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

By SUMMER BALLENTINE
Associated Press

UNDATED (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled that the state’s Pollution Control Agency was wrong to issue permits for a long-contested copper-nickel mine. The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled 6-0 against the state agency. Justices say regulators ignored environmental warnings about a project previously called PolyMet. The northeastern mining project now is NewRange Copper Nickel. Environmental groups sued when the state issued permits for the mine. Court discoveries and public-record requests found that the federal Environmental Protection Agency had major concerns about the project. But the state convinced federal regulators to hide concerns from the public, fearing backlash.