EnCore Energy announced on June 18 that the Bureau of Land Management issued a final decision and approved the Dewey Burdock uranium project, authorizing the company to begin construction for the uranium in situ recovery project in southwestern South Dakota.

Having received a final environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact from the BLM, EnCore subsidiary Powertech has been authorized to construct access roads, four groundwater monitoring wells, and overhead power lines on approximately 240 acres of BLM-managed public land within the larger 10,580-acre Dewey Burdock project.

Dewey Burdock, which EnCore acquired from Azarga Uranium in 2022, was approved for inclusion in the Fast-41 Program by the U.S. Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council in August 2025 following President Trump's Executive Order 14241, "Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production."

According to EnCore, Dewey Burdock's resources include 14.3 million pounds of measured and 2.8 million pounds of indicated U3O8. The project is located in South Dakota's Edgemont uranium district.

NRC review:The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a source and byproduct material license for Dewey Burdock in 2014, and the agency is currently reviewing Powertech's application for a 20-year license renewal. Powertech submitted its license renewal application to the NRC in March 2024.

On June 17, the NRC issued an EA and FONSI in the Dewey Burdock license renewal process, which concluded that the licensing would not significantly affect the quality of the human environment. A safety evaluation report was issued by the NRC in December 2025.

At the same time, the NRC issued a programmatic agreement between the agency, BLM, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, South Dakota State Historic Preservation Office, and Powertech as part of the Dewey Burdock licensing review. The agreement satisfies the NRC's obligations under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, which requires federal agencies to identify and assess the effects its actions may have on historic properties and cultural resources. The NRC engaged indigenous tribes to participate in the Section 106 assessment. The Oglala Sioux Tribe had filed a lawsuit against the NRC for its 2014 decision to grant the Dewey Burdock project license. That lawsuit was dismissed by the Washington, D.C., circuit court in 2022.