Congressional Democrats have opened an investigation into the mining company Energy Fuels after its CEO and chairman purchased thousands of shares of company stock. The purchases took place days before President Donald Trump downsized the neighboring Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah, according to a report published August 17.
On July 7, 2026, CEO Ross Bhappu purchased 74,000 shares of Energy Fuels, which represents the largest insider stock purchase in the company's history, according to a news release from Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee. This transaction increased Bhappu's ownership to 41 percent. The following day, board chair Bruce Hansen acquired 4,000 shares.
Less than one week after those trades, President Trump removed 1.24 million acres from the Bears Ears National Monuments, making the land available for mining. In a statement, the Bears Ears Commission, a coalition of five tribal nations, said the decision weakens protections for a living cultural landscape and sacred ancestral homeland.
Jared Huffman, a Democrat from California and ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee, and Maxine Dexter, the ranking Democrat from Oregon on the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, announced Monday that they have opened an investigation. In a letter to Bhappu, the lawmakers stated they understand monument boundaries were redrawn in a way that could benefit Energy Fuels. They are requesting the company's lobbying contracts and communication between executives and federal officials.
A spokesperson for Energy Fuels stated the company is unaware of evidence supporting claims of wrongdoing and rejects suggestions of improper conduct. The spokesperson noted that the White Mesa Mill has never been located in the Bears Ears National Monument and that the company holds no economic interests in the monument.
The Energy Fuels White Mesa Mill is located less than a mile east of the former Bears Ears boundary. The facility is the last conventional uranium processing site in the nation. While the Trump administration has pushed for increased domestic mining of critical minerals for national security, environmental advocates and tribal nations have raised concerns regarding the mill's impact on water quality and public health in southeast Utah.
