(Reuters) – Mining company Perpetua Resources said on Monday it has received the final federal permit for its Idaho antimony and gold Stibnite project from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
President Donald Trump invoked emergency powers in March to boost domestic production of critical minerals as part of a broad effort to offset China’s near-total control of the sector.
In April, the White House said it would fast-track permitting for 10 mining projects across the country as part of President Donald Trump’s push to expand critical minerals production.
The Pentagon-backed mine, which would be the country’s first antimony project, has an estimated reserve of 148 million pounds of the metal used in bullets and tanks, as well as in flame retardants and alloys for electric vehicle batteries.
China accounted for nearly 60% of globally mined antimony in 2024 and banned exports of the metal to the United States in December last year, which has called for efforts to increase domestic production.
Perpetua’s project — which would supply copper, antimony and other minerals — was granted FAST-41 status, a federal initiative launched in 2015 to streamline approvals of critical infrastructure.
“We believe this administration’s commitment to boosting efficiency without compromising rigorous environmental standards can have a transformational impact on American mining,” said CEO Jon Cherry.
The U.S. Army Corps was involved in the interagency permitting review of the project since 2017 and began formally evaluating Perpetua’s Section 404 Clean Water Act (CWA) permit application in 2023.
With the receipt of the federal permit, the last one required to progress towards construction, the company said it is focused on finalizing the remaining state permits and securing project financing needed to begin construction.
(Reporting by Pooja Menon in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)
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