ISR Technology, Mount Taylor Pushback, and the Rise of the Cebolleta Project
Cibola County is no stranger to uranium. Once the heart of America’s uranium boom, its mountains and mesas produced over a third of the nation’s yellowcake during the Cold War era.
Now, after decades of silence, uranium is once again on the table. But this time, it’s not just about mining—it’s about technology, trust, water, land, and energy independence.
In-Situ Recovery (ISR): New Tech, New Promise, Old Questions
Amid the policy debates, a newer uranium extraction method is gaining traction: insitu recovery, or ISR.
ISR avoids digging open pits or creating deep underground tunnels. Instead, it uses well field technology to inject oxygenated water into uranium-rich sandstone layers, dissolving the uranium, which is then pumped to the surface and processed through a complicated process back into yellowcake. Advocates argue this method uses significantly less water and causes far less surface disturbance than traditional mining.
Janet Lee Sheriff, founder of the Clean Energy Association of New Mexico, says ISR is not mining in the traditional sense. “It only works in certain contaminated aquifers that are already unusable for drinking or farming,” she told the Citizen. “The process is highly monitored, with sealed wells and multiple safeguard systems that shut the whole thing down if changes in water quality are detected.”
Sheriff said that ISR monitors several key chemical components in the water, and if there is even a slight change, they shut down the work to ensure there are no issues. Sheriff emphasized that ISR wells are lined with steel and sealed with cement to prevent cross-contamination with potable aquifers.
The technology has been around for 50 years, and according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, there has never been a documented case of ISR contaminating drinkable groundwater in the United States. Still, public skepticism remains high, especially in communities like San Mateo, where memories of the Homestake Mill disaster linger.
Grants Energy, a private company exploring uranium extraction north of San Mateo, is expected to use ISR. Grants Energy has launched the “Grants Precision ISR Project” about 20 miles north of Grants outside of San Mateo and is actively seeking permitting and licensure, with expected uranium production in the early 2030s.
Advanced Stage Exploration Site North of Laguna
While Mount Taylor is off limits and San Mateo faces an uphill battle to restore trust, another site is quietly emerging as a national leader in uranium revival: the Cebolleta Uranium Project.
Located about 10 miles north of Laguna, Cebolleta sits on over 6,700 acres of privately held mineral rights and 5,700 acres of surface rights owned by the Cebolleta Land Grant. The project has a long history, with uranium mining dating back to the 1950s. Between 1975 and 1981, over 3.8 million pounds of uranium oxide were extracted from its JJ#1 and St. Anthony mines.
Now, under the ownership of Premier American Uranium (PUR), Cebolleta is moving forward fast.
In June 2024, PUR completed a Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) ahead of schedule, reporting 18.6 million pounds of indicated uranium oxide and another 4.9 million pounds inferred. Then, in January 2025, the company received a new Part 3 drilling permit from the New Mexico Mining and Minerals Division, allowing for up to 25 additional boreholes.
According to PUR CEO Colin Healey, the company will initiate technical and potentially expansionary drilling in 2025, alongside updated economic assessments. “We aim to de-risk the project,” Healey said. “With ISR and strong regulatory relationships, we’re on track to position Cebolleta as a key source of domestic uranium.”
It’s important to note that while ISR may be considered for future extraction at Cebolleta, the site is currently categorized as an “advanced exploration” project—not yet a producing mine.
Mount Taylor Reenters the Crosshairs
Despite clear opposition from New Mexico lawmakers, who passed memorials earlier this year urging a halt to all future uranium mining on Mount Taylor, new federal directives are shifting the ground beneath their feet—literally.
New Mexico Senator Angel Charley (SD30-D, Acoma) and New Mexico Representative Michelle Pauline Abeyta (HD69-D, To’hajiilee) are not only Cibola locals, but they proposed the individual memorials in their respective legislative chambers to re-recognize the sacred site that Mount Taylor is and prevent all future uranium mining on the mountain.
Following President Donald Trump’s sweeping March 20 executive order prioritizing domestic mineral production, staff at the Cibola National Forest were informed during an internal allhands meeting on Feb. 26 that uranium mining is once again considered “mission critical.” Forest Supervisor Heidi McRoberts pointed directly to the order’s language around uranium, telling employees that large-scale projects like Roca Honda and La Jara Mesa are now administrative priorities. These long-dormant projects, perched directly on and near Mount Taylor, are being recategorized for federal fast-tracking. Roca Honda, owned by Energy Fuels and located adjacent to General Atomics’ shuttered Mount Taylor Mine, is being framed as one of the largest and highest-grade uranium reserves in the U.S., with up to 2.7 million pounds of annual production over a projected 9-year lifespan. Though dormant for over a decade, the project is now in advanced permitting stages and is reportedly eligible for federal prioritization under the executive order.
The La Jara Mesa project, while less water-intensive, also raises red flags. Waste would be stored on-site under earthen caps that critics warn degrade in as little as 20 years.
Though both projects have been pending for over a decade and still require final environmental impact statements and Records of Decision under NEPA, the federal shift in tone—and priorities— is unmistakable. What had been quietly shelved is now being dusted off, even as local leaders and communities brace for renewed battles over one of the state’s most sacred landscapes.