Public paper · October 5, 2026 · Mining desk
Homestake Mining Grants Uranium Mill Cleanup: NRC Opens Hearing Window Through November 24 on Plan to Swap Groundwater Standards for Alternate Limits
Homestake Mining Company of California asked the NRC to replace the Grants Reclamation Project's groundwater corrective action program and protection standards with Alternate Concentration Limits. Hearing requests and petitions to intervene are due November 24, 2026. Docket NRC-2026-4522.
noticenearby.com/papers/homestake-grants-reclamation-uranium-mill-acl-nov-24.pdf
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) published a Federal Register notice on September 25, 2026 offering an opportunity to request a hearing on a license amendment for the Homestake Mining Company of California (HMC) Grants Reclamation Project, a former conventional uranium mill near Grants, New Mexico.
Deadline: a request for a hearing or petition for leave to intervene must be filed by November 24, 2026.
What Homestake is asking for
HMC holds NRC License No. SUA-1471 (Docket No. 040-08903). By letter dated June 30, 2026, the company asked the NRC to:
- replace its Groundwater Corrective Action Program and its currently approved groundwater protection standards with Alternate Concentration Limits (ACLs); and
- revise license conditions 15, 28, 35, 36, and 42.
In the application, HMC states that further groundwater restoration is not technically feasible, and that the proposed ACLs, combined with restrictions on access to and use of groundwater, will protect human health, safety, and the environment at the points of exposure.
The site
According to the notice, the Grants Reclamation Project sits about 5.5 miles northeast of Milan, NM. Uranium processing began in the late 1950s and continued until 1990. The site is now in the decommissioning phase.
Where the NRC review stands
- NRC staff found the application acceptable for technical review. The NRC says docketing is not a determination that the request should be approved.
- Before deciding, the NRC must make findings under the Atomic Energy Act and document them in a safety evaluation report and an environmental review under 10 CFR part 51.
- The environmental review will be the subject of a later Federal Register notice.
How to participate
- Petitions follow 10 CFR 2.309 and must be filed through the NRC E-Filing system. The notice advises contacting the Office of the Secretary at least 10 days before the deadline to get a digital ID certificate.
- A State, local government, or federally recognized Tribe may petition to participate as a party under 10 CFR 2.309(h) or participate as a non-party under 10 CFR 2.315(c).
- Documents: regulations.gov Docket NRC-2026-4522; ADAMS Package ML26183A208; a copy is at the Grants Public Library, 1101 N 1st Street, Grants, NM 87020.
- NRC site page: https://www.nrc.gov/facilities-safety/facility-finder/decommissioning/uranium/homestake
Sources
- Federal Register (Sept. 25, 2026), Document 2026-19649, 91 FR 60990: Homestake Mining Company of California; Grants Reclamation Project; License Amendment Application — opportunity to request a hearing. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/25/2026-19649/homestake-mining-company-of-california-grants-reclamation-project-license-amendment-application
- NRC Homestake decommissioning page: https://www.nrc.gov/facilities-safety/facility-finder/decommissioning/uranium/homestake
Not legal advice. Not a newspaper. Not Legal Publication. Record of Sale, LLC (Oregon).
Notes and sources
- Author: Ryan Standley / Record of Sale, LLC / Notice Nearby.
- Discussed on @NoticeNearYou: (pending — fill xPostUrl after live post).
- Not legal advice. Not a newspaper. Not Legal Publication. Record of Sale, LLC (Oregon).
Mining desk · Notice Nearby public papers shelf. @NoticeNearYou post pending.
Not legal advice. Not a newspaper. Not Legal Publication. Record of Sale, LLC (Oregon).