General Electric and United Nuclear to Pay $63M for Uranium Mine Cleanup in New Mexico and Navajo Nation.

General Electric and United Nuclear Corp. have agreed to a $63M cleanup of uranium mine waste in New Mexico and the Navajo Nation under a U.S. consent decree. The agreement requires both companies to pay for the estimated cleanup costs, which will address environmental contamination caused by their mining operations. The cleanup is expected to mitigate health risks for local communities and the environment.

General Electric (GE) and United Nuclear Corporation (UNC) have agreed to a $63 million cleanup of uranium mine waste in New Mexico and the Navajo Nation under a U.S. consent decree. The agreement, announced on August 11, 2025, requires both companies to pay for the estimated cleanup costs, addressing environmental contamination caused by their mining operations.

The cleanup will involve the excavation and removal of approximately one million cubic yards of uranium mine waste from the Northeast Church Rock Mine Superfund Site on the Navajo Nation. The waste will be transferred to the UNC Mill Site, a federally licensed uranium mill and tailings disposal facility located adjacent to Navajo Nation in northwestern New Mexico. The cleanup is expected to take more than a decade to complete [1].

The agreement comes after two decades of coordination among the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Energy Department, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Interior Department, state and tribal stakeholders, and UNC and GE. The Northeast Church Rock Mine operated from 1967 to 1982 and served as the principal source of uranium ore for the UNC Mill. The EPA has required several shorter-term cleanups at the site, but it continues to pose a risk of releasing hazardous substances to the air, surrounding soils, sediments, surface water, and groundwater [2].

The cleanup is expected to mitigate health risks for local communities and the environment. "Today’s settlement will achieve tangible remediation of the Mine and Mill Sites and protect human health from radioactive wastes," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) [1].

The consent decree is subject to a public comment period and final court approval. The cleanup is a significant step in addressing the longstanding risks faced by communities impacted by uranium mining waste, reflecting a collaborative effort between federal, sovereign, and state governments.

References:
[1] https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-nuclear-corporation-and-general-electric-perform-63m-cleanup-uranium-mine-waste
[2] https://www.morningstar.com/news/dow-jones/2025081111077/general-electric-and-united-nuclear-agree-to-consent-decree-for-cleanup-of-uranium-mine-waste