Court offers mixed views on water permit for Minnesota mine

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota appeals court has issued a mixed opinion in a complicated case contesting one of the key permits that a St. Paul-based company needs to build what would be the state’s first copper-nickel mine. The Minnesota Court of Appeals reversed a decision by regulators to issue the PolyMet Mining Corp. a water quality permit for the project. It now goes back to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to determine whether any pollution discharges from the mine into groundwater would violate the federal Clean Water Act. However, the three-judge panel rejected several other arguments from PolyMet’s opponents, leaving both sides claiming victory.