Idaho aligns Black Pine project permitting with FAST-41

Liberty Gold (TSX: LGD) says the state of Idaho has committed to align the permitting process for the company’s flagship Black Pine project with the US government’s FAST-41 framework, allowing for a quicker review and reduced uncertainty.

In January, Liberty’s Black Pine project joined the FAST-41 program, a federal initiative launched over a decade ago to improve the timeliness, predictability and transparency of permitting for major infrastructure projects. It was the fourth precious metals project admitted into FAST-41 under the current Trump administration.

The state of Idaho, seeking to align its permitting review with FAST-41 schedules, announced in February a new coordination framework that provides for the integration of state permitting actions into the federal permitting dashboard, enhancing transparency and coordination with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process.

With that, Black Pine became the first US precious metals mining project where both federal and state agencies are aligned under a single, coordinated permitting framework.

Idaho’s leadership represents a meaningful step forward in improving certainty, coordination and predictability in the US mine permitting process, Liberty Gold said on Friday, in reference to the state’s commitment to the coordinated framework.

Shares of Liberty Gold fell over 3% as of noon ET, after initially rising on the news. The company has a market capitalization of C$500.9 million ($365 million).

‘Single, transparent’ schedule

“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,” Liberty Gold CEO Jon Gilligan said in a news release.

“Black Pine’s acceptance into FAST-41 earlier this year established a coordinated federal permitting pathway and Idaho’s participation further strengthens that framework by bringing state and federal agencies onto a single, transparent schedule.”

Located in southeastern Idaho near the Utah border, Black Pine represents one of the largest undeveloped oxide gold projects in the Great Basin area. It is host to a past-producing, run-of-mine heap leach system that is being advanced through feasibility and permitting toward a modern open-pit mining operation.

Idaho Governor Brad Little said that the streamlined permitting process for major mining projects like Black Pine “is about cutting unnecessary red tape while maintaining strong standards.”

Following its acceptance into FAST-41, the Black Pine project entered a structured 60-day coordination period with participating federal and state agencies to update and refine the environmental review timetable. Liberty expects the revised permitting schedule to be published to the FAST-41 permitting dashboard following completion of this process.

Meanwhile, the company is in the process of completing a feasibility study for the project, which is expected in the second half of 2026. Its previous pre-feasibility study highlighted a potential 17-year gold operation producing 2.2 million oz. in total, with an initial capital cost of $327 million.