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COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho, April 22, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) is pleased to announce that its Libby Exploration Project in Montana was included in the Trump Administration’s March 18, 2025, announcement of advancing critical mineral projects under Executive Order 14241, Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production.
As a result, the Project has been placed on the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council’s FAST-41 permitting dashboard, which will ensure the environmental review and authorizations schedule for the project is publicly available and allows all stakeholders to benefit from increased transparency.
"We're pleased that the Libby Exploration Project has been recognized in the White House's critical minerals initiative and added to the FAST-41 dashboard. This priority status acknowledges the strategic importance of developing domestic silver and copper resources and should help streamline the remaining permitting process as we move toward a final Record of Decision. Hecla also extends its thanks to Montana’s congressional delegation for their leadership in showing strong support for the Project and encouraging domestic mineral production and investment in Montana," said Rob Krcmarov, President and CEO. "Having a fully permitted project would add significant optionality to our portfolio, and this milestone positions us well for the future. While we continue to evaluate the project economics and address technical challenges, this designation enhances the project's long-term potential. As always, our capital allocation decisions will remain disciplined and focused on delivering shareholder value while we advance our understanding of this significant resource."
The Trump Administration’s announcement may be found here:
The Project link on the FAST-41 dashboard is here:
Hecla’s Libby Exploration Project is a large silver and copper deposit located 50 miles from the Company’s Lucky Friday mine. A Plan of Operations is currently under an Environmental Assessment review by the U.S. Forest Service, and upon successful completion of that process, and if subsequent data collection and analysis activities suggest development of a mine is feasible, then a new Plan of Operations for the construction and development of a mine at the Libby Exploration site would be submitted for approval.