Permitting Schedule Updated For Stibnite Gold Project

BOISE, ID – Perpetua Resources Corp. reported that the United States Forest Service (USFS) is advancing Perpetua Resources’ modified proposed action in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process and updated the permitting schedule for the Stibnite Gold Project. The Project is designed to use responsible mining to develop a world-class gold mine, restore an abandoned mine site, provide the United States with the only domestic source of the critical mineral antimony and contribute to the economic success of Idaho. Perpetua Resources’ modified proposed action was submitted to USFS in December 2020 as the “Modified Plan of Restoration and Operations 2” (ModPRO2) and represents refinements to Alternative 2 of the August 2020 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). The refined plan incorporates stakeholder feedback on the DEIS and is designed to reduce the project footprint and improve environmental outcomes. Modifications include the elimination of waste rock storage areas, overall reductions in mined material, additional pit backfilling and restoration, and improvements to water quality and water temperature. The USFS’s decision advances Perpetua Resources’ improved and preferred Project design in the NEPA process and sets the Project on a clear path to a final permitting decision.

Importantly, the USFS will focus on Perpetua Resources’ ModPRO2 and the two identified access routes for the remainder of the NEPA process, eliminating DEIS Alternatives 1 and 3 from further consideration. In order to ensure a full analysis of the refined Project, the USFS plans to issue a targeted Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) and provide the public and cooperating agencies the opportunity to review and comment on the additional analysis.

“We are pleased the USFS is advancing our proposed action forward and establishing a well-defined path towards a Record of Decision,” said, Laurel Sayer, President & CEO. “These actions expressly integrate public input and additional analysis in the process, reduce the Project’s environmental effects, and enhance our restoration and community objectives.”