Perpetua Resources Corp. (Nasdaq: PPTA) (TSX: PPTA) (“Perpetua Resources” or “Perpetua” or the “Company”), proudly announced that the Stibnite Gold Project (“Project”) has been selected as a Transparency Project in response to President Donald Trump’s recent Executive Order aimed at strengthening American mineral production and significantly reducing U.S. reliance on foreign nations for critical mineral supplies. As one of just 10 initial U.S. projects selected by the National Energy Dominance Council (“NEDC”) for placement on the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (“Permitting Council”) dashboard, the Stibnite Gold Project will have access to increased interagency transparency, coordination, and oversight.
“Being recognized as a Transparency Project by the White House underscores the immense strategic value of the Stibnite Gold Project,” said Jon Cherry, President and CEO of Perpetua Resources. “We are honored by this selection, which validates the urgency and importance of our Project for America’s economic and national security. We stand ready to restore the site and bolster American mineral independence.”
The Stibnite Gold Project, with its recently secured Record of Decision from the U.S. Forest Service in January 2025, is uniquely positioned to supply the critical mineral antimony, which is essential to national security and energy technology. The final federal decision, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Clean Water Act 404 permit, is on track for a decision in Q2 2025.
The Executive Order, issued on March 20, 2025, directs federal agencies to streamline permitting for identified Priority Projects, empowers the use of Defense Production Act (“DPA”) Title III awards to advance domestic mining, and calls for program guidance on financing tools for mining projects made available through the U.S. Export-Import Bank (“EXIM”). Perpetua has received three separate awards from the Department of Defense – including DPA Title III awards – totaling nearly $75 million, and in 2024 received a Letter of Interest from EXIM for $1.8 billion.
“The President’s Executive Order was right to recognize that if the U.S. is going to seriously compete against China, it needs to deploy federal tools to even the playing field for domestic mining projects. Defense Production Act Title III awards, the U.S. Export-Import Bank’s China Transformational Exports Program and Make More in America initiative, and other programs that extend capital for critical mineral production can help meaningfully push back against China’s attempts to clinch global control over critical minerals,” said Cherry.
The Stibnite Gold Project is poised to produce gold and the only domestically mined source of antimony — a mineral vital to defense, energy industries, and advanced technologies. With China’s recent ban on antimony exports to the U.S., the Project represents a crucial step toward restoring American supply chain resilience. The Stibnite Gold Project could supply up to 35 percent of U.S. antimony demand during its initial six years of production, based on the 2023 U.S. Geological Survey antimony commodity summary.
“The Stibnite Gold Project exemplifies responsible mining with benefits extending well beyond national security,” Cherry continued. “Our project is designed to create hundreds of family-wage jobs in rural Idaho, restore critical salmon spawning habitats, address legacy environmental contamination, and enhance water quality at a previously abandoned mine site.”
Perpetua Resources entered into the formal permitting process under the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) in 2016. The USFS issued a Draft Environmental Impact Statement in 2020, a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement in 2022, a Final Environmental Impact Statement and Draft Record of Decision in September 2024, and a Final Record of Decision in January 2025.
