Rise Gold Corp. announced the achievement of a critical milestone in the processing of the Use Permit application to Nevada County for the re-opening of the historic past-producing Idaho-Maryland Gold Mine. On April 28th, 2020, with a vote of 5-0, the Nevada County ("County") Board of Supervisors approved the contract for Raney Planning & Management Inc. ("Raney") to prepare the Environmental Impact Report ("EIR") and conduct contract planning services on behalf of the County for the proposed Idaho-Maryland Mine Project. Raney will begin work immediately to review the technical studies submitted by Rise with the Use Permit application and initiate preparation of the Draft Environmental Impact Report ("Draft EIR"). The County selected Raney after a robust bidding and selection process. A panel of County staff as well as staff from the City of Grass Valley reviewed submitted proposals independently and the two most qualified consulting firms were interviewed by the County. Raney's primary services include California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation, air quality and greenhouse gas analyses, land use planning, and contract planning services. Raney has completed over 1,000 CEQA, NEPA, and planning related projects, ranging from unique and complex projects necessitating the management of a multi-disciplinary team of experts to publicly controversial projects requiring involvement and coordination of project stakeholders and concerned citizens. Raney will be supported by highly qualified sub-consultants, including West Yost Associates, a California-based firm specializing in water, groundwater and water treatment. The Company's original estimate of the timeline for the Use Permit process (as previously discussed in the news release dated November 21st, 2019) is unchanged and the remaining timeline to approval ranges from December 2020 to May 2021. Ancillary construction and operational permits would follow as needed.All technical reports required for the Draft EIR have been submitted to Nevada County.