permits for the project are on hold until the federal permit process concludes.
In 2022, Fall River County voters designated uranium mining as a nuisance. Backers say it halts uranium production in the county. Project proponents call the measure illegal.
enCore Energy and its subsidiaries have sought permits for the in-situ leaching project since 2012.
Company officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Earlier this month, enCore Energy revealed a net loss of $61.3 million in 2024.
