Liberty Gold's Black Pine EIS NOI approved

Mr. Jon Gilligan reports LIBERTY GOLD ADVANCES BLACK PINE PERMITTING WITH PUBLICATION OF A FEDERAL NOTICE OF INTENT The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has published a notice of intent (NOI) in the federal register to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for Liberty Gold Corp.'s Black Pine oxide gold project, located in southeastern Idaho. The approval and publication of an NOI is the key permitting milestone that initiates the federal environmental review process for major projects under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The EIS process includes public scoping, technical studies and environmental analysis conducted by the lead federal agency in co-ordination with federal and state co-operating agencies. Liberty Gold will continue to engage pro-actively with regulators, local communities, tribal nations and stakeholders throughout the review. The process will progress through preparation and publication of a draft EIS, followed by a public review period, and the issuance of a final EIS, which together with the mine plan of operations, deemed administratively complete in November, 2025 (see press release dated Nov. 26, 2025), will form the basis for a federal record of decision. U.S. Senator Jim Risch (Idaho) stated: "Mining has long been central to Idaho's economy and efficient permitting is critical to ensuring responsible projects like the Black Pine gold project can move forward. This announcement brings Idaho one step closer to creating more jobs and attracting new investment as we strengthen the future of our domestic mining industry." U.S. Congressman Mike Simpson (Idaho) stated: "I am pleased to see the advancement of Black Pine oxide gold project in southeastern Idaho. There has been a true partnership between the State of Idaho and the United States Permitting Council, both of which are aligned to streamline Idaho's permitting process. The Trump administration has worked hard to fix the decades-long permitting failures through deregulation and cutting red tape. I applaud this collaboration and look forward to further advancements in this project." "With the publication of the notice of intent in the federal register, Black Pine has entered the formal NEPA review phase," said Jon Gilligan, president and chief executive officer of Liberty Gold. "This milestone reflects the completion of the pre-NEPA technical and baseline workstreams and positions the project to advance through a co-ordinated environmental review process. Importantly, as a FAST-41 covered project, a publicly disclosed federal and state permitting schedule is now in place, providing transparency, accountability and a clear path forward. We are excited to be working collaboratively with all the agencies involved to move Black Pine efficiently, effectively and respectfully through the permitting process." Black Pine represents a large-scale, oxide gold development opportunity in the U.S. Great basin, supported by a multimillion-ounce mineral endowment, existing infrastructure, and a well-established mining and permitting jurisdiction. The project is advancing under the auspices of the U.S. Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council as a FAST-41 covered project, with both federal and State of Idaho agencies operating under a co-ordinated permitting framework. A comprehensive permitting schedule has been published on the FAST-41 permitting dashboard, providing a publicly disclosed federal and state permitting timeline. In parallel with permitting, Liberty Gold continues to advance Black Pine through feasibility-level engineering, continuing environmental baseline programs, and supporting technical workstreams. These activities are designed to support the feasibility study, targeted for release in Q4 2026, while advancing Black Pine toward development. About Liberty Gold Corp. Liberty Gold is a U.S.-focused gold company advancing Black Pine, its 100-per-cent-owned oxide gold project in Idaho, located within the Great basin, one of the world's most productive and mining-friendly gold regions. Black Pine is a large-scale, past-producing, run-of-mine heap-leachable gold deposit progressing through feasibility and permitting toward a modern open-pit mining operation. The company's strategy is centred on advancing high-quality, long-life gold assets, with a clear focus on technical simplicity, strong environmental performance, project executability, collaborative permitting processes and value creation. This reflects Liberty Gold's commitment to the discipline of delivery. The company is led by an experienced team with a record of discovery, development and delivering sustained long-term value. We seek Safe Harbor.