Copper Creek Exploration Project Completes Federal Permitting
Contact Information
Permitting Council Press Office (media@permitting.gov)
WASHINGTON (January 9, 2026) – The Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council) is pleased to announce the completion of federal permitting for the Copper Creek Exploration Project. The mining project will conduct exploration drilling activities within the Copper Creek Mining District (also referred to as the Bunker Hill Mining District), within Pinal County, Arizona.
“Congratulations to the Bureau of Land Management and the team at Faraday Copper for completing this project just three months after it was listed on the Federal Permitting Dashboard,” said Permitting Council Executive Director Emily Domenech. “This is the seventh FAST-41 mining project to complete federal permitting, once again showing the dedication of the Trump Administration to supporting this critical sector.”
Added to FAST-41 in response to Executive Order 14241, the Copper Creek Exploration project will pursue exploration activities for porphyry copper, a designated U.S. critical mineral. Located less than two hours northeast of Tucson, Arizona, the project is located on lands where previous exploration and extraction have occurred. The drilling activity consists of 67 drill pads within less than 200 acres. Existing roads and infrastructure will be utilized for the exploration activities. The drill pads and roads encompass approximately 18 acres, which includes 6 acres for 67 drill pad sites and 12 acres for associated access roads.
"We are thankful to the Permitting Council and the Bureau of Land Management for their support throughout the permitting process for the Copper Creek Exploration Project,” said Benjamin Peterson, Director of Permitting with Faraday Copper. “FAST-41’s structured and transparent framework has demonstrated that responsible mineral exploration can advance efficiently while maintaining environmental stewardship and regulatory accountability."
Faraday Copper is the project sponsor for the Copper Creek Exploration project, and the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management served as the lead federal permitting agency. Learn more about this project on the Federal Permitting Dashboard.
About the Permitting Council and FAST-41
Established in 2015 by Title 41 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST-41), the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council) is a federal agency charged with improving the transparency and predictability of the federal environmental review and authorization process for certain critical infrastructure projects. The Permitting Council is composed of the Permitting Council Executive Director, who serves as the Council Chair; 13 federal agency Council members; and the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. The Office of the Executive Director coordinates federal environmental reviews and authorizations for projects that seek and qualify for FAST-41 coverage, which are in turn entitled to comprehensive permitting timetables and transparent, collaborative management of those timetables on the Federal Permitting Dashboard.
Learn more about the Permitting Council at permitting.gov.
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Last Updated: Friday, January 9, 2026