CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. — Three uranium proposals in the Grants Mineral Belt remain in federal environmental review with target decision dates stretching into 2027 and 2028, according to the latest federal permitting postings, while a fourth, Roca Honda, is tracked separately as a transparency listing.
At the same time, the ongoing federal government shutdown canceled a long-planned local meeting on uranium-related drinking-water contamination.
At Crownpoint and Church Rock in McKinley County, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission continues its review of an in-situ recovery (ISR) proposal that would utilize existing NRC-licensed wellfields. Agency schedules currently point to an estimated completion of environmental review on May 25, 2027.
Across the county line near San Mateo, Grants Energy’s “Grants Precision ISR” project—an ISR concept that incorporates horizontal wells on roughly six square miles of private land—remains under NRC review with a posted completion target of May 26, 2028.
Within the Mt. Taylor Ranger District of the Cibola National Forest, the U.S. Forest Service is leading review for Laramide Resources’ La Jara Mesa underground mine proposal. That timetable shows environmental review extending to January 31, 2028.
A separate listing for Energy Fuels’ Roca Honda mine appears on the dashboard as a FAST-41 “transparency project,” with the Forest Service showing a review target of January 14, 2028; transparency projects are posted for public visibility but are not designated FAST-41 “covered projects.”
The federal dashboard’s New Mexico roster now reflects a pared-down set of entries: Crownpoint/Church Rock ISR, Grants Precision ISR, and La Jara Mesa are all marked “In Progress.”
Local implications remain immediate and practical.
A public meeting set for October 21 between Homestake, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Cibola County residents to discuss a path forward on drinking-water contamination did not occur after federal staff were sidelined by the federal shutdown of 2025, which entered Day 22 the morning on October 22.
Beyond postponing community engagement, a prolonged lapse in federal operations could delay steps that typically move these projects forward, including environmental scoping activities, Section 106 consultations on cultural resources, Endangered Species Act coordination, and other publicfacing, required, milestones.
For Cibola County readers tracking the arc of these projects, none of the uranium projects have completed a major federal review step, and the earliest posted decision points arrive in late 2027. Until those environmental reviews—and any required state approvals— are resolved, construction cannot begin.
Meanwhile, residents affected by legacy contamination are left waiting for the federal government to reopen and reschedule the Homestake–EPA community session, a reminder that the region’s future hinges on both regulatory timelines and basic government functionality.