Judge mostly OKs regulators’ handling of mine water permit
4 years, 6 months ago

Judge mostly OKs regulators’ handling of mine water permit

Associated Press  

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A judge ruled the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency did not deviate from most of its procedures when it issued a key water quality permit for the proposed PolyMet mine project. The ruling is a victory for supporters of the state’s first copper-nickel mine and the agency, which mine opponents accused of “procedural irregularities” in how it developed and eventually approved the water permit needed to build the $1 billion mine on the Iron Range in northeastern Minnesota. The judge however, did not completely exonerate the agency, saying it improperly deleted emails from former Commissioner John Linc Stine and Assistant Commissioner Shannon Lotthammer that showed the two negotiating with the Environmental Protection Agency to delay the federal agency from submitting comments critical of the project until after a public comment period was over, the Star Tribune reported. Guthmann’s report now goes to the Minnesota Court of Appeals, which will resume its consideration of several lawsuits filed by environmental groups and the Fond du Lac band, arguing the permit violates state law and the federal Clean Water Act.

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History of this topic

Proposed NewRange copper-nickel mine in Minnesota suffers fresh setback on top of years of delays
1 year, 4 months ago

Proposed NewRange copper-nickel mine in Minnesota suffers fresh setback on top of years of delays

Associated Press  

MINNEAPOLIS — The proposed NewRange Copper Nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota suffered a fresh setback this week when an administrative law judge recommended that state regulators should not reissue a crucial permit for the long-delayed project. Administrative Law Judge James LaFave said in a ruling late Tuesday that the design for the mine’s waste basin won’t adequately prevent water pollution. …

Minnesota Supreme Court rules against disputed mine, says state pollution officials hid EPA warnings
1 year, 8 months ago

Minnesota Supreme Court rules against disputed mine, says state pollution officials hid EPA warnings

Associated Press  

UNDATED — The Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that the state’s Pollution Control Agency improperly granted permits to a fiercely contested copper-nickel mine and concealed environmental concerns about the project, which critics say threatens to pollute Lake Superior and hurt tribal lands. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency “and the EPA sought to avoid public scrutiny and to hide the …

Minnesota Supreme Court to review drainage projects ruling
3 years, 3 months ago

Minnesota Supreme Court to review drainage projects ruling

Associated Press  

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Supreme Court announced Tuesday it will review a ruling by the Minnesota Court of Appeals that provided environmental protections for Renville County’s last free-flowing stream. The October appeals court decision called for an environmental review to determine whether a proposed drainage ditch improvement could harm the stream in the heavily agricultural western county. The …

Minnesota regulators reaffirm air permit for proposed mine
3 years, 3 months ago

Minnesota regulators reaffirm air permit for proposed mine

Associated Press  

ST. PAUL, Minn. — State regulators who three years ago issued an air quality permit for a proposed copper-nickel mine in northwestern Minnesota stood by their decision in a report released Monday that said the mine did not provide misleading information on its plans. Even so, PolyMet CEO Jon Cherry said the action on the air permit “moves us one …

Minnesota court sends PolyMet air permit case back to agency
3 years, 8 months ago

Minnesota court sends PolyMet air permit case back to agency

Associated Press  

MINNEAPOLIS — The proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine in northern Minnesota encountered a setback Monday when the state Court of Appeals ordered regulators to revisit a critical air emissions permit given to the project. The appeals court last year said the MPCA hadn’t adequately evaluated whether the air permit understated the company’s real plans, only to have that ruling overturned by …

Supreme Court affirms block of key PolyMet mine permit
3 years, 11 months ago

Supreme Court affirms block of key PolyMet mine permit

Associated Press  

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday affirmed a lower court’s reversal of a critical mining permit for the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota, handing environmentalists a victory in the long-running battle over the $1 billion project, though the company also declared a win. The court also ordered the DNR to conduct a trial-like proceeding known as …

EPA review faults permitting for proposed Minnesota mine
3 years, 11 months ago

EPA review faults permitting for proposed Minnesota mine

Associated Press  

MINNEAPOLIS — An internal investigation has found that the Environmental Protection Agency mishandled its oversight of permits for what would be Minnesota’s first copper-nickel mine, according to the federal agency’s inspector general. The EPA office also ignored three formal requests by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa for notice of the potential impact the polluted copper mine …

Minnesota Supreme Court hands victory to PolyMet copper mine
4 years, 1 month ago

