Laramide Resources announced Monday that two of its advanced-stage uranium projects in New Mexico have secured FAST-41 covered project status from the US Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council.

The Crownpoint-Churchrock and La Jara Mesa projects have both been included in the FAST-41 infrastructure permitting programme, which aims to improve coordination, transparency and predictability in the federal review process for large-scale infrastructure and energy projects.

“This designation... reflects the projects’ strategic importance and supports an efficient, transparent federal review process,” the Toronto-based company said in a statement.

La Jara Mesa, which was previously designated as a FAST-41 transparency project, has now been elevated to full covered project status, bringing it in line with the Crownpoint-Churchrock project and unifying their treatment under the permitting framework.

“We commend the Trump administration for the executive order announced on May 23, supporting the acceleration of nuclear energy development in the United States,” said Laramide president and CEO Marc Henderson. “As momentum builds around a new era for nuclear power, it is important to recognise that uranium is the fundamental starting point of the entire fuel cycle.”

Henderson described the Crownpoint-Churchrock project as “one of the largest undeveloped uranium deposits in the US” and highlighted its potential role in helping secure a domestic supply of the mineral amid renewed interest in nuclear energy.

“The inclusion of our projects under FAST-41 is a meaningful step, but continued policy support will be essential to overcome the longstanding regulatory and permitting challenges that have constrained US uranium production,” Henderson added. “We are encouraged by this progress and proud to be part of a national effort to rebuild the nuclear fuel cycle from the ground up.”

The Crownpoint-Churchrock project, located in McKinley county, New Mexico, includes two in-situ recovery-amenable deposits covered under an NRC licence, for which a renewal application is currently in progress. It is Laramide’s flagship US uranium asset.

La Jara Mesa, meanwhile, is situated in the Grants Mineral Belt in Cibola county. The US Forest Service is preparing an environmental impact statement in line with the National Environmental Policy Act to assess the proposed underground mine and related surface infrastructure.