Liberty Gold’s Black Pine project enters federal environmental review phase

Liberty Gold’s (TSX: LGD) Black Pine project in southeastern Idaho has moved further along its permitting process with official confirmation that it is entering the federal environmental review phase.

In a press release on Friday, the Toronto-based gold developer announced that the United States Forest Service has published a notice of intent (NOI) to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for its flagship project.

Approval and publication of the NOI, says Liberty, is a key permitting milestone that initiates the federal environmental review process for major projects under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

The EIS process would include public scoping, technical studies and environmental analysis in coordination with federal and state cooperating agencies. It will progress through preparation and publication of a draft EIS, followed by a public review period, and the issuance of a final EIS.

The final EIS report, together with Liberty’s mine plan of operations that was deemed administratively complete in November, will form the basis for a federal record of decision, the company said.

Shares of Liberty Gold jumped more than 6% on Monday following the announcement, giving the company a market capitalization of C$650.6 million ($468 million).

Coordinated review

Located in the Great Basin area, Black Pine represents one of the few large-scale oxide gold deposits in the country, with indicated resources totalling nearly 4.2 million oz. Earlier work suggests that the proposed mine could produce as much as 2.2 million oz. over a 17-year life.

In January, the US government designated the Black Pine project for inclusion in 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.

The NOI approval follows recent commitment by Idaho’s government to align the project’s permitting process with the FAST-41 framework, making it the first precious metals mining project where both federal and state agencies are aligned under a single, coordinated permitting framework.

“This milestone reflects the completion of the pre-NEPA technical and baseline workstreams and positions the project to advance through a coordinated environmental review process,” Jon Gilligan, CEO of Liberty Gold, commented on the permitting progress.

“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,” he added.

Meanwhile, the feasibility-level work on Black Pine remains ongoing, with the company targeting a technical report by the end of this year.