Wyoming's struggling uranium industry presses president for quotas on imports

Two uranium companies with mines in Wyoming may get a boost from the Trump administration, forcing U.S. nuclear power plants to obtain more of their fuel from American producers.

Amidst sustained low prices for uranium, UR-Energy and Energy Fuels approached the Commerce Department with a proposal: investigate whether low-priced imports of uranium risk national security.

The department accepted that petition, noting the importance of uranium to domestic infrastructure and “weapons systems.” Officials have about nine months to offer a recommendation to the president on the companies’ contention of a national security risk and their proposed remedies: quotas on imports from countries like Russia and setting aside 25 percent of the domestic market for U.S. producers.

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Wyoming’s uranium industry is the largest in the country, though just a handful of companies mine in the state. And it’s been under pressure.

Read more: https://trib.com/business/energy/wyoming-s-struggling-uranium-industry-presses-president-for-quotas-on/article_81cf72b5-8089-5504-b4ba-16df311f038d.html