Polaris Exploration Project Completes Federal Permitting
Contact Information
Permitting Council Press Office (media@permitting.gov)
WASHINGTON (March 31, 2026) – The Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council) is pleased to announce the latest mining project to complete federal permitting— the Polaris Exploration Project.
“Congratulations to the U.S. Forest Service and the team at Hecla Mining Company for making Polaris Exploration the 13th FAST-41 mining project to complete federal permitting,” said Emily Domenech, Permitting Council Executive Director. “This project is yet another example of the importance of transparency in federal permitting and this administration’s commitment to restoring America’s mining industry.”
The Polaris Exploration Project will drill for high-grade gold resources 18 miles west-southwest of Hawthorne, Nevada in the Aurora Mining District. The project will consist of exploration activities on up to 150 acres including the temporary construction of up to 25 miles of new roads and/or reconstruction of previously reclaimed roads. A maximum of 250 sites will be drilled. Reclamation will be conducted on all disturbed land.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service led permitting for this project. Klondex Aurora Mine, Inc., a subsidiary of Hecla Mining Company, is the project sponsor. 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: Tuesday, March 31, 2026