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NEPA Number: DOI-BLM-MT-C040-2026-0009-EA
Project Name: Dewey-Burdock Uranium In-Situ Recovery (Initial Infrastructure Development) Plan of Operations

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Project Information

NEPA Number

DOI-BLM-MT-C040-2026-0009-EA
Project Name

Dewey-Burdock Uranium In-Situ Recovery (Initial Infrastructure Development) Plan of Operations
Project Type

EA
NEPA Status

Completed - Completed
Lead Office

South Dakota Field Office
Last Updated

6/14/2026 5:00:00 PM

Project Description

On November 19, 2020, Powertech (USA) Inc. (Powertech) submitted a Plan of Operations to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) South Dakota Field Office to propose development of infrastructure and water monitoring wells associated with the Dewey-Burdock Uranium In-situ Recovery (ISR) Project in Custer and Fall River Counties, South Dakota. In conformance with 43 CFR §3715 and §3809, the 2020 Plan of Operations (Plan) was originally submitted in August 2009 but has since incorporated revisions from January 2011, November 2014, and 2020 comments by the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The uranium ISR method is the in-place recovery of a mineral resource that does not require removing overburden or ore.  This method of mining is typically accomplished by installing injection/production wells and recovering the resource directly from the natural deposit by exposing it to the injection of the lixiviant that causes leaching, dissolution, and recovery of the mineral.  No ISR injection/production well field development is proposed on public lands administered by the BLM.

The proposed Dewey-Burdock Project boundary is comprised of approximately 10,580 acres of mostly private surface (administered by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission), which includes 160 acres of public lands parcels (1.5%) that are administered by the BLM. Under the proposed initial phase of development, BLM estimates a total of 4.20 acres of surface disturbance within the public lands parcels.  As proposed under the Plan, the surface disturbance on the public lands portion of the project would be a result of access roads, four water monitoring wells, and overhead powerline construction.  For environmental analysis, the access roads have been categorized as Primary Access Road, Secondary Access Roads, and Light-use Roads (two-track routes).

The BLM environmental review of the Dewey-Burdock Uranium ISR Plan of Operations is tiered to the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) and Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS).  All documents related to the NRC GEIS and SEIS can be located at https: //www.nrc.gov/info-finder/materials/uranium/licensed-facilities/dewey-burdock.html 

Note: In 2020, BLM initiated an Environmental Assessment for the Dewey-Burdock Uranium ISR Project, but the NEPA analysis document was cancelled.  The cancelled project can be found on ePlanning under DOI-BLM-MT-C040-2020-0026-OTHER_NEPA.

What's New

June 15, 2026: The final Environmental Assessment, Finding of No Significant Impacts, and Decision Record (including information for appeal and State Director Review) have been uploaded. To view these documents, please click the "Documents" button at the top of the project home page.

May 15, 2026: The public comment period for the draft EA has closed. Thank you for the input!

April 14, 2026: Draft Environmental Assessment, DOI-BLM-MT-C040-2026-0009-EA, and the Dewey Burdock Plan of Operations is available for a 30-day public comment period. To submit a comment, click the “Participate Now” button at the top of the project home page and select "20260414_DRAFT_EnvironmentalAssessment_DeweyBurdockUraniumISR_Plan.pdf."

Project Location

City	State/Territory	Zip Code	County(ies)
Burdock	South Dakota	57735	Fall River

Application Information

Applicant

Powertech (USA) Inc.
Case File Number

SDMT105876566
Program

Mining
Sub-Program

Hard Rock (Gold, Silver, Copper, Uranium, etc.)

Project Dates

Start Date

6/26/2025
End Date

6/15/2026
FONSI Date

6/15/2026

Project Office Information

Lead Office

South Dakota Field Office
Offices

South Dakota FO

Contacts

Contact 1 Name

Christopher Rye
Contact 1 Email

[email protected]
Contact 1 Phone

(406) 896-5159

Contact 2 Name

Dan Brunkhorst
Contact 2 Email

[email protected]
Contact 2 Phone

(406) 538-1981