User:Casseb/Uranium mining in Texas

Uranium mining in Texas

Regulation
Exploration, reclamation, and traditional surface mining for uranium has been regulated by the Railroad Commission of Texas since June 1975, when the Texas Legislature passed the Texas Surface Mining and Reclamation Act. This act also established the Surface Mining and Reclamation Division, which remains the newest regulatory office of the Commission. Authority was reaffirmed with the enactment of the Natural Resources Code by the legislature, which included the Texas Uranium Exploration, Surface Mining, and Reclamation Act.

In-situ recovery operations, which today comprise the vast majority of uranium production in the United States, are regulated by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). These operations, however, are also administered by the Surface Mining and Reclamation Division of the Railroad Commission. In addition to regulating the operations, the TCEQ also issues mining licenses by designation of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.