Idaho Aligns State Permitting with FAST-41, Streamlining Permitting at Liberty Gold's Black Pine Project

The most recent news (March 20, 2026) announces that the State of Idaho has formally aligned its state permitting timelines with the U.S. federal FAST-41 framework. This makes the Black Pine Oxide Gold Project the first precious metals project in the U.S. to benefit from a single, coordinated federal and state permitting schedule. This follows the project's acceptance into the federal FAST-41 "Covered Project" status in January 2026. The alignment is intended to increase transparency and accountability while reducing "red tape" without compromising environmental standards.

The news is Routine - Positive. While the alignment of state and federal schedules is a significant administrative milestone that de-risks the development timeline, it is an incremental follow-up to the January 2026 announcement of FAST-41 status. - Operational Impact: It provides a more predictable path to a construction decision, currently targeted for late 2027. By integrating state actions into the Federal Permitting Dashboard, the company reduces the risk of "bottlenecking" where state permits lag behind federal approvals. - Financial Impact: No immediate cash flow impact, but it enhances the project's Net Present Value (NPV) by potentially shortening the time to first production. - Expectation Alignment: This is in line with management’s stated strategy of "de-risking" the project through 2025 and 2026.

Liberty Gold is focused on developing "Carlin-style" oxide gold deposits in the Great Basin, USA. - Flagship Project: Black Pine (Idaho). It is a past-producing heap leach mine. - Current Status: Advancing toward a Feasibility Study (Q4 2026). - Resource: 4.88 million oz Au Indicated (0.30 g/t) and 1.05 million oz Au Inferred (0.21 g/t) as of the January 2026 update. - Economics: The 2024 PFS suggested a 17-year mine life with an AISC of $1,381/oz.