# 2026-12215: Uranium Mine Gets Extended Permit in South Dakota 2026-12215, Powertech USA, Inc.; Dewey-Burdock In Situ Uranium Recovery Project; Environmental Assessment, Finding of No Significant Impact, and Final Programmatic Agreement, is a Federal Register notice from Nuclear Regulatory Commission published 2026-06-17, effective 2026-06-17; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-06-24). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12215 - As of: 2026-06-24 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Document number: 2026-12215 - Title: Powertech USA, Inc.; Dewey-Burdock In Situ Uranium Recovery Project; Environmental Assessment, Finding of No Significant Impact, and Final Programmatic Agreement - Type: Notice - Agencies: Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Citation: 91 FR 36623 - Published: 2026-06-17 - Effective: 2026-06-17 - Comments close: not stated - Significant: no - Touches household money: yes - Regulation identifier numbers: none - Last updated: 2026-06-24 ## In one line Uranium Mine Gets Extended Permit in South Dakota ## Summary Powertech USA got the green light to keep mining uranium underground in South Dakota for 20 more years using a safe, in-place method. This means they’ll keep producing yellowcake, which helps fuel nuclear power plants, without causing big environmental problems. Local communities and the energy industry can expect steady uranium supply with no major changes or extra costs right now. ## Abstract The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering the renewal of source and byproduct materials license SUA-1600 for Powertech USA, Inc.'s (Powertech or licensee) Dewey-Burdock in situ uranium recovery (ISR) project in Custer and Fall River counties, South Dakota, for an additional 20 years. Powertech plans to recover uranium from the ore body and produce yellowcake using the ISR process. Yellowcake, the uranium oxide product of the ISR process, is used in the production of fuel for commercially operated nuclear power reactors. The NRC staff is issuing an environmental assessment (EA), finding of no significant impact (FONSI), and Section 106 Programmatic Agreement (PA) associated with the proposed licensing action. ## Effects PRIA read - 20-Year License Renewal Approved: benefit, medium. The NRC is considering renewal of Powertech's license SUA-1600 to operate the Dewey-Burdock in situ uranium recovery project for an additional 20 years, with documents available June 17, 2026. If renewed, the project would be authorized to recover uranium and produce yellowcake used for commercial… - Private Wells Near Wellfields Removed: mixed, medium. Powertech plans to remove all domestic wells within 0.4 kilometer (0.25 miles) of wellfields and all stock wells from private use in the project area; the company will notify well owners before removal and work with them to determine whether a replacement well or alternate water supply is needed. T… - Groundwater Restoration and Monitoring Required: benefit, high. Powertech would have to conduct aquifer restoration after operations to return production-zone groundwater to preoperational conditions or to standards consistent with NRC requirements (10 CFR part 40, Appendix A, Criterion 5B(5)) and State of South Dakota standards, with operational groundwater mo… - Different Land Disturbance by Disposal Option: mixed, medium. The Dewey-Burdock project area is 4,282 hectares (10,580 acres); estimated land disturbance would be about 13.2% of the project area if Powertech uses land application for liquid waste disposal, or about 2.3% if it uses Class V injection wells. Which disposal method is used affects how much land wo… - Air Emissions Below EPA Standards: benefit, low. The NRC staff concluded non-radiological pollutant concentrations from the project (stationary, mobile, and fugitive dust sources) would be below the U.S. EPA's National Ambient Air Quality Standards thresholds. Construction would generate the highest levels of fugitive dust and mobile-source pollu… ## Related documents - [2026-19568](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19568): Regulatory Enhancements for Reactor Licensing, Decommissioning, and Operational Oversight, 2026-09-24 - [2026-14341](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-14341): Modernizing Reactor Licensing, Safety Oversight, and Siting Practices, 2026-07-16 - [2026-13687](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-13687): Implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act, 2026-07-07 - [2026-12067](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12067): Fee Schedules; Fee Recovery for Fiscal Year 2026, 2026-06-16 - [2026-08550](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-08550): Licensing Requirements for Microreactors and Other Reactors With Comparable Risk Profiles, 2026-05-01 - [2026-08015](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-08015): Generic Environmental Impact Statement for Licensing of New Nuclear Reactors, 2026-04-24 ## Sources - [2026-12215 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/06/17/2026-12215/powertech-usa-inc-dewey-burdock-in-situ-uranium-recovery-project-environmental-assessment-finding-of) - [2026-12215 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-06-17/pdf/2026-12215.pdf) ## Related - [Previous: 2026-12214, Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request; Survey of Graduate S…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12214) - [Next: 2026-12216, Denial of Production Authority; Foreign-Trade Zone 3; Phillips 66 Company; (Ren…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12216) - [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12215 (as of 2026-06-24).