A gold and antimony mine in eastern Valley County is among 10 projects tabbed for “expedited” permitting by a new federal energy council.
The National Energy Domination Council recently released the list of projects, which includes Perpetua Resources’ Stibnite Gold Project about 40 miles east of McCall.
The list was created under President Donald Trump’s March 20 executive order that tasked agencies with identifying all domestic mineral production projects and working with the council to determine priority projects.
The order directs agencies to “take all necessary or appropriate actions within the agency’s authority to expedite and issue the relevant permits or approvals” for the priority projects.
Transparency Project
The Stibnite mine was recognized as a “Transparency Project,” which means it has been placed on the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council’s dashboard.
The dashboard notes that a permitting timetable will be published by May 2 for the Stibnite mine and other selected projects.
Perpetua expects the designation to “promote transparency, interagency coordination, and decision-making,” said Marty Boughton, a spokesperson for the company.
“Being recognized as a Transparency Project by the White House underscores the immense strategic value of the Stibnite Gold Project,” Perpetua CEO and President Jon Cherry said. “We are honored by this selection, which validates the urgency and importance of our project for America’s economic and national security.”
The Payette National Forest, the lead permitting agency for the Stibnite mine, did not respond to Valley Lookout’s request for comment.
The Payette issued an initial approval of the mine in January following an eight-year review, but that approval is being challenged by conservation groups who sued the Forest Service in February, as Valley Lookout reported.
Perpetua is also still seeking final approval for other permits related to the mine, on which the company hopes to begin construction this summer.
Critical minerals production
The Stibnite mine would produce an estimated 106 million pounds of antimony, which is one of 50 minerals deemed by the federal government to be “critical” to the country’s economic and national security.
Antimony is used for munitions, electronics, batteries, flame-retardants and other products. There is currently no source of mined antimony in the United States. Perpetua estimates it could supply up to 35% of the country’s annual demand over the mine’s first six years of production.
In December, China, which is the world’s leading antimony producer, banned exports of the mineral to the United States.
The federal government signaled its interest in the Stibnite mine in 2022 when the Department of Defense awarded Perpetua $25 million to advance the proposal. The defense department awarded another $50 million for the project in 2023 and 2024.
Cherry, the Perpetua CEO, said the funding and the recent priority designation “can help meaningfully push back against China’s attempts to clinch global control over critical minerals.”
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Despite the political benefits of Antimony to Perpetua, 4.2 million ounces of gold the Stibnite mine is expected to produce would account for more than 90% of the mine’s projected revenue.
Energy council background
The energy council that designated the Stibnite mine as a priority project was created by a Feb. 14 executive order. The council is tasked it with advising the president on policies and strategies that can increase American energy production.
The council is chaired by Doug Burgum, who leads the Department of the Interior and formerly served as North Dakota’s governor.
Other members of the council include high-ranking Trump administration officials like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The Caldwell Canyon Mine Project, which is located in Soda Springs and would produce phosphate, was also placed on the priority project list.
The list also includes mines in Utah, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Arizona, Alabama, Michigan, and Arkansas.
