Published: April 10, 2026 | Share This

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Liberty Gold said the United States Forest Service (USFS) published a notice of intent (NOI) in the federal register to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the company’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).

“With the publication of the notice of intent in the federal register, Black Pine has entered the formal NEPA review phase. 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,” said Jon Gilligan, president and CEO of Liberty Gold.

“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,” added Gilligan.

The EIS process includes public scoping, technical studies, and environmental analysis conducted by the lead federal agency in coordination with federal and state cooperating agencies. Liberty Gold will continue to engage proactively 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 will form the basis for a federal record of decision.

Black Pine represents a large-scale, oxide gold development opportunity in the U.S. Great Basin, supported by a multi-million-ounce mineral endowment, existing infrastructure and a well-established mining and permitting jurisdiction.

“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,” said U.S. Senator Jim Risch (Idaho).

“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,” said U.S. Congressman Mike Simpson (Idaho).

The project is advancing under the auspices of the United States Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council as a FAST-41 covered project with both federal and state of Idaho agencies operating under a coordinated 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, ongoing 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.

Liberty Gold is a U.S. focused gold development company building and advancing a pipeline of gold assets in the Great Basin, one of the world’s most productive and mining friendly gold regions. The company’s flagship asset is the 100 percent owned Black Pine Oxide Gold Project in southern Idaho, a large scale, past-producing run-of-mine heap leach system being advanced through feasibility and permitting toward a modern open-pit mining operation. The company’s strategy is to responsibly develop high quality, long-life gold projects in supportive jurisdictions, led by an experienced team with a track record of discovery, development and delivering long term value.

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