Moab Critical Minerals EOI

Moab Critical Minerals EOI — Responses to Post-Industry Day Questions

Q1: Does DOE have a minerals assay for the Moab tailings that it can share with interested parties? If not, would DOE allow prospective participants to collect representative samples for independent assay and metallurgical testing? What approvals, sampling protocols, and radiological controls would apply?
DOE does not currently have a whole-cell or current-stream mineral assay for the Crescent Junction tailings. The available data is historical and pre-relocation: the Atlas Corporation (1979) program, SRK Consulting (2001) study, and ORNL (1998) boring program, none of which constitute a present-day assay of the disposed stream. No site-specific metallurgical testing has been performed on vanadium or any other constituent.
Whether DOE would permit independent sampling, and under what protocols and approvals, is a decision DOE-EM leadership would need to make in coordination with the Moab site team. Any physical access to the cell for sampling efforts would require coordination with DOE-EM and the NRC given the cell's UMTRCA/NRC-regulated status. Any sampling would need to be performed within applicable safety, environmental, and regulatory requirements, including the project's Radiation Protection Program. DOE would consider any impact to disposal cell design and integrity resulting from any sampling effort. This will be flagged to DOE-EM program leadership, who would work with the Moab site to define a sampling access framework before a response can be provided to the respondent.
Q2: Are the west-side slime placements, where vanadium appears most concentrated, under interim cover or final rock armor cover today? Would DOE consider recovery from completed cover sections, or only from areas not yet under final cover? It's important to note upfront that the belief that the west side holds the highest grade and volume of critical minerals is based on disposal sequencing, not confirmed, comprehensive mapping. On cover status: the cell's cover progression is more layered than a simple interim versus final rock armor distinction. Completed cover sections may include a radon barrier layer, with further layers potentially including a biointrusion/infiltration barrier, a frost protection layer, and a surface rock layer.
DOE would consider recovery from both completed cover sections and areas not yet under final cover. Areas previously covered are furthest from active operations and may offer greater