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Aug 29, 2025  |  
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Maydeen Merino


NextImg:Alaska and Permitting Council partner to fast-track energy projects

Alaska has forged a new partnership with the federal Permitting Council to expedite the approval process for key infrastructure projects related to mining, fossil fuel, and other developments.

Permitting Council Executive Director Emily Domenech and Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R-AK) signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday to streamline projects at both the state and federal levels.

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The agreement aims to provide federal permitting support to projects that Alaska identifies, alongside those that are already underway on the federal side. It seeks to ensure efficiencies between the federal and state governments to facilitate the movement of critical infrastructure projects forward into development.

“This agreement is another step toward unlocking Alaska’s full potential,” Dunleavy said in a press release. “For too long, federal bureaucracy has delayed responsible resource and infrastructure development within our state. With this agreement, Alaska will have a seat at the table to ensure that federal agencies work hand in hand with the State to deliver timely and transparent permitting decisions.”

The Permitting Council oversees the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, also known as FAST-41, which is meant to streamline the permitting process for infrastructure projects. The program covers about 19 economic sectors, including transportation, semiconductors, mining, and renewable energy.

FAST-41 enhances coordination among agencies and establishes timelines for the permitting process of infrastructure projects. The program features a website with a dashboard displaying all projects, allowing the public to view the current status of each project in the permitting process.

In a press conference on Wednesday, Domenech said, “We see this as a way to really grow our existing relationships with the state of Alaska. We have five projects on the [FAST-41] dashboard now that we’ve been able to provide transparent and clear permitting timelines, and we really want to grow that number.”

One of the projects that is in the process of obtaining both federal and state permits is Graphite One. The company plans to establish a supply chain for graphite in Alaska, spanning from upstream mining to midstream processing and the production of lithium-ion battery anode materials, as well as other graphite products for the U.S. market.

Clark Penney, who is on Graphite One’s advisory board, told the Washington Examiner in a statement that “Alaska has long been known as a natural resource state. As a big state, Alaska has big resources to offer the country. In the critical mineral sector, Alaska has deposits of Graphite and Nickel that can provide 100% of the U.S. supply needs for multiple decades, if not a century.”

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He added, “The agreement between the State of Alaska and [Permitting Council] aligns well with Executive Orders by President Trump and will accelerate the ability for Alaska resources getting to market and providing U.S. supply to U.S. demand needs.”

The Trump administration has utilized FAST-41, which was launched during the Obama administration, to boost the domestic supply of critical minerals. It comes at a time when the United States is seeking to reduce its reliance on China, which controls a significant portion of the world’s critical minerals and rare earths. Critical minerals and rare earths are essential for the defense and energy sectors.