Alaska Nickel Project Accepted for FAST-41.
Alaska Energy Metals Announces Nikolai Nickel Project Coverage on Us Permitting Council’s Fast-41 Transparency Dashboard
Junior Mining Network, November 24, 2025
Highlights:
- Alaska Energy Metals announces that the Nikolai Nickel project has been accepted for coverage on the FAST-41 Transparency Dashboard by the US Permitting Council.
- Permitting Council Executive Director: “We are proud to support more mining projects that will strengthen the U.S. economy and reduce our reliance on foreign nations.
- The FAST-41 listing will focus initially on the rehabilitation and extension of the existing Rainy Creek Mining Trail, including installation of two temporary bridges, and an on-site camp.
- The road and camp project will facilitate ground access, greatly reduce costs, and accelerate timelines for advanced exploration and development of the Eureka deposit, situated on the Nikolai project. Eureka is the largest known nickel resource in the US and contains multiple critical metals: nickel, copper, cobalt, chromium, platinum, and palladium, as well as iron.
- The listing will result in full transparency and coordination amongst the federal permitting agencies and set firm timelines on Federal permitting milestones.
North Slope Lease Sale Evidence of Continuing Renaissance.
Alaska Onshore North Slope Oil Auction Sets New Mark for Tract Leases Sold
Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon/Eurasia Review, November 24, 2025
The state’s annual North Slope oil and gas lease sale drew brisk bidding that was dominated by small independent companies, some of which were new entrants to Alaska, officials reported on Wednesday.
The Division of Oil and Gas said nine companies submitted a combined $16.97 million in high bids for 271 onshore tracts in the central North Slope.
It was the most tracts sold in a North Slope lease sale since the annual areawide leasing program started in 1999, and it was the highest amount of money submitted in high bids since 2014, when 254 North Slope tracts were sold for $39.85 million.
The sale had offered 3,121 tracts over about 5 million state-owned acres.
In a statement, John Crowther, acting commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, said the sale results show evidence of a continuing North Slope oil “renaissance.”
U.S. Export-Import Bank to invest $100 million in critical minerals, nuclear energy, and LNG.
US EXIM to invest $100 billion to secure critical mineral supplies: Report
Business Standard/Reuters, November 24, 2025
The U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM) will invest $100 billion to secure U.S. and allied supply chains for critical minerals, nuclear energy and liquefied natural gas, the organization’s chair John Jovanovic told the Financial Times in an interview published on Sunday.
The first tranche of deals will include projects in Egypt, Pakistan, and Europe, Jovanovic told the newspaper, adding that the West was over-reliant on supplies of these critical materials that “are no longer fair”.
“We can’t do anything else that we’re trying to do without these underlying critical raw material supply chains being secure, stable and functioning,” he was quoted saying.
Jovanovic told the FT that the bank’s early deals would include a credit insurance guarantee for $4 billion of natural gas being delivered to Egypt by New York-based commodities group Hartree Partners, and a $1.25 billion loan for the Reko Diq mine being developed by Barrick Mining in Pakistan.
The bank has $100 billion left to deploy of the $135 billion authorized by Congress, he said.
Streamlining project reviews for U.S. LNG Facilities.
House Bill Would Shift LNG Approvals to FERC, Streamline U.S. Project Reviews
Pipeline and Gas Journal, November 23, 2025
The Energy Workforce & Technology Council is backing new legislation that would move LNG approval authority from the Department of Energy to FERC, aiming to streamline project reviews and reduce delays for U.S. LNG facilities.
(P&GJ) — The Energy Workforce & Technology Council (EWTC) is praising House passage of H.R. 1949, a bill that would overhaul how U.S. LNG export projects are approved by shifting key authority to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The “Unlocking Our Domestic LNG Potential Act,” introduced by Rep. August Pfluger, would remove longstanding Natural Gas Act restrictions and streamline federal oversight of LNG facilities.
If enacted, the measure would transfer full siting, construction, and operational approval authority for LNG terminals from the Department of Energy to FERC — a move supporters say would provide more certainty for developers facing long review timelines.
RELATED: FERC Weighs Blanket Authorizations to Streamline LNG Permitting
“America should not be tying its own hands when the world is demanding more reliable American energy,” EWTC President Tim Tarpley said. “This bill cuts out needless bureaucracy, strengthens our LNG leadership, and gives operators the clarity they need to build, invest, and compete. American LNG is a win for the US and a win for our allies abroad. The Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act is a smart, straightforward step that keeps American energy moving forward.”
EWTC said the legislation would help clear regulatory bottlenecks that have slowed multiple LNG projects in recent years. The group also emphasized that faster federal reviews support the broader supply chain required to build and operate LNG export terminals.
The Council urged the Senate to advance the legislation, calling it critical for U.S. energy security and for meeting rising global LNG demand.