The Interior Department greenlit the Velvet-Wood uranium mine in just 11 days—a regulatory process that traditionally takes years to complete.

Using a national energy emergency declaration, the administration is expediting environmental reviews to rapidly boost domestic nuclear fuel production.

The government gave tribal nations—including the Navajo Nation and Ute Mountain Ute—only a single week to review and comment on the massive proposal.

Indigenous leaders called the rushed timeline an insult and designed for failure, arguing that meaningful consultation is impossible in seven days.

Tribes and environmentalists warn the underground mine threatens scarce regional water supplies and culturally sacred sites near Bears Ears National Monument.

The fast-tracked project is owned by a Canadian mining company, which will extract minerals from U.S. public lands royalty-free under an 1872 law.

The 11-day timeline signals a broader strategy: prioritizing rapid energy extraction while bypassing traditional ecological and historical protections.

As the administration floods the zone with expedited energy permits, attorneys general and tribal coalitions are preparing for intense legal battles.