Russian uranium ban helps Utah; Navajo Nation wants shipments stopped [Video]

SALT LAKE CITY — A bill signed by the president is a boost for Utah’s uranium industry, even while the Navajo Nation asks that shipments of the ore stop.

This month, President Biden signed the Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act. The United States has been importing 35% of its nuclear fuel from Russia, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

The act phases out Russian uranium imports and then bans them by 2028.

“For Utah, we think that this will probably provide a little bit of uplift in uranium prices,” said Curtis Moore, the senior vice president of marketing and corporate development for Energy Fuels.

It mines uranium near La Sal and operates a uranium mill next to White Mesa, both in southeast Utah.

“So, it is possible that there could be a greater economic incentive to mine uranium in Utah,” Moore said, though he added the benefit could be …