Permitting Council Adds Two New Critical Mineral Mining Projects to FAST-41 Transparency Status

WASHINGTON (October 3, 2025) – The Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council) is pleased to announce the latest two critical mineral mining projects to receive FAST-41 transparency status on the Federal Permitting Dashboard—the Burnt Rock Exploration Project and the Copper Creek Exploration Project. If permitted, these projects will expand the domestic availability of gold, silver and copper in the U.S., for use in vital areas including medicine, national security, and energy infrastructure.

“The Permitting Council is focused on moving President Trump’s priority projects forward in spite of a government shutdown. With the addition of these critical mineral mining projects to the FAST-41 Dashboard, the Permitting Council has taken yet another step towards strengthening our national energy security,” said Emily Domenech, Permitting Council Executive Director. “We are proud to support efforts, like the Copper Creek Exploration project and the Burnt Rock Exploration project, that highlight this administration’s commitment to responsibly and efficiently harnessing our abundant natural resources as we shape the next generation of American industry.”

Located at the Spring Peak project in the Aurora mining district of west-central Nevada, the Burnt Rock Exploration project includes the temporary construction of over 29 miles of new temporary access road, construction of up to 266 drill sites, and reclamation of all proposed disturbances. 

The Copper Creek Exploration Project proposes drilling activities within the Copper Creek Mining District (also referred to as the Bunker Hill Mining District), within Pinal County, Arizona. The project will utilize existing roads and infrastructure from previous mineral exploration and extraction activities to construct 67 exploratory drilling sites. 

Both projects will receive the transparency benefits of the Permitting Council’s FAST-41 program in response to Executive Order 14241. A permitting timetable will be posted for each project on or before October 17, 2025. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service serves as the lead agency for the Burnt Rock Exploration Project project. The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management serves as the lead agency for the Copper Creek Exploration Project. 

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.