Gold Standard Ventures Clears BLM Approval for 4,624-Acre Nevada Gold and Silver Mine

The Bureau of Land Management authorized Gold Standard Ventures (US) Inc.'s South Railroad Mine Project in Elko County, Nevada, covering 4,624 acres of federally managed land, the agency announced on August 14. Yahoo reported the approval alongside a separate Oregon proposal still under review. The Nevada project is a gold and silver mine.

Inside the South Railroad Mine Approval

The BLM said the company will construct, operate, reclaim and close the mine over 16 years. The agency framed the project as a source of local jobs and of domestic access to precious metals. Gold Standard Ventures is a precious metals exploration and project development company; its own site carries its project information.

The approval sits within a wider push on federal lands. The BLM has continued to support gold mining projects since President Donald Trump named gold among other critical minerals in a March 20, 2025 Executive Order titled "Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production." The BLM and other federal agencies have been advancing private industry projects to increase domestic sources of critical minerals and improve the U.S. Supply chain.

The Oregon proposal is at an earlier stage. The BLM noted on October 21 that it is considering a possible gold mine on 820 acres of public land in Baker County in northeast Oregon. The Reeds Gulch Mining Plan seeks a 20-year project that would mine 50% of the public lands and use other acreage for exploration test pits, excavation, trenches, a processing site, and three settling and recycling ponds. "Gold has been an important part of Oregon's mining history and economy. Oregon's mineral resources are helping America build a more secure domestic supply chain," said Mike Decker, the BLM's acting Vale District manager. The BLM said the operator would mine at individual sites, closing and reclaiming each as work moves on, with mining and restoration running concurrently and no blasting for mining.

Other Approvals Across Gold and Copper

Peer companies have also logged regulatory decisions. Estrella Resources received approval from Timor-Leste's ANM on October 16 for its first drilling campaign at the Laleno Dome, targeting porphyry-style copper-gold mineralisation. KEFI Gold and Copper's Saudi joint venture GMCO approved the $87 million Jibal Qutman Stage 1 development on October 27, subject to a mining licence. Military Metals Corp said on October 19 that Slovakia reinstated and extended its Trojárová antimony-gold exploration licence for four years, to October 18, 2030.

Oregon Comment Window and Licence Conditions

Public comments on the Reeds Gulch project's environmental assessment are being accepted through November 20. KEFI's Jibal Qutman development remains subject to a mining licence from Saudi Arabia, with commencement targeted for the fourth quarter of 2026.