GRANTS, N.M., Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Clean Energy Association of New Mexico (CLEAN) today expressed opposition to the Land Commission of the State of New Mexico’s Executive Order (“Order”) banning uranium exploration, development, and extraction on State lands.
CLEAN is disappointed by the Order, which, although limited in scope, runs counter to the economic and energy interests of New Mexico and its citizens. The Order only applies to State Lands and at a time when the State has not granted a new uranium lease on State lands in well over a decade. That said, this action continues to severely limit economic activity on State lands which would bring economic benefit, access to affordable and safe sources of domestic energy, and the opportunity to benefit from significant advances in environmentally responsible uranium extraction technology.
The timing and intent of restricting an economic activity which has evolved substantially over the past six decades is unfortunate. Many of the historic uranium-related legacy issues occurred approximately 60 years ago, before the implementation of the New Mexico Mining Act of 1993 and other modern safety, environmental, and operational standards.
It is misleading to compare any modern industry solely with the way it operated 60 years ago. Virtually every part of our economy has changed dramatically since then. Automotive manufacturing, air travel, energy production, construction, agriculture, and other industries now rely on technologies, safeguards, operating practices, and regulatory requirements that would have been unfamiliar six decades ago. The uranium industry and the companies that comprise it have undergone that same transformation.
“The United States is the world’s largest consumer of nuclear energy and the uranium that powers the reactors is over 90% sourced from outside the United States. The pursuit of cost-effective clean energy, and growing national security needs, has created a renewed demand for domestic uranium. This reality combined with strong domestic production potential provides New Mexico with the opportunity to be a leader in the United States,” said Janet Lee-Sheriff, President and Director of CLEAN. “This moment presents a strong economic opportunity for New Mexico, its citizens, and its communities due to the significant resources in the State. While we fully recognize that past practices created serious issues, today’s proven technologies—such as In-Situ Recovery (“ISR”) of uranium—provides safe and responsible options. New Mexico is a national leader in uranium resources, and this abundance combined with strong leadership, can create significant wealth and benefits for the State and its people when resources are developed properly. ISR can accomplish this while protecting the land, water, air, and people of New Mexico.”
CLEAN welcomes the opportunity to meet with communities, elected and regulatory officials, and community groups for healthy dialogue and information sharing. Constructive engagement and an understanding of modern uranium recovery practices are essential to sound decision-making about New Mexico’s energy and economic future.
About In-Situ Recovery Technology
In-Situ Recovery (“ISR”) offers a minimally intrusive, eco-friendly, and economically competitive approach to mineral extraction. It’s a proven, successful technique for extracting uranium, utilized in the United States in Texas, Nebraska and Wyoming. Unlike traditional mining, ISR utilizes wellfield technology to extract uranium from ISR-amenable, sandstone- hosted deposits. This technology is responsible for approximately 60% of all uranium extraction in the world. The NRC has stated that there has never been an incident of the contamination of drinking water from the ISR process.1
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1Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. (2008). Executive Director’s Response to Public Comment, Permit No. UR03070 |
About the Clean Energy Association of New Mexico
The Clean Energy Association of New Mexico (CLEAN) provides education, awareness, and innovative tools to support a strong and safe nuclear energy sector needed to fuel the U.S. nuclear renaissance. CLEAN advocates for responsible uranium extraction and recovery through in-situ recovery (“ISR”), working to build sustainable socio-economic benefits for local communities and the State while respecting the land, water, air, and people. CLEAN hosted the inaugural Nuclear in New Mexico conference in April 2026 and will host the 2nd annual conference in May 2027.
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SOURCE Clean Energy Association of New Mexico
