Liberty Gold cheers Idaho permitting co-ordination

Executive Summary

• Liberty Gold’s Black Pine oxide gold project in Idaho has become the first U.S. precious metals mining project to have both federal and state agencies aligned under a single, coordinated permitting framework via the FAST-41 initiative.
• The State of Idaho formally committed to aligning its state permitting timelines with the U.S. federal FAST-41 framework, establishing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Trump administration to streamline reviews and reduce duplicative steps.
• This alignment follows Black Pine’s acceptance into FAST-41 on January 20, 2026, as only the fourth precious metals mining project to receive covered project status, marking a significant step in improving permitting certainty and predictability.

Key Details

• FAST-41 Alignment: Idaho announced a new coordination framework on February 19, 2026, integrating state permitting actions into the federal permitting dashboard to enhance transparency and coordination with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process.
• First of Its Kind: Black Pine is the first FAST-41 covered project to advance under a fully integrated federal and state permitting schedule and the first U.S. precious metals mining project with both levels of government aligned under a single framework.
• Coordination Period: Following acceptance into FAST-41 on January 20, 2026, Black Pine entered a structured 60-day coordination period with participating federal and state agencies to update and refine the environmental review timetable.
• Next Steps: Liberty Gold expects the revised permitting schedule for Black Pine to be published to the FAST-41 permitting dashboard following the completion of the coordination process.
• Project Status: Black Pine is one of the largest undeveloped oxide gold projects in the Great Basin, benefiting from existing infrastructure and a large mineral endowment. The company is currently advancing the project through feasibility-level engineering, environmental baseline studies, and coordinated permitting activities.

Notable Quotes

• Governor Brad Little, Idaho: "Streamlining Idaho's permitting process for major mining projects like the Black Pine oxide gold project in southern Idaho is about cutting unnecessary red tape while maintaining strong standards. By better aligning our state timelines with federal reviews under the FAST-41 framework... we can eliminate duplicative steps that slow projects down and create uncertainty."
• Jon Gilligan, President, CEO, and Director, Liberty Gold: "Idaho's decision to formally align state permitting timelines with the FAST-41 framework marks an important advancement in how major mining projects are reviewed in the United States... This level of co-ordination improves visibility, reduces permitting risk, and supports a disciplined and efficient environmental review process as Black Pine advances."