The United States has a uranium math quandary. We consume approximately 48 million pounds of uranium per year, yet we produce only about 2 million pounds. This means that the United States faces an approximate 96 percent shortfall. Plainly stated, we produce just 4 percent of the uranium we need and rely on imports for the remaining 96 percent.
Imagine if every month you earned enough to cover only 4 percent of what you need to survive and had to borrow the remaining 96 percent. That sort of math may be manageable for a month or two, but I think we can all agree it is not sustainable. Yet this is exactly where we find ourselves today when it comes to uranium – operating at the ‘mercy’ of other countries to fill our 96 percent shortfall.
The American Nuclear Landscape
In the 1980s, the United States was energy independent when it came to uranium production for nuclear energy. However, following the Cold War, we began outsourcing to lower-cost producers, and domestic production declined to nearly nothing. Today, nuclear accounts for approximately 20 percent of total U.S. electricity generation and remains one of the most reliable, clean, safe, and cost-effective sources of baseload power.
New Mexico’s Role
New Mexico has been overlooked for decades because of concerns within the community that were, rightfully so, about the safety of uranium extraction—for both the land and its people. However, New Mexico is extremely important to America getting its “uranium math” right. Forty percent of all the uranium ever produced in the United States has come from New Mexico, specifically the Grants District. If New Mexico were its own country, it would rank as the 7th largest uranium producer in the world.
Historically, much of that uranium extraction took place before the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency and before the modern legislation and regulatory frameworks that now ensure worker and environmental safety.
The uranium industry of the past, due to a lack of knowledge and proper regulatory oversight, operated in ways that would not meet today’s standards. But we should not discard uranium altogether because we once lacked the knowledge and guardrails to do it properly and hence abused certain aspects of the industry.
What’s in it for New Mexico?
So, what’s in it for New Mexico? Simply put, jobs, revenue, and long-term economic stability. New Mexico has the opportunity to be a leader in the American Nuclear Renaissance. With rich uranium resources already present in copious amounts, the State has what it takes to help solve a major problem, one that is not just relegated to Washington, D.C., or the Senate and House Floor, but one that impacts our households through energy bills, shows up at the gas pump, and ultimately affects our national security and stability.
ISR uranium extraction and development will bring high-quality, well-paying jobs across a range of fields to local communities that have historically seen less than half of their working-age population engaged in the workforce. In Grants, for example, fewer than 45 percent of residents are actively participating in the workforce. These numbers point to an under-utilized labor base and presents real room for meaningful job creation.
This is an opportunity for New Mexico to help rebuild a critical domestic industry, strengthen its position in the clean energy supply chain, and do so in a way that aligns with modern environmental and community expectations.
New Mexico, this is Your moment! Join us at the inaugural Nuclear in New Mexico Conference April 20-22 to engage in conversation on New Mexico’s role in America’s Nuclear Energy Renaissance.
Janet Lee-Sheriff is the Founder and President of The Clean Energy Association of New Mexico.
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