Mining moratorium proposed in the West End
Tensions between environmental and economic interests at the heart of debate over pausing mining and mineral exploration in San Miguel County
By Sophie Stuber, Planet Contributor
A group of seven environmental organizations, including San Juans Citizens Alliance, Sheep Mountain Alliance and Uranium Watch, submitted a letter to the San Miguel Board of County Commissioners requesting a temporary moratorium on special use permits for mining and mineral exploration.
San Miguel County has allowed mining and exploration under a land use code (LUC) that has not been updated in years.
“Land use codes in San Miguel County, specifically in the West End, have been out of date for a long time,” Mason Osgood, executive director of Sheep Mountain Alliance, told the Daily Planet.
“A temporary moratorium would allow the county, or at least allow the planning department, to thoroughly go through the process of updates.”
The West End is home to valuable ecosystems, including critical habitat for the Gunnison Sage Grouse and rare and endemic plant species. It serves as a winter range for many large ungulates such as elk and deer.
“It is important to create stronger protections for these ecosystems, especially as we see an increase in mining exploration activity down there,” Osgood said.
Not all federal regulation pertains to mining and exploration in San Miguel County, and environmental organizations expressed concerns that rising uranium prices and a growing interest in nuclear power and domestic uranium mining could put local public lands at risk.
At the San Miguel Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting on Wednesday, March 7, county planning director Kaye Simonson said that she did not support a temporary mining moratorium.
“I am not in favor of a moratorium. We are not the primary permit-er on this. There are federal and state permits. If we put a moratorium on this, we would end up in litigation,” she said. “I understand the concern, as we have seen an uptick in exploration, but I would not recommend a moratorium at this time.”
Uranium hit a 17-year high at $106 per pound in January before falling slightly to $91 as of March 8.
The U.S. Department of Energy announced in January a request for proposals (RFP) for uranium enrichment services to “help establish a reliable domestic supply of fuels using high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU).” The DOE is allotting up to $500 million for uranium enrichment projects on top of the $700 million requested for HALEU as part of the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act.
Shaun Bond, a resident of Nucla, who spoke during the public comment period, noted that the local mine does have a significant local economic influence.
“I wanted to come here today to make sure that the commissioners understand that there is a loud voice of opposition for the cessation of mining or a moratorium on mining exploration,” he said.
“It’s called the Sunday Mine and there are employees there. Those annual salaries are somewhere around $2 million annually so it would impose a significant financial impact on the economy of the community.”
Following these comments, Jennifer Thurston, executive director of the Information Network for Responsible Mining and one of the letter’s signatories, said it would only be a pause in mining activities and exploration.
“I want to emphasize that all we are requesting is a temporary moratorium. This will not stand in the way of longterm exploration, but it will give the county a little breathing space to update the land use code that is probably 10 years overdue,” Thurston said.
An update to the land use codes could help protect wildlife habitats and develop site-specific analysis to study the environmental impacts of uranium mining and exploration.
“Ultimately, we’re looking for a balance. I think we can all agree there are some areas in the West End where the environment and the natural beauty outweighs that of extractive industries. And there are other places where that is switched,” Osgood said.
Revised LUCs will create a clear framework to determine the best uses and protections for public lands.
“Land use codes can help delineate some of those values,” Osgood said.
San Miguel County has previously approved moratoriums for special use applications. In May of 2023, the BOCC authorized a six-month moratorium on new applications for commercial solar and utility projects that was extended into 2024. The moratorium was used to update the LUC to adapt to new solar development. Simonson also noted that the consultants used for solar will next be studying mining to update the regulations.
“We have a unique opportunity right now, given the consultants used for the solar land use code updates, to really get a strong, modern land use code,” Osgood said. “At the end of the day, I think there can be stronger environmental protections that the county can use to balance some of its natural resources.”
Commissioner Lance Waring encouraged residents, particularly young people, to stay involved in the upcoming meetings on land use code updates. There will also be a community meeting in the coming months before the code is adopted.
Read the story here.