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US Army Corps revokes permit for Minnesota mine, cites threat to downstream tribe's water standards

By STEVE KARNOWSKI - Jun 06, 2023, 08:09 PM ET
Last Updated - Aug 12, 2024, 07:50 AM EDT
US_ Army
ASSOCIATED PRESS

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has revoked a crucial federal permit for the proposed NewRange Copper Nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota, saying the permit did not comply with the water quality standards set by a sovereign downstream tribe

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Tuesday it has revoked a crucial federal permit for the proposed NewRange Copper Nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota, a project popularly known as PolyMet, saying the permit did not comply with the water quality standards set by a sovereign downstream tribe. 

The Corps said in a statement that it revoked the Clean Water Act permit, which it had previously suspended, “because the permit does not ensure compliance with water quality requirements of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.” The tribe's reservation, on the St. Louis River, is downstream from the mine and processing plant site near Babbitt and Hoyt Lakes. 

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“This is a huge victory,” said Paula Maccabee, an attorney for WaterLegacy, one of the environmental groups that have been fighting the proposed mine in court and in the regulatory process for several years. “It’s a victory for tribal sovereignty, it’s a victory for science, it’s a victory for the law. Although PolyMet has suffered other setbacks, this is by far the most consequential victory for human health, water quality and tribal sovereignty.”  

The Corps said NewRange Copper Nickel is free to submit a new permit application with modifications to the project to make it comply with the tribe’s water quality requirements. But Maccabee said the Corps' decision memo makes it clear that it would be difficult for the company to successfully address all the issues raised by the tribe and the Environmental Protection Agency. 

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