Kilbourne Graphite Project Receives Permitting Council’s FAST-41 Coverage
Contact Information
Permitting Council Press Office (media@permitting.gov)
WASHINGTON (October 14, 2025) – Today, the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council) announces the FAST-41 coverage of the Kilbourne Graphite Project. If permitted, this $360 million critical minerals mining project will build a strategically significant domestic supply chain for graphite, essential for the production of energy storage systems to support large scale AI data centers and national defense applications.
“The U.S. currently imports 100% of its natural graphite needs, leaving us entirely dependent on foreign supply chains, which is why I am thrilled to welcome the Kilbourne Graphite Project to FAST-41 coverage,” said Emily Domenech, Permitting Council Executive Director. “Despite the ongoing lapse in annual appropriations, the Permitting Council is committed to supporting priority projects that ensure reliable access to domestic critical minerals.”
Located in St. Lawrence County, New York, the Kilbourne Graphite Project is an integrated graphite natural flake mine and processing facility. If permitted, the project will produce up to 40,000 tons per year of graphite concentrate along with purified and micronized products for industrial, energy, and defense applications. By establishing a U.S.-based graphite supply operation, project sponsors anticipate that the project will assist in eliminating foreign supply-chain vulnerabilities, provide critical inputs for the defense industrial base, and strengthen America’s capacity to meet rising demand for advanced technology materials.
The Kilbourne Graphite Project is sponsored by Empire State Mines LLC. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers serves as the lead federal permitting agency. Learn more about the Kilbourne Graphite 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.
###
Last Updated: Friday, October 10, 2025