Highlights:
Senior U.S. EPA and Permitting Council representatives toured AEMC's Nikolai Project on August 26, 2025
Early federal engagement provides advantages under the FAST-41 permitting framework, improving predictability and transparency for project development
Visit underscores federal recognition of the strategic importance of domestic nickel supply for clean energy and national security
State of Alaska and Permitting Council sign MOU to align State of Alaska permitting with the FAST-41 program framework during same Alaska visit.
AEMC advancing the United States' largest nickel resources in Interior Alaska.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / September 11, 2025 / Alaska Energy Metals Corporation (TSXV:AEMC)(OTCQB:AKEMF) ("AEMC" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it hosted a site visit to its flagship Nikolai Project in Interior Alaska on Tuesday, August 26, 2025.
The tour was led by AEMC President & CEO, Gregory Beischer, and included senior U.S. government officials:
Emily Domenech, Executive Director of the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council)
Craig Litteken, Deputy Director of FAST-41 Infrastructure Portfolio Management and Engagement at the Permitting Council
Christina Carpenter, Chief of Staff for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 10
Wes Brooks, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Policy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water
The delegation visited AEMC's Canwell and Eureka project sites southwest of Delta Junction in Interior Alaska.
Gregory Beischer, AEMC President & CEO, commented: "We were honored to welcome senior EPA and Permitting Council leaders to the Nikolai Project. Their engagement at this early stage highlights the importance of collaborative, transparent dialogue as we advance toward development. Establishing strong relationships with regulators and permitting agencies helps ensure that critical mineral projects like Nikolai are advanced responsibly, efficiently, and in alignment with the highest environmental standards."
"Thank you to the Alaska Energy Metals team for hosting a site visit during our recent trip to Alaska," said Emily Domenech, Permitting Council Executive Director. "Getting a first-hand look at the work being done at this site showed how we can work with industry and federal partners to develop our country's mineral resources and create secure supply chains for critical technologies."
The tour coincided with a major development in state-federal coordination: during a press conference in Anchorage, Governor Mike Dunleavy and Permitting Council Executive Director Emily Domenech signed the first-ever statewide Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Alaska and the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council. Under this agreement, Alaska becomes the first state to partner with the Permitting Council to leverage the FAST-41 program, enabling streamlined permitting, dedicated technical assistance, and enhanced transparency with accountability built into a unified permitting dashboard.
Governor Dunleavy emphasized that the MOU ensures 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". Ms. Domenech added that the partnership positions Alaska to "bring streamlined permitting" and raise the state's profile in energy and infrastructure development
The Nikolai Nickel Project hosts a large-scale polymetallic deposit containing seven U.S. Government-designated critical minerals: nickel, copper, cobalt, chromium, platinum, palladium, and gold, along with iron. Nickel is essential to the U.S. clean energy transition as a key component in advanced batteries, while copper and cobalt are critical for grid reliability and high-performance energy storage. Nickel, cobalt, chromium, platinum and palladium also play indispensable roles in defense and aerospace applications, including advanced alloys, electronics, catalysts, and precision systems. This broad suite of metals not only strengthens the project's long-term value proposition but also positions Nikolai as a potential cornerstone of both the clean energy economy and the U.S. defense industrial base.
Figure 1: Alaska Energy Metals President Greg Beischer speaks with Permitting Council Executive Director Emily Domenech and Region 10 Chief of Staff for EPA Christina Carpenter at the discovery site of the Nikolai nickel (+copper, cobalt, chromium, platinum, and palladium) deposit.
Early engagement with the EPA, the Permitting Council, and the FAST-41 permitting framework provides AEMC with a significant advantage as it advances project planning. FAST-41, created to improve the transparency and predictability of federal permitting, offers a coordinated process that can help reduce delays and provide investors with greater certainty in project timelines. The visit by senior federal officials reflects recognition of the Nikolai Project's potential strategic importance to U.S. supply chains and underscores the federal government's interest in supporting responsibly developed domestic critical mineral sources.
ABOUT ALASKA ENERGY METALS
Alaska Energy Metals Corporation (AEMC) is an Alaska-based corporation with offices in Anchorage and Vancouver working to sustainably deliver the critical materials needed for national security and a bright energy future, while generating superior returns for shareholders.
AEMC is focused on delineating and developing the large-scale, bulk-tonnage, polymetallic Nikolai Project Eureka deposit containing nickel, copper, cobalt, chromium, iron, platinum, palladium, and gold. Located in Interior Alaska near existing transportation and power infrastructure, its flagship project, Nikolai, is well-situated to become a significant domestic source of strategic metals for North America. AEMC also holds a secondary project in western Quebec; the Angliers - Belleterre project. Today, material sourcing demands excellence in environmental performance, technological innovation, carbon mitigation and the responsible management of human and financial capital. AEMC works every day to earn and maintain the respect and confidence of the public and believes that ESG performance is measured by action and led from the top.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
"Gregory Beischer"
Gregory Beischer, President & CEO
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Gregory A. Beischer, President & CEO
Toll-Free: 877-217-8978 | Local: 604-609-7149
Some statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information (within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation), including, without limitation, that the Company will enter the mine permitting process and use the Fast-41 Framework. These statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date those statements are made. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements do not guarantee future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include but are not limited to uncertainty relating to the estimation of mineral resources, regulatory actions, market prices, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable law, the Company assumes no obligation to update or to publicly announce the results of any change to any forward-looking statement contained or incorporated by reference herein to reflect actual results, future events or developments, changes in assumptions, or changes in other factors affecting the forward-looking statements. If the Company updates any forward-looking statement(s), no inference should be drawn that it will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.
SOURCE: Alaska Energy Metals Corporation
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/alaska-energy-metals-hosts-federal-agency-representatives-at-nikolai-nickel-proje-1071615
