Ownership of Uranium Mine Operations on Federal Land

I could keep going.. with strategic minerals or potash or whatever.. but I thought I finish for now with uranium. I had never heard of the federal uranium leasing program.

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Here’s a concrete list of the main currently operating or recently active uranium mines/projects on federal land (or involving federal mineral estate)—along with who runs them and whether they’re U.S.-owned.

I’ll separate (1) confirmed active/producing, (2) permitted/standby but ready, and (3) federal leasing tracts so you can see the real picture.

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1) ACTIVE uranium mines on federal land (very small number)

Wyoming (core of U.S. production — mostly BLM land)

These are primarily in-situ recovery (ISR) operations, which are usually on federal mineral estate managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

🔹 Lost Creek ISR Project (Wyoming)

• Operator: Ur-Energy
• Status: Active production
• Land: Mix of federal mineral estate + private surface
• Ownership:
  • 🇺🇸 Public company, but Canadian-listed (foreign-controlled capital)

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🔹 Smith Ranch–Highland (Wyoming)

• Operator: Cameco
• Status: Historically largest U.S. uranium producer (intermittent production)
• Land: Includes federal mineral estate
• Ownership:
  • 🇨🇦 Canadian company

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🔹 Nichols Ranch ISR (Wyoming)

• Operator: Energy Fuels
• Status: Production-ready / intermittent
• Land: Includes federal mineral estate
• Ownership:
  • 🇺🇸 U.S.-based company (one of the few major domestic ones)

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🔹 Ross ISR Project (Wyoming)

• Operator: Ur-Energy
• Status: New satellite mine feeding Lost Creek
• Ownership: same as above (foreign-listed)

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👉 Reality check:

• These Wyoming ISR projects account for most U.S. uranium production
• Wyoming has “almost a dozen authorized uranium mines”, but only a few are actually producing at any given time

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2) PERMITTED / STANDBY mines on federal land (can restart quickly)

These matter because they’re often counted in “active operations” even when idle.

🔹 Pinyon Plain Mine (Arizona) (formerly Canyon Mine)

• Operator: Energy Fuels
• Land: U.S. Forest Service (federal land)
• Status: Recently restarted production (2024–2025 timeframe)
• Ownership: 🇺🇸 U.S.-based

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🔹 La Sal / Beaver / Pandora mines (Utah–Colorado)

• Operator: Energy Fuels
• Land: Mix of BLM + private
• Status: standby / intermittent
• Ownership: 🇺🇸 U.S.

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🔹 Reno Creek Project (Wyoming)

• Operator: Peninsula Energy
• Status: permitted ISR (restart planned)
• Ownership: 🇦🇺 Australian company

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🔹 Lance Projects (Wyoming)

• Operator: Peninsula Energy
• Status: restart underway
• Ownership: 🇦🇺 foreign

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👉 These “standby” mines are why counts sometimes show ~7–15 “active” operations—even though only a few are producing at once.

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3) FEDERAL URANIUM LEASING PROGRAM (Colorado, etc.)

This is a special category of 100% federal land leased to companies.

• 31 lease tracts currently exist in the program
• ~29 are actively held by companies (not necessarily producing)

Typical operators (vary by tract):

• Energy Fuels (U.S.)
• Small private leaseholders
• Exploration-stage firms

👉 Key point:

• These are explicitly federal-owned lands leased to private companies
• Most are not currently producing, but could be reactivated

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4) Ownership breakdown (this is the important takeaway)

❗ None of these mines are “owned” by corporations in the usual sense

• Land = U.S. federal government (BLM, Forest Service, DOE)
• Companies = hold leases, claims, or permits