Minnesota Supreme Court hands victory to PolyMet copper mine

Associated Press  

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday reversed an appeals court’s rejection of a critical air emissions permit for the planned PolyMet copper-nickel mine and sent the case back for further proceedings. The Supreme Court ruled that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency was not required under federal law to investigate allegations by environmental groups and a Native American tribe …

Minnesota Supreme Court hands victory to PolyMet copper mine
4 years, 1 month ago

Minnesota Supreme Court hands victory to PolyMet copper mine

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Minnesota Supreme Court on …

Opponents file new challenge to proposed Twin Metals mine
4 years, 10 months ago

Opponents file new challenge to proposed Twin Metals mine

Associated Press  

MINNEAPOLIS — Opponents of a proposed copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota sued Wednesday to challenge the federal government’s renewal of Twin Metals’ mineral rights leases, saying the government didn’t conduct a full-scale environmental review of the project near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. “Nothing about the Twin Metals lease renewal process has been normal, and the environmental review of …

Minnesota Court of Appeals sends PolyMet permit back to MPCA
5 years ago

Minnesota Court of Appeals sends PolyMet permit back to MPCA

Associated Press  

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Court of Appeals sent an air-emissions permit for the PolyMet copper-nickel mine back to state regulators for further review on Monday, giving another victory to environmental groups who oppose the project. The appeals court found that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency did not adequately evaluate whether the air permit requested by PolyMet was a …

Minnesota court rejects major permits for PolyMet mine
5 years, 2 months ago

Minnesota court rejects major permits for PolyMet mine

Associated Press  

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Monday rejected some of the most important permits for the planned PolyMet copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota, giving a major victory to environmentalists. Opponents of the project urged the appeals court at a hearing in October to cancel the two permits and order further proceedings to determine whether the mine’s …

Court suspends key permits for planned Minnesota copper mine
5 years, 6 months ago

Court suspends key permits for planned Minnesota copper mine

Associated Press  

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Court of Appeals has handed environmental groups a victory by suspending two key permits for a planned PolyMet copper-nickel mine ahead of a hearing next month. The appeals court put PolyMet’s dam safety permit and its permit to mine on hold, ruling Wednesday that the Department of Natural Resources failed to adequately consider two …

Minnesota appeals court orders hearing on PolyMet permit
5 years, 9 months ago

Minnesota appeals court orders hearing on PolyMet permit

Associated Press  

MINNEAPOLIS — A district court must determine if state environmental regulators improperly sought to suppress a federal agency’s serious concerns about the pollution risks arising from a proposed copper-nickel mine in northern Minnesota, the state Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday. The St. Paul-based Ramsey County District Court must hold a hearing “as soon as practicable” on the Minnesota Pollution Control …

Leaked email raises new questions about PolyMet water permit
5 years, 9 months ago

Leaked email raises new questions about PolyMet water permit

Associated Press  

MINNEAPOLIS — A leaked email shows that a senior official sought to keep the public from knowing federal Environmental Protection Agency staffers’ concerns about the pollution risks of a planned PolyMet copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota, critics of the project contend. In a March 2018 email that Shannon Lotthammer, who was then assistant commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, …

Correction: EPA-PolyMet Mine story
6 years, 1 month ago

Correction: EPA-PolyMet Mine story

Associated Press  

In a story Feb. 19 about a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency over a proposed copper-nickel mine in Minnesota, The Associated Press erroneously reported the name of the group filing the lawsuit. A corrected version of the story is below: Environmental group seeks EPA documents on Minnesota mine A Minnesota environmental group is suing the Environmental Protection Agency to …

Minnesota OKs final major state permits for PolyMet mine
6 years, 3 months ago

Minnesota OKs final major state permits for PolyMet mine

Associated Press  

ST. PAUL, Minn. — State pollution regulators on Thursday issued the last major state permits sought by the developers of the planned PolyMet copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota, leaving only one major federal permit still pending. Thursday’s announcement follows a decision by the Department of Natural Resources last month to grant PolyMet several major permits, including the key one — …

Environmentalists go to court to fight PolyMet mine permits
6 years, 3 months ago

Environmentalists go to court to fight PolyMet mine permits

Associated Press  

MINNEAPOLIS — Several environmental groups went to court Monday to challenge the state Department of Natural Resources’ decision to grant the key permits needed for the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota. The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy and its allies said in filings with the Minnesota Court of Appeals that the permits would threaten water quality downstream from …

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